Progress Check

Part I- Reading Comprehension

Read the news article carefully.

FAKE NEWS HEADLINES

Encountering fake news headlines
in social media more than once lowers
people’s ethical disapproval of these
publications and makes people more likely
5 to share them on social media, according
to a new Psychological Science study.
The rise of technology and the growing
popularity of social media created ample
opportunities for the circulation of fake
10 news articles that are intentionally false
and misleading. Despite spreading
questionable information, fake news articles
were found to be more likely to go viral which further increases their reach in society. These trends
explain the need for developing a better understanding of how people interact with fake news and what
15 promotes social media users to share these articles further.
The researchers conducted a study exploring how seeing fake news headlines multiple
times affects people’s perception of these articles. Drawing on existing knowledge,
researchers were interested in how seeing the same misleading headline repeatedly affects
one’s ethical assessment of it and one’s propensity to share it.
20 The study relied on four experiments involving 2,587 participants in total. The experiments
examined whether deliberate consideration would affect participants’ ethical perceptions as
well as their intentions to like and share the reviewed fake news articles with others.
Experimental results indicate that repeatedly encountering an article on social media
makes it seem less unethical to share it. In three out of four experiments, participants
25 demonstrated greater likelihood to like and share fake news articles despite being explicitly
told that the articles were false.
“The results should be of interest to citizens of contemporary democracies,” said Daniel
A. Effron, a London Business School associate professor of organisational behaviour.
“Misinformation can strengthen political polarisation and undermine democracy, so it is
30 important for people to understand when and why it spreads.”
https://www.psypost.org (adapted; accessed in February 2021)

1. Find synonyms for the following words in paragraphs two and three.

a. doubtful _____________________
b. influence _____________________
c. encourages _____________________
d. carried out _____________________
e. tendency _____________________
2. Say who or what the following words refer to.
a. them (line 5) _____________________
b. it (line 19) _____________________
c. their (line 22) _____________________
d. it (line 30) _____________________

3. Choose the most suitable answer to explain the meaning of these expressions.
3.1 “Drawing on existing knowledge…” (line 17)
a. To use knowledge we will gain from future experiences.
b. To use previous knowledge to help understand something.

3.2 “participants demonstrated greater likelihood to… share fake news articles” (lines 24-25)
a. Participants showed a bigger probability of sharing fake news articles.
b. Participants liked sharing fake news articles.

4. Complete the sentences with ideas from the text.

a. People’s ethical approval of fake news headlines increases______________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
b. Technology and social media platforms have intensified_________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
c. Researchers wanted to know if participants’ ethical awareness changed when they___________
______________________________________________________________________________
d. The results of the experiments are crucial for democratic states since they may indicate that
______________________________________________________________________

Score your answers

1- 7 correct answers: You must train your reading skills!
8-11 correct answers: Congrats! You’re a good reader!
12-15 correct answers: Wow! Great reading skills!
Advice to improve: Underline the important words in each question. Then look for those words or
words that have a similar meaning in the text. The answer is usually nearby. Remember that the
verb in your answer should be in the same tense as the verb in the question. Have fun reading texts
in English and finding the meaning of unknown words.
Part II- Written Interaction
INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA RELATED WORDS
1. Choose the correct option to complete each sentence.
1.1 Famous social media personalities are called
a. memes b. followers c. trolls d. influencers

1.2 When you arrange with a group of people, through social media, to go to a public place at the same
time to sing, dance or give funny performances you are part of
a. a flash mob b. a meme c. a profile d. a digital footprint

1.3 Someone who pretends on social media to be different to trick or attract other people is
a. a hacker b. an avatar c. a troll d. a catfish

1.4 Something that is very popular right now on the internet or on social media is said to be
a. streaming b. livecasting c. trending d. trolling

1.5 The practice of getting online users to financially contribute to a business project or a cause is called
a. crowdsourcing b. catfishing c. crowdfunding d. livecasting

1.6 A  trick in which someone tells people a lie, for example that there is a bomb somewhere when

there is not, or that a picture is genuine when it is not.
a. advert b. hoax c. rumour d. defamation

1.7 Someone who will comment on your social media feed, usually in a mean way, to get a response
from you is known as
a. an influencer b. a fan c. a troll d. a hater

1.8 When you want to know someone’s personal interests, work, or relationship status you can find
information on social media by checking his/her
a. profile b. blog c. linkedin d. vlog

1.9 A funny video, picture, or phrase that a lot of people send to each other on the internet for mutual
enjoyment is called
a. flash mob b. meme c. trend d. gif

1.10 When a malicious software program self-replicates by copying itself to another program, it means
that your computer has got
a. spam b. a virus c. a bug d. a firewall

1.11 A streaming live video from a wearable camera to a website is called

a. vlogging b. selfie c. skyping d. lifecasting

1.12 The result of your online activity, such as the websites you visit, your comments on social media,
your tagged photos, is known as your
a. posts b. cookies c. profile d. digital footprint

CYBERCRIMES
2. Complete the gaps (1 - 12) with the words from the box. Then name the cybercrime referred to (a - f).
intruder tricked intimidate adverts reputation steal false
harassment servers confidential password permission

a. _________________________

This cybercrime occurs when a criminal gains access to a user’s personal information to
1.___________________ funds, or access 2.___________________ information. They can also open an
 internet account in your name or use your name to plan a criminal activity.

b. _________________________

This kind of cybercrime involves online 3.___________________ where the user is subjected to a huge
number of online messages and emails. Social media, websites and search engines are used to
4.___________________ a user and instill fear.

c. _________________________

This type of attack involves hackers sending malicious email attachments or URLs to users to gain
access to their accounts or computer. Users are 5.___________________ into emails claiming they
need to change their 6.___________________ or update their billing information, giving criminals
access.

d. _________________________

This kind of act is committed by an 7.___________________ by accessing your computer system

without your 8.___________________. This criminal may break into systems to steal personal banking
information, a corporation’s data, etc.

e. _________________________

It’s a 9.___________________ statement someone makes about you, which they publish as a statement
of fact, and which harms your personal and/or professional 10.___________________. It may also
cause financial loss and emotional distress.

f. _________________________

It is the name given to criminally controlled 11.___________________. A piece of code hidden in the
advert makes your computer go to criminal 12.___________________. These then catalogue details
about your computer, before choosing which piece of malware to send you.

3. Rewrite the sentences without changing their meaning.

a. One third of the entire world uses social media sites.
Social media sites ____________________________________________________________________.
b. These sites have greatly influenced society.
Society ____________________________________________________________________________.
c. Social media and the Internet are affecting our brains.
Our brains _________________________________________________________________________.
d. Some Internet users can’t control the amount of time spent online.
The amount of time__________________________________________________________________.
e. Teachers gave students the opportunity to use social media sites in class last school year.
Students _____________________________________________________________________ .

Score your answers

1- 17 correct answers: You must go back and read the explanations to repeat the exercises or do new ones.
18-29 correct answers: Congrats! Remember: practice makes perfect!
30-35 correct answers: Wow! Great job!
 Part III- Listening Comprehension

Exercises 1 and 2
You will hear an expert talking about teens on social media. In the first part, he points out the pros.

1. Circle the correct option.

1.1. When using social media, teens become more informed about
a) world currencies.
b) local and international events.
c) important decisions

1.2. Schoolwork becomes

a) more facilitated.
b) more difficult.
c) more distant.

1.3. Teenagers'self-esteem
a) is freely expressed.
b) reflects their personality.
c) is improved.

1.4. Social media offers teenagers with disabilities

a) equal opportunities.
b) different opportunities.
c) different activities.

1.5. Social media allows teenagers to

a) assist in getting jobs.
b) pos tjob vacancies.
c) have access to job opportunities.

2. Complete the 5 pros of teens on social media.

a) They become _________________________________________________________
b) lt is easier to __________________________________________________________
c) It boosts _____________________________________________________________
d) It helps teens with disabilities ____________________________________________
e) It assists in ___________________________________________________________

Exercise 3
In the second part, he points out the cons.

3. Complete the text. Write two words in each gap.

The negative effects of social media on teenagers’ lives are:

1. Teens are exposed to cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is one of the more (1) __________________________ that presents itself on social media
especially for teenagers. lt gives a platform for cyberbullies to taunt and bully others. It is easier to bully others
through (2) __________________________ than to do it physically. Due to the huge level of networking
offered by social media, cyberbullying moves from bad to worse in a matter of days causing (3)
__________________________ pain.
2. Decrease in productivity levels
Social media is very engaging and leads to teenagers spending a lot of time on them. They may neglect their
(4) __________________________ , extra-curricular activities and even their friends and family so that they
can play a game or chat about various things not related to school work. This clearly reduces it their (5)
__________________________ . Such kids even start failing in school work and may end up being addicted to
social media platforms.
3. It destroys (6) __________________________
The increase in the time spent interacting in the (7) __________________________ of social media affects the
face-to-face communication and social skills of teenagers. You can find very outspoken kids on social media
being quite reserved when it comes to face-to-face interactions. Knowing where to hold our hands and what
kinds of (8) __________________________ to make are something that comes with face-to-face interactions.
4. It leads to disclosing too much information
Social media has a way of making teens disclose a lot of information that they would not disclose face to face.
By (9) __________________________ too much information, for example about where they live, where they
go to school and other (10) __________________________ , teens could inadvertently make it easier for
those who want to do them harm.
http://www.phonesheriff.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-teens-on-social-media/(shortened)

Exercise 4
You will listen to a report about fake news.

4. Listen to a report about fake news. Say if the sentences are True or False.
a. Americans consider false news a major problem alongside racism and terrorism. T F
b. We read and share fake information mainly because its content is misleading. T F
c. People tend to believe that information shared by family and friends on T F
social media is accurate.
d. The information we read on social media seems as trustworthy as the T F
one given by experts.
e. A media bubble is a set of people who have similar opinions. T F
f. Social media supports a wide range of opinions which help us detect fake news. T F
g. Fake news promotes a simple but sensational narrative about ordinary events. T F
h. Stories covering topics that trigger emotions and feelings are amongst T F
the most popular.

Score your answers

1- 15 correct answers: You must train your listening skills!
16-21 correct answers: Congrats! You’re a good listener!
22-28 correct answers: Wow! Great listening skills!
Advice to improve: Always keep calm and read the questions carefully. Study the vocabulary of the unit to
help you understand the context of the listening exercise and go over the reading texts to help you
recognize the topic of the listening exercise. Have fun listening to music and watching videos in English!
Your teacher, Helena Alves