Most of these online discussions ......(7)...... trivial in
terms of politics and media issues. But social media
provides the means by which ......(8)...... of like-minded
individuals can easily swap ideas and scrutinise data
on public matters. In this way, social media users can
hold politicians and media outlets ......(9)...... account
in a manner not possible – or conceivable – until a few
years ago. Instead of a politician saying something for-
gotten the day after, or a reporter's ......(10)...... piece
being in next day's ......(11)...... paper, those involved
in social media can pore … 12)...... details and make
connections weeks and months later. Transgressions
can be linked to and accumulated. A speech or a by-
line can now come back and haunt you long after you
have "moved on".
As long as there are those willing to promote such ......
(13)...... then politicians and media professionals can
now be ......(14)...... to on-going and sometimes intense
examination. The effect of this may be to make those
with political and media power more responsible; it will
certainly mean that it is more ......(15)...... and more
likely that individuals can be called out for any wrong-
doing. On this basis it is not those in power who will
be regulating social media, but social media regulating
those in power.
Once social media is understood as an advanced form
of active citizenship then it can become part of the
solution to the problem of abuses of political and me-
dia power; not part of the problem to be addressed by
regulation. Regardless of the self-serving ......(16)......
promoted by some in the media, the record of bloggers
and tweeters compares rather well to tabloid excesses.
In the medium- to longer- term, it is clear that those
in mainstream media who work with social media will
......(17)...... to produce better output.
Regulation is just not about formal "black-letter codes"
with sanctions and enforcement agencies. Regulation
also means simply that things are done better than they
otherwise would be: for example, when one "regulates
one's own conduct". Bloggers and others in social
media are willing and able to call out media excesses
and bad journalism. The reaction is immediate and can
be brutally frank. They are sometimes wrong, as are
formal regulators. But they can take time and allow the
media to produce better, more well-informed stories.
The formal regulation of social media may be futile
– anyone can publish to the internet if they want to.
The individuals are rightly subject ......(18)...... the
law of the land in doing so. It is difficult to see how
there could be any formal regulation of social media
which would have any significant ......(19)...... against
a determined wrong-doer. One may as well seek to
regulate everyday talk with a Conversation Regulatory
Authority. But ......(20)...... the mainstream media to
constructively engage with social media users is perhaps
one good route to better standards of content.
Based on: Green, David Allen. “How to Think About
Social Media – Why Social Media is Part of the Solution
5
Not Part of the Problem.” The New Statesman blog,
31 January 2012.
A, B, C, D, E
1. A. medias; B. pages; C. platforms; D. supports; E. tools
2. A. entirely able; B. entirely capable; C. sustainable; D.
well able; E. wholly able
3. A. can well be; B. may well be; C. maybe; D. well can
be; E. well is
4. A. in; B. into; C. on; D. onto; E. under
5. A. by; B. for; C. like; D. than; E. that
6. A. casually; B. constantly; C. daily; D. often; E. online
7. A. are being; B. being; C. were; D. will; E. will be
8. A. associations; B. cartels- c. clusters; D. links; E. tribes
9. A. at; B. for; C. into; D. of; E. to
10. A. by the by; B. bylined; C. bypassed; D. conversation;
E. frontline
11. A. fish-and-chip; B. gossip; C. kiss-and-tell- D. tabloid-
E. tittle-tattle
12. A. at; B. down; C. onto; D. over; E. through
13. A. a response; B. accountability; C. irresponsibility; D.
traceability; E. transgressions
14. A. exposed; B. held; C. put; D. scrutinized; E. subjected
15. A. simplified; B. simply; C. straight-forward; D. straight-
laced; E. stream-lined
16. A. caricatures; B. customers; C. diners; D. personages;
E. upstarts
17. A. actually; B. bound; C. probably; D. tend; E. trend
18. A. from; B. of; C. through; D. to; E. would do
19. A. bite; B. hit; C. kick; D. punch; E. threat
20. A. encourage; B. encouraged; C. encourages; D. encou-
raging; E. may encourage
Part Two - Essay
Write an essay in which you describe one specific
moment when sport(s) affected you personally. In your
response, reflect on the moral lessons that participa-
ting in sports taught you or did not teach you. Tie your
reflections to John Milton-Smith’s observations about
the declining aura and increasing commercialization
of the Olympic Games.
Ideal responses will be at least 300 words in length.
In drafting your response, note that the person reading
your essay will not be of French origin.
“The special aura of the Olympic Games is seriously
under threat. Commercial realities dictate that, apart
from scale, they are not very different from any other
global sporting event. Popular spectator sports have
become mass entertainment and are therefore major
business enterprises. As with top-level Formula I motor
racing, golf tournaments and tennis championships,
the critical variables for the Games are international
competition, provision of government infrastructure,
commercial sponsorship and the appeal of star per-
formers. Although the cost of staging these events is
massive, the unique opportunities for media exposure
and promotion make them extremely attractive, both