Assignments:

1. Read, listen and translate the text paying special attention to political terminology.

2. Key words and expressions:

• statement - official announcement

• manoeuvring - skilful and careful movement

• the referendum process - the series of things that need to be done to carry out a vote on the issue

• independence- freedom of control from another country

• short of-one step before

• restate-say again to express strongly

• negotiate-formally discuss

• to reach an agreement-to come to an arrangement that both sides have the same opinion on

• ballot-system of voting

• supervised-checked that everything is done correctly

3. Give definitions to the following:

manoeuvring, to be short of, to restate, to reach an agreement, ballot.

4. Answer the questions on the text:

• What is Mr Salmond’s question about?

• What did Mr Salmond expect?

• Are there any signs that the Scottish Government may be willing to negotiate with Westminster? Why?

• Who will be supervising the whole process ?

5. Put questions to the underlined words.

6. Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

UNIT 3 INTERNET PRIVACY

This theme is dealt with in a lot of sources. The following citation is to illustrate this:

“Just how much control should people have over their online reputations? Should they be able to demand that an unflattering photo be permanently deleted from a website like Facebook? Does everything people write online have to stay there? What about bank details, addresses - can websites hold onto this information forever?

These were the kinds of questions being asked by the European Commission as it investigated the issue of internet privacy. Its guiding principle throughout has been what it called "the right to be forgotten". It has now decided on what this mysterious sounding phrase actually means.

It means that a person does have the right to demand their personal information be permanently deleted if it is data that they themselves have put online. But they don't have the right to have things like unflattering blogs or newspaper profiles written by others deleted.

The EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said the changes will help build trust in online services.

The Commission also says that businesses should have to tell their customers within 24 hours if their online accounts have been hacked into.

Some internet companies have reacted with concern to the proposals, warning that they could become bogged down in trying to meet the new requirements and that could affect their ability to grow.”

The complete version of this text is at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/01/120127_witn_internet.shtml

Assignments:

1. Read, listen and translate the text paying special attention to professional terminology.

2. Key words and expressions:

• reputations-someone's image, the opinions people have about them

• unflattering-less attractive than they really are

• deleted-removed

• investigated-examined

• privacy-a person's ability to keep some personal information secret

• guiding principle-idea or concept which leads people to behave in a certain way

• mysterious-strange

• blogs-online diaries

• build trust-create belief in the security of

• hacked into-got into illegally from another computer

3. Give definitions to the following:

online, website,the internet, information, data.

4. Answer the questions on the text:

• What were the questions asked by the European Commission?

• How do you understand the principle “the right to be forgotten”?

• What did Vivian Reding say?

• What should internet companies tell their customers?

5. Put questions to the underlined words.

6. Speak on this issue adding extra information from other sources.

UNIT 4 MAKING WAY FOR EUROVISION

This theme is dealt with in a lot of sources. The following citation is to illustrate this:

“In May, the former Soviet state of Azerbaijan will for the first time host the Eurovision Song Contest.

The authorities are busy preparing the capital Baku, including building a new concert hall. But residents of nearby apartment blocks say they are being forced to leave their homes.

Despite freezing temperatures and recent heavy snow, Azerbaijan's authorities have taken the roof off the apartment block and cut off water and phone lines, forcing residents of the building's upper floors to leave, whether they like it or not.

Pensioner Natalya Allibiakova is one of the few home owners still left. She says the compensation offered by the government is not enough to buy a similar property elsewhere.

She told the BBC that Eurovision will now for her always be a painful reminder of how she lost her home.

Azerbaijan's authorities argue that the compensation is adequate and Eurovision's organisers say the evictions are nothing to do with the contest.

But human rights organisation Human Rights Watch says the evictions risk overshadowing the song contest.

Azerbaijan sees Eurovision as a chance to attract international attention, but that spotlight is proving less welcome, as it's also revealing alleged human rights abuses.”

The complete version of this text is at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/02/120220_witn_azerbaijan.shtml