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photo Tara Benwell Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.

dateline: 08 May 2019

Meghan & Harry Announce Birth of Royal Baby

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

  • speculation: the formation of a theory
  • throne: the position of head monarch
  • title: a word that describes a person’s honour or rank (e.g., Queen)
  • easel: a fancy holder for an important document or piece of art

Meghan & Harry Announce Birth of Royal Baby

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced the birth of their baby boy this week, following speculation that the of Sussex had given birth to a girl named Ivy. Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born on May 6, weighing 7lbs 3oz (3.2 kg). The baby is in line to the throne and will take on the title of “Prince” when his grandfather, Prince Charles, becomes “King”. Before the baby’s birth was announced on the ceremonial easel at Buckingham Palace, the couple his birth on their Instagram page.

Comprehension Questions

  1. What speculation turned out to be incorrect?
  2. What will happen when Prince Charles takes over the British throne?
  3. Why does the report mention Instagram?

Discussion Questions

Neither “Archie” nor “Harrison” are traditional royal names. Does this surprise you, and do you like the names the Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose?

show Answers

Written by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub


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