Language learning

Aug 19 – A pair of wheels gives a paralysed tortoise a new lease of life.

The African Spurred Tortoise is paralysed in her two hind legs, but thanks to a pair of skates strapped to her, she leaves the other tortoises in the dust and has even started to mate.

Stefanie McIntyre reports.

Before you listen

1. Who is the target audience?
2. What will the speaker’s attitude be?
3. Why do you think the reporter has chosen this story?

Now listen to the video to check your ideas

While you listen

Listen again to the video and answer the questions:

1. What is the name of the tortoise?
2. Where does she live?
3. What else have scientists tried to do to help her?
4. What problems does she have?
5. Why can she only use the wheels for a short time a day?

Discussion task

Compare your answers.   What do you think of animals being raised in captivity?

Aug. 02 – Offshore Sydney’s most famous beach, surfers are sharing the ocean with some very large and very friendly visitors.

A Southern Right Whale and her calf are wowing crowds of locals and tourists with some dolphin-style behaviour.

Susan Flory reports.

Before you listen

1. What tone will the article have?
2. Why is it being reported?
3. How would you feel if you went swimming with a whale?

After listening

1. Where is Bondi Beach exactly?
2. How close were the whales to land?
3. How big can the whales get?
4. Why are they called Right Whales
5. Why is it dangerous to get close to them?
6. What is an exclusion zone?

Jul 25 – The Brazilian boy had a backyard encounter with a pet dog and turned the tables on the beast, who was in attack mode.

Dog bites boy stories often have tragic endings but not this one.

Susan Flory reports.

Before you listen

1. Why do you think the boy bit the dog?
2. Why is it being reported
3. What tone do you expect the article to be?

After listening

1. Why did biting the dog save the boy’s life?
2. In your own words, write a summary of the report and post it on the blog.

Jul 29 – A 5.4 magnitude quake shook Los Angeles, causing tall buildings to sway and office workers to pour into the streets.

A scientist said a quake of that magnitude can cause windows to shatter and plaster to crack. But there were no immediate reports of injuries or structural damages to infrastructure.

Fred Katayama reports.

Before reading

1. Why do you think that the audience will watch this report?
2. What tone do you think it will have?
3. Why is it being reported?

After listening

1. What are the details of the earthquake?
2. Why wasn’t the damage worse?
3. There are two people interviewed. How were their experiences different?

Jul. 6 – The head of a waxwork of Adolf Hitler has been ripped off by a man just hours after the sculpture went on show at Berlin’s new Madame Tussauds.

Police have arrested a 41-year old man.

Susan Flory reports.

Before you listen:

1. What kind of news do you think the audience will be interested in?
2. What is the writer trying to achieve?
3. How will this affect the tone of the article?

Now listen and check your predictions.

Now listen again and answer the questions:

1. Where did this story take place?
2. What did the critics say about the model?
3. Why did some people feel that it was inappropriate?
4. What kind of effort did it take for the makers to get the details right?
5. What did one man do?
6. What did he shout as he was doing it?

Do you think the man deserved to be arrested?  What would you have done?