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: NHL hockey returns to 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. f the NHL
a)
Meaning
to come together for an event or occasion
2. __ to return to
b)
the past tense of the verb “to buy”
3. __ True North
c)
the amount that something varies, e.g. from
the lowest price to the highest price
4. __ bought
d)
to come back
5. __ to gather
e)
not including; with the exception of
6. __ to celebrate
f)
the National Hockey League
7. __ a ticket
g)
to have a ceremony or do something special
in honour of an event
8. __ a range
h)
the name of the privately owned company
that owns the MTS Centre in Winnipeg and
an NHL team
9. __ except
i)
a piece of paper or cardboard which
confirms you have paid admission for
something
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.
True North bought an AHL team.
True False
2.
The hockey team they bought is from Atlanta.
True False
3.
The team name has been announced.
True False
4.
The highest price ticket is $139.00.
True False
5.
The lowest price ticket is $39.00.
True False
6.
Tickets to NHL games in Winnipeg will be the second highest
priced tickets in Canada.
True False
To find out more:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2011/06/01/mb-hockey-nhl-jets-thrasherstickets-winnipeg.html
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Story 2: Canada Post workers go on strike
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 Canada Post
a)
Meaning
when workers take turns striking by
stopping work in one location or city at a
time
2. __ to go on strike
b)
to be dangerous or risky
3. __ a rotating work stoppage
c)
the corporation responsible for mail
delivery in Canada
4. __ the work environment
d)
the time an employee is allowed to spend
away from work when they are sick
5. __ to be unsafe
e)
to deliberately stop work due to a
disagreement with an employer
6. __ sick leave
f)
the situation at work; what happens at the
workplace
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 Post workers are _____.
2.
Canada Post is responsible for
____________.
a) on strike across the country
b) on strike in Manitoba only
a) internet service
b) mail delivery
3.
Rotating work stoppages means mail
service _______.
a) continues in most locations
b) shuts down completely
4.
The strike is about ________.
a) sick leave and a safe work
environment
b) sick leave and wages
To find out more:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/06/02/canada-post-strike.html
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Story 3: Buried pyramids discovered in Egypt
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 be buried
a)
Meaning
to be from a certain time; to have existed in that
time
2. __ a pyramid
b)
the people in charge
3. __ to discover
c)
a picture of the earth taken by a satellite that
travels around the earth
4. __ an archaeologist
d)
the time of ancient Egyptian kings
5. __ a satellite image
e)
to find
6. __ to date back to a
certain time
f)
to be underground; to be underneath something
7. __ the time of the
Pharaohs
g)
when archaeologists move dirt or sand with
shovels, their hands or other tools to find the
remains of ancient buildings etc.
8. __ ancient
h)
someone who studies ancient societies by
studying their buildings, tools etc.
9. __ the authorities
i)
very old
10. __ an archaeological
dig
j)
a large stone building with four triangular walls that
slope in at the top
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. American archaeologists discovered seventeen _________ in Egypt.
2. The pyramids were ______ under ______.
3. Satellite ________ was used to ______ the pyramids.
4. The pyramids are from the time of the Pharaohs in _______ Egypt.
5. So far, two pyramids have been _____. Archaeologists are ____ to try to find more.
digging
buried
ancient
pyramids
discovered
found
imaging
sand
find
To find out more: www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/05/31/pyramids-found.html
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Hi, this is Heather Wells. You’re listening to Learning English with CBC newscast for the
week of May 30th.
Here is our first news story.
NHL hockey returns to Winnipeg
True North Sports and Entertainment has bought a National Hockey League team. The
team is from Atlanta, Georgia. The players will move from Atlanta to Winnipeg.
Hundreds of hockey fans gathered to celebrate the news. True North has not chosen a
name for the team. Tickets for the games will range from thirty-nine dollars to one
hundred and twenty-nine dollars each. The tickets will cost more than all other hockey
teams in Canada, except for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
And in Canadian news,
Canada Post workers go on strike
Canada Post workers are on strike across the country. The workers have decided to
have rotating work stoppages in different cities instead of shutting down every location.
This means workers in different locations take turns going on strike. Winnipeg was the
first city to strike, followed by Hamilton, Ontario. The workers are on strike because
they do not agree with changes that Canada Post is making to the work environment.
They believe some of these changes are unsafe for workers. They are also unhappy
about proposed changes to sick leave.
And in international news,
Buried pyramids discovered in Egypt
American archaeologists discovered seventeen pyramids in Egypt that were buried
under sand. The pyramids date back to the time of the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt. The
archaeologists used satellite imaging to find the pyramids. Satellite imaging creates a
picture of the Earth from six hundred and ninety kilometers away. The pictures show
outlines of buried pyramids and entire cities across Egypt. Egyptian authorities will allow
archaeologists to dig at certain sites. French archaeologists already found two buried
pyramids where they were digging.
Answers for Story 1
Vocabulary: 1) f; 2) d; 3) h; 4) b; 5) a; 6) g; 7) i; 8) c; 9) e
Questions:
1) F; 2) T; 3) F; 4) F; 5) T; 6) T
Answers for Story 2
Vocabulary: 1) c; 2) e; 3) a; 4) f; 5) b; 6) d
Questions:
1) a; 2) b; 3) a; 4) a
Answers for Story 3
Vocabulary: 1) f; 2) j; 3) e; 4) h; 5) c; 6) a; 7) d; 8) i; 9) b; 10) g
Questions:
1) discovered, pyramids 2) buried, sand 3) imaging, find 4) ancient 5) found,
digging
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