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 March 2012
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“Titanic” Director Takes Deep Sea Voyage
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- voyage: an adventure trip
- emerge: to come into view
- dove: past tense of “dive” in American English (“dived” British English)
- sub: short for “submarine”; a vehicle that travels under the water
- remote: far away from action or populated areas
- technical glitch: a small mechanical problem
- premier: the first showing of a film
Comprehension Questions
- Who is James Cameron?
- What did James Cameron do at the bottom of the ocean?
- What was the explorer unable to do?
Discussion Question: What is interesting about the timing of this deep sea voyage? Do you think it was partly a publicity stunt?
show Answershide Answers
“Titanic” Director Takes Deep Sea Voyage
Filmmaker James Cameron emerged safely from a solo dive to the deepest known point of the world’s oceans. Cameron dove 11 kilometres down in the western Pacific in a one-man sub called Deepsea Challenger. He spent four hours exploring the ocean floor, which he called the most “remote, isolated place on the planet.” Though Cameron was hoping to bring back samples from the dive, the robotic arm on board suffered a technical glitch. He was able to film the dive, and plans to release a documentary. The entire trip took about seven hours, and Cameron resurfaced just hours before the premier of “Titanic” in 3D.
- James Cameron is a filmmaker. He was the director of the film “Titanic”.
- James Cameron explored the ocean floor for four hours?
- The explorer was unable to bring back samples because the mechanical arm was not working properly.
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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