The Reading / Listening - World Wide Web - Level 2

The creator of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has warned of three big Internet dangers, and of how people are misusing the Internet. The first danger is that companies and websites are creating fake news just to make money, or to change people's political opinions. He said fake news "spreads like wildfire". The second danger is political advertising. Adverts are used in "unethical ways" to stop voters from voting or to send them to fake news. His final worry is the misuse of personal data. He said some governments kill people because of the websites they visit.

Berners-Lee invented the web in 1989. He said that it had "lived up to [his] vision". He said: "I imagined the web as an open platform that would allow everyone, everywhere to share information, access opportunities and collaborate across geographic and cultural boundaries." He said there were now difficult problems that have no simple answers. He wants to put, "a fair level of data control back in the hands of people". He also wants to stop governments from misusing data, which he said affects free speech. And he wants to fight against fake news. He called on all Internet users to help.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    World Wide Web - Level 0 World Wide Web - Level 1   or  World Wide Web - Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39246810
  • https://www.newscientist.com/article/2124201-web-creator-tim-berners-lee-speaks-out-on-fake-news/
  • http://webfoundation.org/2017/03/web-turns-28-letter/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. The creator
  2. how people are
  3. fake
  4. change people's political
  5. spreads like
  6. Adverts are used in unethical
  7. the misuse of personal
  8. kill people because
  1. wildfire
  2. of the websites they visit
  3. misusing the Internet
  4. data
  5. of the World Wide Web
  6. opinions
  7. news
  8. ways

Paragraph 2

  1. it had lived
  2. an open
  3. allow everyone, everywhere
  4. access
  5. across geographic and cultural
  6. difficult problems that have
  7. control back in the
  8. He called on
  1. to share information
  2. boundaries
  3. all Internet users to help
  4. hands of people
  5. platform
  6. opportunities
  7. up to his vision
  8. no simple answers

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

(1) ___________________ World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has warned of three big Internet dangers, and of how (2) ___________________ the Internet. The first danger is that companies and websites are creating (3) ___________________ make money, or to change people's political opinions. He said fake news (4) ___________________. The second danger is political advertising. Adverts are (5) ___________________ ways" to stop voters from voting or to send them to fake news. His final worry is the (6) ___________________ data. He said some governments kill people because of the websites they visit.

Berners-Lee (7) ___________________ 1989. He said that it had "lived up to [his] vision". He said: "I imagined the (8) ___________________ platform that would allow everyone, everywhere to share information, (9) ___________________ and collaborate across geographic and cultural boundaries." He said there were now difficult problems (10) ___________________ answers. He wants to put, "a fair level of data control (11) ___________________ people". He also wants to stop governments from misusing data, which he said (12) ___________________. And he wants to fight against fake news. He called on all Internet users to help.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ThecreatoroftheWorldWideWeb,SirTimBerners-Lee,haswarnedo
fthreebigInternetdangers,andofhowpeoplearemisusingtheInternet.
Thefirstdangeristhatcompaniesandwebsitesarecreatingfakenewsju
sttomakemoney,ortochangepeople'spoliticalopinions.Hesaidfakene
ws"spreadslikewildfire".Theseconddangerispoliticaladvertising.Adv
ertsareusedin"unethicalways"tostopvotersfromvotingortosendthe
mtofakenews.Hisfinalworryisthemisuseofpersonaldata.Hesaidsome
governmentskillpeoplebecauseofthewebsitestheyvisit.Berners-Leei
nventedthewebin1989.Hesaidthatithad"livedupto[his]vision".Hesai
d:"Iimaginedthewebasanopenplatformthatwouldalloweveryone,ev
erywheretoshareinformation,accessopportunitiesandcollaborateacr
ossgeographicandculturalboundaries."Hesaidtherewerenowdifficult
problemsthathavenosimpleanswers.Hewantstoput,"afairlevelofdat
acontrolbackinthehandsofpeople".Healsowantstostopgovernments
frommisusingdata,whichhesaidaffectsfreespeech.Andhewantstofig
htagainstfakenews.HecalledonallInternetuserstohelp.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You