The Reading / Listening - Elon Musk to remove blocking feature on X - Level 5

Elon Musk said he will remove the blocking feature from X, formerly known as Twitter. Mr Musk is the owner of X. He said users will no longer be able to block comments from unwanted followers. X users will be unable to restrict people from contacting or following them or from seeing their posts. People will be able to block direct messages. Musk wrote: "Block is going to be deleted as a 'feature,' except for DMs." He added that blocking comments "makes no sense". The change is the latest in Musk's redesign of X. Others include the name and logo change.

Many X users are angry. They believe the block function is essential to keep people safe from hateful content and harassment. The CEO of the crypto-currency company Binance said Musk should focus his efforts 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 feature could make bullying more common. He said it could discourage the free speech of users who are the targets of bullies. Another critic said people, "need a mechanism to block abusive users".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Elon Musk to remove blocking feature on X - Level 4 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. remove the blocking
  2. formerly
  3. users will no longer be able
  4. restrict people from contacting
  5. People will be able to block
  6. Block is going to
  7. The change is the latest in
  8. the name and logo
  1. direct messages
  2. to block comments
  3. be deleted
  4. change
  5. feature from X
  6. Musk's redesign
  7. known as Twitter
  8. or following them

Paragraph 2

  1. Many X users
  2. the block function is essential
  3. hateful
  4. the crypto-
  5. focus his efforts on
  6. X should really solve the bots
  7. make bullying more
  8. users who are the targets
  1. content
  2. and spam problems
  3. making X safer
  4. of bullies
  5. are angry
  6. common
  7. to keep people safe
  8. currency company

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Elon Musk said he (1) ___________________ blocking feature from X, formerly known as Twitter. Mr Musk is (2) ___________________ X. He said users will no longer be able to block comments from unwanted followers. X users will (3) ___________________ restrict people from contacting or following them or from seeing their posts. People will be able to block direct messages. Musk wrote: "Block is going to (4) ___________________ a 'feature,' except for DMs." He added that blocking comments "(5) ___________________". The change is the latest in Musk's redesign of X. Others include the (6) ___________________ change.

Many X users are angry. They believe the block function (7) ___________________ keep people safe from hateful content and harassment. The CEO of the crypto-currency company Binance said Musk should (8) ___________________ on making X safer and easier to use. He said: "X should really (9) ___________________ and spam problems before removing blocks." Another critic said no blocking feature could (10) ___________________ common. He said it could discourage the (11) ___________________ users who are the targets of bullies. Another critic said people, "need a mechanism to (12) ___________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ElonMusksaidhewillremovetheblockingfeaturefromX,formerlyknow
nasTwitter.MrMuskistheownerofX.Hesaiduserswillnolongerbeableto
blockcommentsfromunwantedfollowers.Xuserswillbeunabletorestri
ctpeoplefromcontactingorfollowingthemorfromseeingtheirposts.Pe
oplewillbeabletoblockdirectmessages.Muskwrote:"Blockisgoingtob
edeletedasa'feature,'exceptforDMs."Headdedthatblockingcommen
ts"makesnosense".ThechangeisthelatestinMusk'sredesignofX.Othe
rsincludethenameandlogochange.ManyXusersareangry.Theybeliev
etheblockfunctionisessentialtokeeppeoplesafefromhatefulcontenta
ndharassment.TheCEOofthecrypto-currencycompanyBinancesaidM
uskshouldfocushiseffortsonmakingXsaferandeasiertouse.Hesaid:"X
shouldreallysolvethebotsandspamproblemsbeforeremovingblocks.
"Anothercriticsaidnoblockingfeaturecouldmakebullyingmorecomm
on.Hesaiditcoulddiscouragethefreespeechofuserswhoarethetargets
ofbullies.Anothercriticsaidpeople,"needamechanismtoblockabusive
users".

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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