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: Manitobans use food banks the most
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 a food bank
a)
Meaning
a shortage of something
2. __ the most
b)
the opposite of decrease
3. __ a study
c)
a place that gives food to people who can’t
afford to buy it
4. __ to increase something
d)
research done to find out more about a
subject; the report on that research
5. __ reasons
e)
the countryside; not the city
6. __ a lack of something
f)
the highest number or greatest amount
7. __ a rural area
g)
causes or explanations of why something
happens
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.
Manitobans use food banks more than people in other Canadian
provinces.
True False
2.
Food bank use in Manitoba was up forty percent over last year.
True False
3.
Across Canada, food bank use was up fourteen percent.
True False
4.
Over sixty-three thousand Manitobans used a food bank over the
past year.
True False
5.
Half of food bank users in Manitoba are children.
True False
6.
Low paying jobs and high costs for housing are two reasons food
bank use is up.
True False
To find out more:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/10/30/mb-food-bank-use-manitoba.html
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Story 2: Faster immigration for foreign students and some temporary workers
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 a foreign student
a)
Meaning
an immigrant who is allowed to stay in a
country and apply for citizenship
to become part of a society/culture
2. __ a temporary worker
b)
3. __ the Canadian
Experience Class
c)
to be allowed or permitted to come into a
place, country etc.
4. __ to be admitted
d)
5. __ a permanent resident
e)
to focus on a specific group; to select people
according to certain characteristics
English and French
6. __ to recruit immigrants
f)
7. __ to target a group
g)
8. __ Canada’s official
languages
h)
9. __ to be accepted
i)
10. __ to integrate
j)
11. __ prosperity
k)
a student from another country who comes
to study at a Canadian university or college
to specifically look for people to immigrate to
your country
the name of an immigration program
targeting a specific type of immigrant
someone who is admitted to a country on a
short-term basis to fill a job
a time when people have money and
everything that is needed for a good life
to be approved
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.
Canada’s immigration minister wants
faster immigration for ________.
a) foreign students / temporary workers
b) all immigrants
2.
The Canadian Experience Class
targets ______.
a) foreign students
b) foreign students and some temporary
workers
3.
To qualify, temporary workers must
____________.
a) speak English or French
b) study at a Canadian university
4.
The minister says he wants to see
more immigrants in this Class
because __________________.
a) it’s easier for them to integrate and get
jobs
b) they come from wealthy families
To find out more:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/10/31/pol-immigration-levels-2013.html
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Story 3: Cyclone Nilam hits India and Sri Lanka
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 cyclone
a)
Meaning
to pull or force a plant and its roots out of the
ground, e.g. in a wind storm
2. __ a tropical storm
b)
a very strong wind that moves very fast in a
circle
3. __ to force someone to do
something
c)
a place where people go to get help after a
storm hits
4. __ heavy rain
d)
to make someone do something; to not give
them a choice
5. __ to uproot something
e)
a powerful storm that begins in the tropics but
is not as strong as a hurricane
6. __ a relief centre
f)
a sudden falling of earth or rocks down a hill
or cliff
7. __ flooding
g)
a huge amount of rain
8. __ a landslide
h)
when large amounts of water cover areas of
land that are usually dry
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. A tropical storm in India ______ people out of their ______ last week.
2. Southern India was affected by _______ rain and _______ winds.
3. In Chennai, __________ were turned into _________ centres.
4. Sri Lanka also experienced heavy _______ and strong ________.
5. _________ in Sri Lanka had to _______ their homes because of _________ and
possible ___________.
strong
forced
schools
landslides
tropical
homes
rain
heavy
leave
people
winds
relief
flooding
To find out more:
www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/10/31/india-cyclone-nilam.html
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Hi, this is Heather Wells. You’re listening to Learning English with CBC newscast for the week
of October 29th.
Here is our first news story.
Manitobans use food banks the most
A new study shows that Manitobans use food banks more than people in other
Canadian provinces do. The use of food banks in Manitoba increased by over fourteen
per cent over the past year. In Canada overall, the number of people who use food
banks increased just over four per cent. According to the study, more than sixty-three
thousand Manitobans used a food bank over the past year. Fifty per cent of those
people are children. Some reasons for the high use of food banks are lack of
transportation in rural areas, jobs that do not pay enough to cover living costs, and high
housing prices.
And in Canadian news,
Faster immigration for foreign students and some temporary workers
Canada’s immigration minister says he wants to make it faster for foreign students and
temporary workers to become permanent residents in Canada. The minister says he
wants to increase the number of immigrants admitted under the Canadian Experience
Class. The Canadian Experience Class aims to recruit and keep international students
who have studied and graduated in Canada. It also targets temporary workers who
speak one of Canada’s official languages and have Canadian work experience. Up to
ten thousand permanent residents will be accepted in the Canadian Experience Class
next year. The minister said foreign students and temporary workers are the kinds of
immigrants Canada wants to recruit because they integrate quickly, find and keep good
jobs, start businesses and add to Canada’s prosperity.
And in international news,
Cyclone Nilam hits India and Sri Lanka
A tropical storm in India forced more than one-hundred thousand people to leave their
homes last week. Heavy rain and strong winds affected areas of southern India. In
some areas, the winds were blowing at seventy-five kilometres an hour and were strong
enough to uproot trees. Close to three hundred schools in Chennai were turned into
relief centres for those who were forced to leave their homes. Sri Lanka also
experienced heavy rain and strong winds from the storm. People in Sri Lanka were also
forced to leave their homes due to flooding and possible landslides.
Answers for Story 1
Vocabulary:
Questions:
1) c; 2) f; 3) d; 4) b; 5) g; 6) a; 7) e
1) T; 2) F; 3) F; 4) T; 5) T; 6) T
Answers for Story 2
Vocabulary: 1) f; 2) i; 3) h; 4) c; 5) a; 6) g; 7) d; 8) e; 9) k; 10) b; 11) j
Questions:
1) a; 2) b; 3) a; 4) a
Answers for Story 3
Vocabulary: 1) b; 2) e; 3) d; 4) g; 5) a; 6) c; 7) h; 8) f
Questions:
1) tropical, forced, homes 2) heavy, strong 3) schools, relief 4) rain, winds
5) People, leave, flooding, landslides
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