Part 4: Listening to a News Item
In Part 4, you hear a news report lasting around 1.5 minutes. You then answer approximately 5 questions within a total time of 5 minutes.
Work through each lesson and mark the module complete when you finish practising.
5.1 Recognize the structure of a news item
Organize your notes using the main reporting questions:
- Who: People or organizations.
- What: Main event or decision.
- Where and when: Place and time.
- Why: Cause or purpose.
- What next: Consequence, reaction, or next step.
They will not all be equally important. Start with the central event and add only the details that change its meaning.
Full names are often introduced at the beginning and later replaced by surnames alone. Note the surname and role:
Chen / parks director Malik / resident
5.2 Distinguish the event from reactions
A news item may present:
- What happened.
- The cause or decision.
- A person's or group's reaction.
- What will happen next.
Keep these elements separate. A person criticizing a project does not mean that the project has been cancelled.
Mini-test
Organize a news item
Audio: Listen to the report.
What will determine whether the schedule becomes permanent?
5.3 Applied practice
Listen to a news item and complete a five-column table: who, what, where/when, why, and what next. Then write a one-sentence headline. If your headline focuses on a secondary detail, review the main idea.
Find the main news story
Practise with a new report and written questions.