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Welcome to the CBC Newscast Lesson!
The CBC EAL Newscast is a listening lesson for students who are learning English.
The lessons are for students who are at Canadian Language Benchmarks 3 and 4 (high
beginner / low intermediate). Each newscast has a lesson file and an audio file.
The Lesson File
You will need to print the lesson file first. Here’s what you will find in each lesson.
1. A vocabulary match exercise for each story
Learning new vocabulary before you listen makes it easier for you to understand the
story.
2. Questions on the main ideas or details of each story
Can you listen to a news story and understand the main ideas? Are you hearing the
most important details? Answer the questions and find out!
3. A transcript for the newscast
If you are having difficulty understanding the story when you listen, you can use the
transcript to help you.
4. Answers to the questions in the lesson
The answers are at end of the lesson on page 5.
5. An internet link or other resource suggestion
Some stories will have an internet link or suggest another resource you can use to
find more information.
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external websites)
The Audio File
Click on this file to hear three real world news stories read by a CBC news reader. The
first is a Manitoba story. The second is a Canadian story. The third is an international
story. All of the stories are in the same audio file
There are new stories and lessons every Thursday.
Now you are ready to begin. Read on!
Story 1: Pop stars visit Winnipeg
Step 1: Learn new vocabulary. Learning new vocabulary before you listen makes it
easier for you to understand the story. Can you match these vocabulary
words with their meaning? The first one is completed for you as an example.
Vocabulary Word
1. _b a pop star
a)
Meaning
the name of a professional hockey team
2. __ the Manitoba
Museum
b)
a well-known entertainer who plays
modern/popular music
3. __ a tour
c)
when two people spend a lot of their time
together, e.g. boyfriend/girlfriend, wife/husband
4. __ exhibits
d)
a walk through a museum, art gallery etc to look
at/learn about its exhibits
5. __ the Winnipeg Jets e)
a place where homeless animals, e.g. dogs and
cats, can live and be cared for
6. __ fans
f)
the building where Manitoba’s history and culture
is on display
7. __ (to be) a couple
g)
a young dog; a dog under one year of age
8. __ an animal shelter
h)
people who like or admire someone who is
famous
9. __ to adopt
i)
items of cultural/historical interest that are on
display in a public place
10. __ a puppy
j)
when a child/animal comes to live with you and
you legally become their parent/owner
Step 2: Listen to the first story in the audio file. Focus on listening for the main ideas
and key information. Listen as many times as you need to.
Step 3: Answer questions about the story. Fill in the blank with the correct word from
the box below. The first one is completed for you as an example.
1. When pop stars Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez visited Winnipeg, they took a
______ of the Manitoba Museum.
2. They also went to see the Winnipeg Jets play _______ and to see a ______.
3. Many of their ______ waited outside the movie _____ hoping to see the _______.
4. Serena Gomez ________ a puppy from a Winnipeg _________ shelter.
5. Justin Bieber’s ________ is from Winnipeg.
hockey
visited
fans
couple
adopted father
movie animal
theatre
tour
To find out more:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2011/10/24/mb-bieber-gomez-winnipeg.html
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Story 2: Canadians retiring later in life
Step 1: Learn new vocabulary. Learning new vocabulary before you listen makes it
easier for you to understand the story. Can you match these vocabulary
words with their meaning? The first one is completed for you as an example.
Vocabulary Word
1. _e to retire
a)
Meaning
among; in the middle of; midway
2. __ Statistics Canada
b)
to live to an older age
3. __ mid
c)
the period of time in a person’s life after they
have stopped working
4. __ when a number
jumps
d)
the typical man/woman; someone who does not
represent one extreme or another
5. __ to live longer
e)
to stop working, usually because you have
reached a certain age
6. __ the average
(man/woman)
f)
the federal government agency responsible for
collecting and reporting information on economic
and social trends
7. __ retirement
g)
when there is a sudden or dramatic increase in
a number, statistic etc.
Step 2: Listen to the first story in the audio file. Focus on listening for the main ideas
and key information. Listen as many times as you need to.
Step 3: Answer questions about the story. Does option a) or option b) make the
sentence correct? Underline or circle your answer. The first one is completed
for you as an example.
1.
A new Statistics Canada report
suggests that _____.
a) Canadians are retiring earlier
b) Canadians are retiring later
2.
Prior to the mid-1990’s, Canadians
over the age of 55 were
____________.
a) more likely to be retired
b) more likely to still be working
3.
Between 1996 and 2000, the
percentage of Canadians working
past the age of 55 has _______
a) decreased by about ten percent
b) increased by about ten percent
4.
Even though they are retiring later,
Canadians still spend about the same
number of years in retirement
because _______.
a) they are living longer
b) the number is calculated differently
To find out more:
www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/10/26/retirement-data-statscan.html
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Story 3: Earthquake in Turkey
Step 1: Learn new vocabulary. Learning new vocabulary before you listen makes it
easier for you to understand the story. Can you match these vocabulary
words with their meaning? The first one is completed for you as an example.
Vocabulary Word
1. _f an earthquake
a)
Meaning
a series of small earthquakes that follow a
major earthquake
2. __ aftershocks
b)
to harm or destroy something
3. __ to be homeless
c)
items like food and other supplies
4. __ to cause damage to
something
d)
to be freed or removed from a dangerous
situation
5. __ to provide something
e)
to be impacted by
6. __ to search for survivors
f)
when the earth trembles or shakes violently
7. __ to be rescued
g)
to not have shelter or a place to live
8. __ goods
h)
to make something available; to supply
something that’s needed
9. __ to be affected by
i)
to look for people who are still alive
Step 2: Listen to the third story in the audio file. Focus on listening for the main ideas
and key information. Listen as many times as you need to.
Step 3: Answer questions about the story. Which of the following statements about
the story are true? Which are false? Underline or circle the correct answer.
The first one is completed for you as an example.
1.
A powerful earthquake hit western Turkey.
True False
2.
The area has experienced a hundred aftershocks.
True False
3.
Thousands of people are homeless.
True False
4.
The weather is making the situation worse.
True False
5.
The government is providing blankets, food and tents.
True False
6.
The only person rescued after the earthquake hit was a two-weekold baby girl.
True False
7.
Other countries are helping the Turkish people by providing goods
and money.
True False
To find out more:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/10/24/turkey-earthquake-death-tollsurvivors.html
www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/10/27/turkey-earthquake-death-toll-rescues.html
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Hi, this is Heather Wells. You’re listening to Learning English with CBC newscast for the
week of October 24th.
Here is our first news story.
Pop stars visit Winnipeg
Pop stars Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez visited Winnipeg last week. They went to
the Manitoba Museum, where they took a tour. The Manitoba Museum has exhibits
about Manitoba’s history and culture. The couple also went to a Winnipeg Jets game
and saw a movie at a theatre. Fans waited outside of the theatre to see the pop stars.
The couple visited a Winnipeg animal shelter and Selena Gomez adopted a puppy to
take home with her. Justin Bieber’s father is from Winnipeg. Justin spent time here
when he was a child.
And in Canadian news,
Canadians retiring later in life
A new Statistics Canada report suggests that Canadians are working longer and retiring
later. The report says that up until the mid-1990s, Canadians were likely to retire early.
Now, Canadians are more likely to continue working after they turn fifty-five years of
age. In 1996, just over twenty percent of Canadians over fifty-five years of age were
still working. In 2010, that number jumped to more than thirty percent. Although people
are retiring later, they are spending the same amount of time in retirement as people
were in the past. This is because people are living longer. The average Canadian man
will spend 15 years in retirement, and the average Canadian woman will spend 19 years
in retirement.
And in international news,
Earthquake in Turkey
A powerful earthquake hit eastern Turkey last week. The area has also experienced
hundreds of aftershocks. Thousands of people have been left homeless because of the
damage caused by the earthquake. Many people are living in tents in the rain and
snow. The Turkish government is providing blankets, food, and tents for people who
have lost their homes. People are still searching for survivors of the earthquake.
Almost two hundred people have been rescued from fallen buildings, including a twoweek-old baby girl. Other countries, such as Britain, Germany, and Saudi Arabia, have
been providing money and goods to help those affected by the earthquake.
Answers for Story 1
Vocabulary: 1) b; 2) f; 3) d; 4) i; 5) a; 6) h; 7) c; 8) e; 9) j; 10) g
Questions:
1)visited, tour 2) hockey, movie 3) fans, theatre, couple 4) adopted, animal
5) father
Answers for Story 2
Vocabulary: 1) e; 2) f; 3) a; 4) g; 5) b; 6) d; 7) c
Questions:
1) b; 2) a; 3) b; 4) a
Answers for Story 3
Vocabulary:
Questions:
1) f; 2) a; 3) g; 4) b; 5) h; 6) i; 7) d; 8) c; 9) e
1) F; 2) F; 3) T; 4) T; 5) T; 6) F; 7) T
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