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: Severe flooding across Manitoba
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 / Meaning1. c to be severe / a) / the opposite of an urban area
2. __ flooding / b) / to get to the top or the highest point
3. __ streams and creeks / c) / to be very bad or extreme, e.g. extreme weather
4. __ to evacuate / d) / areas of land set aside for First Nations people to live on
5. __ Aboriginal reserves / e) / small rivers
6. __ a rural area / f) / sandbag walls which protect communities, homes and buildings from flooding
7. __ sandbag dikes / g) / to send people away from a dangerous place to a safe place
8. __ to crest / h) / when usually dry land overflows with water
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. / Many communities in Manitoba are flooded. / True / False2. / Melting snow and ice is causing water levels in rivers, streams and creeks to rise. / True / False
3. / Seventy people have been evacuated. / True / False
4. / Five hundred roads in urban areas have been closed. / True / False
5. / The flood is expected to crest at the same time in all Manitoba communities. / True / False
6. / Volunteers are building sandbag dikes to protect homes and buildings. / True / False
To find out more:
www.cbc.ca/manitoba/features/flood2011/
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2011/04/15/mb-flooding-ashton-worst-manitoba.html
Story 2: Harper targets immigrant vote
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 / Meaning1. d to target a group in an election campaign / a) / one of Canada’s main political parties
2. __ a federal election / b) / the nickname given to the Indian film industry
3. __ to encourage someone / c) / an election where the government of Canada is elected
4. __ to screen a movie / d) / to campaign on issues that appeal to a particular group of voters
5. __ Bollywood / e) / to show a movie at a theatre; to show a movie to an audience that has been specially invited
6. __ a riding / f) / to try to persuade someone
7. __ the Conservative Party / g) / a specific geographical area; voters who live in this area elect one representative to the Canadian Parliament
Step 2: Listen to the second 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. Immigrant groups are being ______in the ______election campaign.
2. Steven Harper attended a recent ______in Brampton, Ontario with ______actor Akshay Kumar.
3. Brampton is an important ______for the ______.
4. The federal ______will be held May 2.
federal Bollywood targeted riding Conservative Party immigrant election event
To find out more:
Up-to-date information on the election campaign: www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/
On this story: www.vancouversun.com/news/decision-Canada/Harper+goes+Bollywood/4585024/story.html
On Bollywood:
news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/2003/bollywood/newsid_2683000/2683799.stm
Story 3: Nigerians vote on whether president will stay
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 / Meaning1. _e the current president / a) / to agree with the policies of a candidate or party; to be part of their campaign; to vote for them
2. __ to elect someone / b) / someone who is competing or running in an election
3. __ early results / c) / the president who used to be in power
4. __ a ballot / d) / a shortage of something
5. __ the former president / e) / the president who is in power
6. __ to support a candidate / f) / the party in power
7. __ a candidate / g) / power carried by wires and used to provide light, heat etc
8. __ the ruling party / h) / a piece of paper people use to vote
9. __ a lack of something / i) / to vote someone into office or power
10. __ electricity / j) / initial or preliminary results
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. 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. / People in Nigeria are voting on whether or not to ______. / a) keep their current presidentb) bring back a former president
2. / Early results show Goodluck Jonathan ______. / a) has won
b) is in the lead
3. / He came into power after ______. / a) the former president died from illness
b) he won the last election
4. / His support is from ______. / a) Muslim groups
b) Christian groups
5. / Some people are unhappy with the ruling party because ______. / a) they are Christians
b) they haven’t dealt with the issues people feel are important
To find out more:
www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/04/17/nigeria-president-election.html
Hi, this is Heather Wells. You’re listening to Learning English with CBC newscast for the week of April 11th.
Here is our first news story.
Severe flooding across Manitoba
Many communities in Manitoba are flooded. The high water levels in rivers, streams and creeks are from melting snow and ice. Almost seven hundred people have been evacuated from their homes. Many of the evacuees are from Aboriginal reserves. About five hundred roads and highways in rural areas outside of Winnipeg have been closed. Many farms are also flooded. People are volunteering to make dikes out of sandbags to keep the water away from homes and other buildings. The crest of the flood is expected at different times in communities across the province.
Moving on to Canadian news,
Harper targets immigrant vote
Stephen Harper is targeting Canada’s immigrant communities in the federal election campaign. He wants to encourage people from ethnic communities to vote for him. The Conservative Party held an event last week to screen a Bollywood movie at a movie theatre in Brampton, Ontario. The event was also attended by popular Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar. Brampton, Ontario has a large South Asian community. It is also an important riding for Harper’s Conservative Party. The federal election will take place on May 2.
And in international news,
Nigerians vote on whether president will stay
People in Nigeria are voting on whether to keep their current president or elect someone new. Early results show that the current president, Goodluck Jonathan, has the most votes in many areas. Ballots from other areas still need to be counted. President Jonathan took power last year after the former president died from an illness. He is supported by Christians in southern Nigeria. Muslim groups in the northern areas want one of the other candidates to be president. They are unhappy with the current ruling party. They blame current leaders for a lack of clean drinking water, schools, electricity, and jobs.
Answers for Story 1
Vocabulary: 1) c; 2) h; 3) e; 4) g; 5) d; 6) a; 7) f; 8) b
Questions: 1) T; 2) T; 3) F; 4) F; 5) F; 6) T
Answers for Story 2
Vocabulary: 1) d; 2) c; 3) f; 4) e; 5) b; 6) g; 7) a
Questions: 1) immigrant, targeted, federal 2) event, Bollywood 3) riding, Conservative Party 4) election
Answers for Story 3
Vocabulary: 1) e; 2) i; 3) j; 4) h; 5) c; 6) a; 7) b; 8) f; 9) d; 10) g
Questions: 1) a; 2) b; 3) a; 4) b; 5) b
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