Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a close call
    • ex. Tracey had a close call yesterday: A truck almost hit her car!
  2. a spouse
    • ex. Max and his spouse have been married for 10 years.
  3. drown
    • ex. Two people almost drowned in the river, so please be careful.
  4. swallow
    • ex. My son can’t swallow food because of his sore throat.
  5. afloat
    • ex. Phil used a lifejacket to stay afloat.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Andrea Benedetto had a close call while on vacation at an Italian beach with his friends and family. Benedetto and his spouse were on a plastic raft in the water, but he suddenly fell off. Because of a medical condition, he couldn’t swim, and he began to drown.

Benedetto’s friends yelled for help, and lifeguards on the beach heard their cries. However, Filippo Magnini, an Italian swimmer also on vacation at the beach, was closer and reached Benedetto first. Magnini noticed that Benedetto had already swallowed some seawater. To stop Benedetto from drowning, Magnini kept him afloat until the lifeguards came. Magnini has been called a hero in the news for rescuing Benedetto.

This is not the first time that Magnini was in the news. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, he and his team won a bronze medal. He also became the world champion in the 100-meter freestyle event in the 2005 and 2007 World Aquatics Championships.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Water Safety

  • Do you think that everyone should learn how to swim? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Should people go in the ocean if there is no lifeguard? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, which is the most dangerous place to swim in: pools, rivers, or the ocean? Why? Discuss.

Dangerous Situations

  • Do you think it was okay that Benedetto went into the ocean even though he couldn’t swim? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Should people always try to save strangers from dangerous situations? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Should people always prepare for possible dangerous situations? Why or why not? Discuss.