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: 06 November 2019

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Pilot Accidentally Triggers Hijacking Alarm

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

  • hijacking: the act of illegally taking control of a plane, boat, or vehicle
  • depart: to leave or exit
  • alert: a warning of possible danger
  • hold hostage: to keep someone captive in order to make demands
  • false alarm: an apparently dangerous situation that turns out to be harmless
  • evacuate: to move people away from danger

Pilot Accidentally Triggers Hijacking Alarm

A false hijacking alert was sent from an Air Europa plane to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. The airplane was about to depart for Madrid, Spain when the pilot pressed the “hostage alert” button. The alert caused the of most of the airport’s gates. Some rumours suggested that passengers on board the airplane were being held hostage by men with . After the military police were called in to investigate the situation, they announced that it had been a false alarm. All and crew were safely evacuated, and was harmed.

Comprehension Questions

1. When the alarm was triggered, the plane was about to leave for

Correct! Wrong!

When the alarm was triggered, the plane was about to leave for Madrid, Spain.

2. The alert caused the airport to

Correct! Wrong!

The alert caused the airport to close most of its gates.

3. After the situation was investigated by police, the incident was declared a

Correct! Wrong!

After the situation was investigated, the incident was declared a false alarm.

Discussion Question

Many people were affected by the false alarm today. Do you think that airport security has become too cautious, or is it important to take all possibly dangerous situations seriously?

show Answers

Written and recorded by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
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