Extra Practice
Part I- Reading Comprehension
Read the text attentively.
FAKE NEWS
Fake news! You'd have to have been hiding under a rock not to have heard the term that's
risen to prominence in the past few years, used by politicians and causing international
political tensions along the way.
While the concept isn't new — false information and mistruths have been circulating for as
long as stories have been told — smartphones, the Internet and social media have given it
new life.
Fake news can be difficult to define. Stories may be factually inaccurate as deliberately
published to emphasize a certain viewpoint or drive lots of visitors to a website, or they could
be partially true but exaggerated or not fully fact-checked before publication.
While articles like this have existed for centuries, modern technology enables them to spread,
especially because traditional media outlets compete for readers and for clicks with their
Internet-based rivals and social media.
Things are complicated further as not all of the misinformation shared online is total fiction.
The founder of the fact-checking website [Link], David Mikkelson, draws a distinction
between ‘fake news‘ and ‘bad news’ — something he defines as ‘unresearched, error-filled,
and deliberately misleading reporting.’
While many fabricated stories take the form of funny memes, others have more serious
implications. According to an analysis by UK online newspaper The Independent,
‘Misinformation published by conspiracy sites about serious health conditions is often shared
more widely than evidence-based reports from reputable news organizations.’
In a report on fake news published in 2017, UK lawmakers said that ‘what does need to
change is the enforcement of greater transparency in the digital sphere, to ensure that we
know the source of what we are reading, who has paid for it and why the information has
been sent to us. In a democracy, we need to experience a plurality of voices and, critically, to
have the skills, experience and knowledge to determine the veracity of those voices.’
[Link] (shortened and adapted)
1. Choose the correct synonym for the word as used in the text.
prominence (I. 2) a. size b. importance c. extension
misleading (I. 15) a. incorrect b. correct c. confusing
reputabIe (I.19) a. famous b. trustworthy c. controversial
2. In which paragraph can you find information about...?
Paragraph
how to define fake news
the relation between fake news and online media
a UK report about how to solve the problem
significant consequences of this type of news
the rising popularity of the term ‘fake news’
3. Complete the sentences according to the text.
a. The term ‘fake news’ has been spreading lately because __________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
b. According to David Mikkelson, the characteristics of ‘fake news’ that distinguish them from bad news
are:_______________________________________________________________________________
Part II- Written Interaction
1. Complete the sentences with the words/expressions from the box. Two aren’t used.
catfish lifecasting profile crowdfunding virus digital footprint
a. _________________ is an excellent idea. It allows you to go online to ask users for small contributions to
support projects and causes on a global level.
b. The more time we spend online, the more of a _________________ we leave.
c. Virtual money scammers often target elderly women to _________________ because they are lonely and
want to feel that someone loves them.
d. You must register and create a personal online _________________ before using this site.
2. Match the words on the left with their definitions on the right. Two definitions aren’t used.
1. A malicious form of internet advertising used to spread malware.
2. Theft of funds by an attacker pretending to be the owner of an account.
a. phishing 3. The repeated use of electronic communications to harass or frighten someone,
for example by sending threatening emails.
b. identity theft
4. The act of gaining unauthorised access to a computer system or network.
c. malvertising
5. Unlawful action against any person using a computer, its systems, and its online
d. hacking
or offline applications.
e. cybercrime
6. Using fake email messages to get personal information from internet users.
f. cyberstalking
7. The action of damaging the good reputation of someone.
8. Misusing personal information by getting access to a victim’s credit card, bank
statements and personal computer.
3. Rewrite the following sentences in the passive. Leave the agent out when it is not needed. Start as
suggested.
1. We should read news from different sources.
News __________________________________________________________________________
2. Someone has sent me a virus infected mail and my PC is all messed up.
I _______________________________________________________________________________
3. I’ve shared some misleading posts online.
Some ___________________________________________________________________________
4. She always downloads free apps.
Free apps ________________________________________________________________________
5. The teacher gave us a few tips to spot false information online.
We ______________________________________________________________________________
6. Hackers are using many different scams to invade our privacy.
Many different scams ______________________________________________________________________________
Part III- Listening Comprehension
[Link]
usp=sharing
1. How false information spreads- radio interview (www. [Link]/ learnenglishteens)
1.1. Circle the best answer to these questions.
1. Which statement about circular reporting is true?
a. It is the spread of true information.
b. It is when false information is validated by one other source only.
c. It only occurs with information on Wikipedia.
d. It may involve several publications.
2. Which statement is true about journalists?
a. They are not permitted to copy information from Wikipedia.
b. They refuse to copy information from Wikipedia.
c. As soon as they include information in an article, they verify the information.
d. Many journalists may publish inaccuracies in several articles.
3. Which statement is correct?
a. Another name for a coati is a Brazilian aardvark.
b. The American student changed the information on Wikipedia to what he believed to be the truth.
c. Many people believed that a Brazilian aardvark was the same as a coati.
d. When writers wrote about the Brazilian aardvark they knew it was a joke.
4. Which statement is true about Wikipedia?
a. Some people add false content to a Wikipedia entry intentionally.
b. Updating information on Wikipedia is against the law.
c. There is hardly any true information on Wikipedia.
d. Many true facts on Wikipedia initially appear as false information.
5. What is true about childhood vaccines and autism?
a. There is a clear connection between childhood vaccines and autism.
b. Circular reporting incited many parents not to vaccinate their children.
c. The claims that they were connected first appeared on Wikipedia.
d. The media proved early on that the claims about vaccines and autism were false.
6. Which statement is correct?
a. Generally speaking, it’s easy to identify false information.
b. If the original source is Wikipedia or the media, the information is almost always false.
c. Reflecting critically on what we read is something most people often do.
d. Lack of time to think and investigate can cause us to believe things that aren’t true.
1.2. Complete the expressions from the audio with a phrase from the box.
take things at face value by any means spread like wildfire
in a nutshell thought nothing more of it in no way
a. _____________________________ (using as few words as possible), it’s the confirmation of false
information.
b. (…) and ______________________________________ (not at all) is obvious as being false.
c. (…) then he forgot about it and _______________________________ (spent no time thinking about it).
d. That’s not to say that all information on Wikipedia is false ______________________________ (not at
all).
e. (…) unsupported claims were picked up by the media and _________________________________
(became known by lots of people very quickly).
f. We often _______________________________ (accept things as they appear, rather than thinking
carefully about them).
2. Listen to a journalist giving tips on how to spot fake news. Fill in the gaps with one word.
[Link]
a. Check for the author’s name. Is the name _________________ or missing? Most authors who put time into
_________________ articles will likely have their name attached to it.
b. News articles should provide you with facts from several _________________. If the article _________________
only one side of the arguments, readers aren’t seeing the full story.
c. Older articles may not be _________________. People sharing an older article may discover that some
information has been _________________ or debunked.
d. Is the article or online content informative in some way? Try to think critically about the information you
receive. Be _________________! Can you _________________ the facts? Are sources offered?
Your teacher,
Extra Practice: Answer key
Part I- Reading Comprehension
1. 1.b; 2.c; 3.b.
2. a. Paragraph 3 ; b. 4 ; c. 7 ; d.6 ; e.1.
3. a. The term ‘fake news’ has been spreading lately because it has been used by politicians and has caused
political tensions.
b. According to David Mikkelson, the characteristics of ‘fake news’ that distinguish them from bad news are:
“unresearched, error-filled, and deliberately misleading reporting.’
Part II- Written Interaction
1. a. Crowdfunding; b. digital footprint; c. catfish; d. profile
2. a. 6; b. 8; c. 1; d. 4; e. 5; f. 3
3. Rewrite the following sentences in the passive. Leave the agent out when it is not needed. Start as
suggested.
1. News should be read from different sources.
2. I have been sent a virus infected mail and my PC is all messed up.
3. Some misleading posts have been shared by me online.
4. Free apps are always downloaded by her.
5. We were given a few tips to spot false information online by the teacher.
6. Many different scams are being used by hackers to invade our privacy.
Part III- Listening Comprehension
1. d; 2. d; 3. c; 4. a; 5. b; 6. d
2. a. In a nutshell; b. in no way; c. thought nothing more of it; d. by any means; e. spread like wildfire; f. take
things at face value
3. a. available; well-researched; b. viewpoints; showcases; c. updated; disproven; d. sceptical; verify