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: Winnipeg gets new downtown police foot patrol
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. _c the downtown
a)
Meaning
people’s opinion of the downtown
2. __ a police foot patrol
b)
the person in charge of the police
3. __ to join something
c)
the centre or main business area of a town
or city
4. __ to decrease
d)
a good or useful relationship
5. __ crime
e)
the opposite of increase
6. __ a positive relationship
f)
illegal activities
7. __ the police chief
g)
to talk with; to work with
8. __ the image of the
downtown
h)
to begin to take part in something that
others are already involved in
9. __ to interact with
i)
a system where police officers regularly
walk the streets to look for problems and to
get to know the people in a neighbourhood
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. 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.
There is a new downtown foot patrol in Winnipeg.
True False
2.
Within a few months, there will be a total of twelve officers.
True False
3.
The police hope the foot patrol will help reduce crime in the area.
True False
4.
They also believe the foot patrol will help them build relationships
with people in the downtown.
True False
5.
The police chief doesn’t think the image of the downtown will be
affected by the foot patrol program.
True False
6.
People are more likely to interact with police officers when they are
walking the streets.
True False
7.
The foot patrol will work days and evenings, five days a week.
True False
To find out more:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/02/02/mb-wpg-downtown-footpatrol.html
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Story 2: Prime Minister considering changes to Old Age Security program
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 to consider something
a)
Meaning
difficulties
2. __ to announce something
b)
to provide money
3. __ challenges
c)
to say something publicly or officially
4. __ the retirement income
system
d)
to find out that some people disagree with
you / oppose what you are doing
5. __ the age of eligibility
e)
to be getting smaller in size
6. __ to provide financial
assistance
f)
to think carefully about something
7. __ may be required
g)
government programs for retirees, e.g.
Canada Pension Plan (CPP) / Old Age
Security (OAS)
8. __ the labour force
h)
when something has been tried before
9. __ to be shrinking
i)
the total number of people who are able to
work (the employed and the unemployed)
10. __ a previous attempt
j)
the age a person must be to qualify for
something e.g. a government program
11. __ to be met by opposition
k)
may be needed or necessary
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.
The Prime Minister announced
his government is _______.
a) changing the retirement income system
b) considering changing the retirement income
system
2.
One change being considered
for Old Age Security is_____.
a) increasing the eligibility age
b) decreasing the eligibility age
3.
The changes will not affect
people who are _____.
a) already retired or near retirement
b) many years from retirement
4.
Any proposed changes will likely
be ________.
a) accepted by all Canadians
b) opposed by some Canadians
To find out more:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/02/03/harper-old-age-security-eligibility.html
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Story 3: Europe experiences severe cold weather
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 severe weather
a)
Meaning
people who don’t have shelter and often live on
the street
2. __ to be the worst
b)
extreme weather, e.g. unusually hot or cold
3. __ a decade
c)
a reduction in temperature
4. __ homeless people
d)
a medical condition caused by extreme cold
where a person’s body temperature is much
lower than normal
5. __ to be at risk
e)
a place where people are protected from the
weather/from danger
6. __ frostbite
f)
the people or organizations in charge in a country
7. __ hypothermia
g)
to be very bad; the opposite of the best
8. __ a dip in
temperature
h)
to be in a situation where you could be hurt or
harmed
9. __ the authorities
i)
a medical condition where skin or extremities
(e.g. cheeks, fingers, toes ) freeze due to
extreme cold
10. __ a shelter
j)
ten years
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. Fill in the blank with the correct word from
the box below. The first one is completed for you as an example.
1. Many countries in Europe are experiencing ________ cold __________.
2. This is the ________weather Eastern Europe has seen in ________.
3. The cold is especially hard on _____ people.
4. They are at _______ for _________ and hypothermia.
5. ____________ are dipping as low as minus thirty-two _______ Celsius.
6. Authorities in Ukraine have set up ________ with heat and food.
severe
risk
decades
temperatures
weather
countries
shelters
homeless
degrees
coldest
frostbite
To find out more:
www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/02/03/europe-cold-freeze-deaths.html
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Hi, this is Heather Wells. You’re listening to Learning English with CBC newscast for the week
of January 30th.
Here is our first news story.
Winnipeg gets new downtown police foot patrol
The Winnipeg Police Service started a new downtown foot patrol program last week.
Eight police officers will be walking around the downtown area. Another twelve police
officers will join the program in the next few months. The police officers hope to
decrease crime in the area. They also want to create positive relationships with people
living, working and shopping downtown. Winnipeg’s police chief says he hopes the new
foot patrol program will improve the downtown area’s image. Police officers in the foot
patrol program say people interact with them more when they are on foot than when
they are in a police car. The officers will work days and evenings, seven days a week.
And in Canadian news,
Prime Minister considering changes to Old Age Security program
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that the federal government will look at the
challenges facing the retirement income system in Canada. One change the
government is considering is increasing the age of eligibility for the Old Age Security
program. The Old Age Security program provides financial assistance to Canadian
citizens who are sixty-five years of age or older. The government says the changes
may be required because the population is aging and the labour force is shrinking. The
Prime Minister says if changes are made in the system they will not affect people who
are already retired or who are near retirement. Previous attempts by governments to
change the retirement income system in Canada have been met by strong opposition.
And in international news,
Europe experiences severe cold weather
Many countries in Europe are experiencing severe cold weather and snowstorms. The
cold weather is the worst Eastern Europe has seen in decades. The countries affected
by the severe cold weather and storms include Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Germany, and
Serbia. Many homeless people in these countries are at risk of frostbite and
hypothermia. Some people have died from the cold. Temperatures are dipping as low
as minus thirty-two degrees Celsius. Authorities in Ukraine set up nearly three
thousand shelters with heat and food.
Answers for Story 1
Vocabulary:
Questions:
1) c; 2) i; 3) h; 4) e; 5) f; 6) d; 7) b; 8) a; 9) g
1) T; 2) F; 3) T; 4) T; 5) F; 6) T; 7) F
Answers for Story 2
Vocabulary: 1) f; 2) c; 3) a; 4) g; 5) j; 6) b; 7) k; 8) i; 9) e; 10) h; 11) d
Questions:
1) b; 2) a; 3) a; 4) b
Answers for Story 3
Vocabulary: 1) b; 2) g; 3) j; 4) a; 5) h; 6) i; 7) d; 8) c; 9) f; 10) e
Questions:
1) countries, severe, weather 2) coldest, decades 3) homeless 4) risk, frostbite
5) Temperatures, degrees 6) shelters
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