The Reading / Listening - Elon Musk to remove blocking feature on X - Level 4

Elon Musk will remove the blocking feature from X, formerly known as Twitter. He said users will no longer be able to block comments from anyone. X users will be unable to stop people contacting or following them or from seeing their posts. People will be able to block direct messages. Musk said blocking comments "makes no sense". The change is the latest in Musk's redesign of X. Others include a name and logo change.

Many X users are angry. They believe blocking helps to keep people safe from hateful comments. The CEO of a crypto-currency company said Musk should focus on making X safer and easier to use. He said: "X should really solve the bots and spam problems before removing blocks." Another critic said no blocking could discourage the free speech of users who are the targets of bullies. Another critic said people must be able to block abuse.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Elon Musk to remove blocking feature on X - Level 5 or  Elon Musk to remove blocking feature on X - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/18/elon-musk-says-x-users-will-be-losing-the-ability-to-block-content-.html
  • https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/18/23837494/elon-musk-twitter-x-remove-blocking
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/08/18/musk-ends-block-feature-on-x-in-latest-twitter-change-up


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. formerly
  2. He said users will no
  3. block comments
  4. stop people contacting
  5. block direct
  6. blocking comments makes
  7. the latest in Musk's redesign
  8. a name and logo
  1. or following them
  2. of X
  3. messages
  4. longer be able to
  5. change
  6. known as Twitter
  7. no sense
  8. from anyone

Paragraph 2

  1. keep people safe
  2. a crypto-
  3. focus
  4. solve the bots
  5. free
  6. easier
  7. users who are the targets
  8. people must be able to block
  1. abuse
  2. on making X safer
  3. currency company
  4. speech
  5. of bullies
  6. and spam problems
  7. from hateful comments
  8. to use

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Elon Musk (1) ___________________ blocking feature from X, formerly known as Twitter. He said users will (2) ___________________ able to block comments from anyone. X users will be unable to stop people contacting or following them or from (3) ___________________. People will be able (4) ___________________ messages. Musk said blocking comments "makes no sense". The change is (5) ___________________ Musk's redesign of X. Others include a name (6) ___________________.

Many X users are angry. They believe blocking (7) __________________ people safe from hateful comments. The CEO of a crypto-currency company said Musk should (8) ___________________ X safer and easier to use. He said: "X should really solve the (9) ___________________ problems before removing blocks." Another critic said no blocking could discourage (10) ________________ of users who are the (11) ________________. Another critic said people must be able (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ElonMuskwillremovetheblockingfeaturefromX,formerlyknownasTwi
tter.Hesaiduserswillnolongerbeabletoblockcommentsfromanyone.
Xuserswillbeunabletostoppeoplecontactingorfollowingthemorfroms
eeingtheirposts.Peoplewillbeabletoblockdirectmessages.Musksaidb
lockingcomments"makesnosense".ThechangeisthelatestinMusk'sre
designofX.Othersincludeanameandlogochange.ManyXusersareang
ry.Theybelieveblockinghelpstokeeppeoplesafefromhatefulcommen
ts.TheCEOofacrypto-currencycompanysaidMuskshouldfocusonm
akingXsaferandeasiertouse.Hesaid:"Xshouldreallysolvethebotsand
spamproblemsbeforeremovingblocks."Anothercriticsaidnoblocking
coulddiscouragethefreespeechofuserswhoarethetargetsofbullies.A
nothercriticsaidpeoplemustbeabletoblockabuse.

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.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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