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 April 2012
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN ๐
Canadian Penny To Be Phased Out
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- phase out: to slowly bring to an end
- legal tender:ย a form of payment, such as coins, notes, or bills
- transaction:ย an exchange of payment for goods or services
- round up/down: to bring to the nearest relevant number (0, 5, or 10)
- in circulation:ย moving through a system for the purpose of exchange
Comprehension Questions
- What is the one-cent coin called in Canada?
- Why is this coin being phased out?
- What will be done with pennies that banks collect?
Discussion Question: Many countries, including Brazil, Israel, and Norway, have discontinued their lowest value coins in recent years. How do electronic transactions reduce the need for low-value coins like pennies?
show Answershide Answers
Canadian Penny To Be Phased Out
The Canadian government announced that it is eliminating its one-cent coin. Pennies will continue to be legal tender; however, the Royal Canadian Mint will no longer produce these coins as of this fall. According to the Canadian government, it costs about 1.6 cents to produce a penny. This costs the Canadian economy about 11 million dollars a year. Businesses are being asked to collect and return pennies to financial institutions. The coins will be melted down and recycled into reusable metal. Cash transactions will require rounding up or down. The Canadian penny has been in circulation since 1876.
- The one-cent coin in Canada is called the “penny”.
- This coin is being phased out because it costs more money to make a penny than its value. Pennies cost the Canadian economy about 11 million dollars each year.
- Pennies will be melted down. The metal will be reused.
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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