photo Tara Benwell 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: 28 January 2014

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Mother Gives Birth On Sled

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

  • give birth: to have a baby
  • unploughed: not cleared of snow
  • contraction: the tightening and relaxing of the uterus during childbirth
  • commotion: confusion and noise
  • coach: to help or train someone

Mother Gives Birth On Sled

A Philadelphia mother went into labour during a last week, and gave birth on a plastic sled in -15°C weather. The father was using the sled to bring his pregnant wife closer to their car, which was at the bottom of an unploughed hill. The mother’s contractions were when she woke up, and she thought she had plenty of time to get to the hospital. The labour progressed quickly, however, and the the realized there was no time to waste. Neighbours who heard the commotion rushed outside to bring and help coach the father. They called 911, but Bella Sofia Bonanni arrived before the .

  1. Describe the weather at the time of this incident.
  2. Why was the pregnant woman on a sled?
  3. Why didn’t the woman go to the hospital?

Discussion Question: Childbirth does not always go as planned. Some women choose to have their babies at home with a midwife. Others prefer to go to the hospital. In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of each choice?

show Answers

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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