The Reading / Listening - Elections - Level 1

The year 2024 will be the biggest for elections. Around two billion people in 64 countries and the European Union will vote this year. That is half the global population. The elections will bring big changes for many people. Voters in the world's four largest electoral blocs – the EU, India, Indonesia and the USA – will vote. For much of the year, eyes will be on the US. There will be a repeat of the 2020 election if Donald Trump runs again.

Journalists worry if elections will be free and fair. Bloomberg.com asked a question that is on many people's lips: "Will 2024 be the year fake news destroys democracy?" Artificial intelligence will be used to change the way people vote. Bloomberg said there will be "a storm of disinformation…unlike anything the world has ever seen". Fact checkers will have to work extra hard to reduce the number of fake news stories on social media.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Elections - Level 0 Elections - Level 2   or  Elections - Level 3

Sources
  • https://time.com/6550920/world-elections-2024/
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-12-28/elections-2024-fake-news-could-destroy-democracy
  • http://www.koreaherald.com/global_insite/view.php


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. Around two billion people
  2. That is half
  3. elections will bring big changes
  4. the world's four largest
  5. For much
  6. eyes will be
  7. There will be a repeat
  8. if Donald Trump
  1. on the US
  2. of the year
  3. runs again
  4. for many people
  5. of the 2020 election
  6. electoral blocs
  7. in 64 countries
  8. the global population

Paragraph 2

  1. Journalists worry if elections will
  2. a question that is on many
  3. the year fake news destroys
  4. Artificial intelligence
  5. change the way
  6. there will be a storm
  7. Fact checkers will have to work
  8. reduce the number of fake
  1. people vote
  2. democracy
  3. extra hard
  4. people's lips
  5. will be used
  6. news stories
  7. be free and fair
  8. of disinformation

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The year 2024 will (1) ___________________ for elections. Around two billion people in 64 countries and the European Union will vote this year. That (2) ___________________ global population. The elections will bring (3) ___________________ many people. Voters in the (4) ___________________ electoral blocs - the EU, India, Indonesia and the USA - will vote. For (5) ___________________ year, eyes will be on the US. There will (6) ___________________ of the 2020 election if Donald Trump runs again.

Journalists (7) ___________________ will be free and fair. Bloomberg.com asked a question that is on (8) ___________________: "Will 2024 be the year fake news destroys democracy?" Artificial intelligence (9) ________________ to change the way people vote. Bloomberg said there will be "(10) ___________________ disinformation…unlike anything the world (11) ___________________". Fact checkers will have to work extra hard to reduce the number (12) ___________________ stories on social media.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Theyear2024willbethebiggestforelections.Aroundtwobillionpeoplei
n64countriesandtheEuropeanUnionwillvotethisyear.Thatishalfthegl
obalpopulation.Theelectionswillbringbigchangesformanypeople.Vot
ersintheworld'sfourlargestelectoralblocs-theEU,India,Indonesiaand
theUSA-willvote.Formuchoftheyear,eyeswillbeontheUS.Therewillb
earepeatofthe2020electionifDonaldTrumprunsagain.Journalistswor
ryifelectionswillbefreeandfair.Bloomberg.comaskedaquestionthatis
onmanypeople'slips:"Will2024betheyearfakenewsdestroysdemocr
acy?"Artificialintelligencewillbeusedtochangethewaypeoplevote.Blo
ombergsaidtherewillbe"astormofdisinformation…unlikeanythingthe
worldhaseverseen".Factcheckerswillhavetoworkextrahardtoreduce
thenumberoffakenewsstoriesonsocialmedia.

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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