Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.
dateline: 10 December 2013
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN π
World Mourns Nelson Mandela
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- former: previous; in the past
- memorial: a service of remembrance to honour a person who has died
- decade: ten years
- state funeral: a formal public funeral for a person who was important to a nation
- unveil: to show for the first time
- Day of Reconciliation: an annual public holiday in South Africa that celebrates the end of apartheid (since 1994)
- apartheid: South Africa’s former system of racial segregation
Comprehension Questions
- What important title did Nelson Mandela previously hold?
- Who is attending the memorial?
- Why is the venue for the memorial significant?
Discussion Question: Why does Nelson Mandela mean so much to so many people around the world?
show Answershide Answers
World Mourns Nelson Mandela
Former South African President Nelson Mandela died on Thursday December 5th at the age of 95. Leaders from around the world are gathering in South Africa for an international memorial this week. Other figureheads, including the Prince of Wales, Bono, and Oprah Winfrey will also be in attendance. The memorial will be held on Tuesday in the stadium where Mandela delivered his first speech after nearly three decades of imprisonment. A state funeral will be held on Sunday in the Eastern Cape. The nation will also unveil a new statue of the anti-apartheid leader on 16 December, the Day of Reconciliation.
- Nelson Mandela was the former president of South Africa.
- Many world leaders and figureheads will be at the memorial.
- The venue for the memorial is significant because this is where Mandela delivered his first speech after being released from prison.
Written and recorded by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
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