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: 27 September 2011
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Last Bullfight In Catalonia
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- ban: a law that disallows a certain substance or conduct
- to take effect: to begin operating
- matador: a person that fights and kills bulls in an arena
- activist: a person who fights for major changes
- black market: illegal business where people trade or sell items
Comprehension Questions
- Why was this the last bullfight in Catalonia?
- What does the report say about the famous matadors?
- What hope do animal rights activists have?
Discussion Question: Despite 180,000 signatures from people who call bullfighting cruel, one fan compared closing the Barcelona arena to “throwing a Picasso painting into the garbage”. What do you think about this comparison?
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Last Bullfight In Catalonia
Approximately 20,000 bullfighting fans turned up for a bullfight in Barcelona on Sunday. This was the last bullfight of the season and likely the last fight that will ever take place in La Monumental arena. A bullfighting ban will take effect on January 1st in Catalonia. After the sixth and final bull was killed, three of Spain’s top matadors were carried out of the arena on the crowd’s shoulders. Many fans were protesting the ban outside the arena, while activists were celebrating their victory. Bullfighting has not been banned in other Spanish regions, though animal rights activists hope to extend the ban across the country. Others call bullfighting a Spanish art form that ought to be protected. While attendance had declined in recent years, tickets for the last show were sold on the black market for up to five times the price.
- This was the last bullfight in Catalonia because bullfighting was banned in this region. The ban takes effect January 1st, 2012.
- The report says that three famous matadors were carried out after the sixth bull was killed.
- Animal rights activists hope that the ban will eventually extend across Spain.
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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