C1/C1+ English Test PART 1 Reading: The Rise of Fake News

Embajada de Francia en Uruguay November 30th.
, 2021
C1/C1+ English Test
PART 1 Reading
The rise of fake news
1. In December 2016 Edgar M. Welch drove six hours from his hometown to
Washington DC, where he opened fire in a pizzeria with an assault rifle. He had
previously read an online news story about the restaurant being the headquarters
of a group of child abusers run by Hillary Clinton. He decided to investigate for
himself; fortunately, no one was hurt.
2. The story about Hillary Clinton is one of the most famous examples of the
growing phenomenon dubbed ‘fake news’. The conspiracy theory about the
pizzeria began to appear on websites and social networks in late October, before
the US election. This was quickly denounced by publications such as The New
York Times and The Washington Post. However, many people thought that these
papers were themselves lying for political ends and instead of disappearing, the
fake story snowballed. Tweets from ‘Representative Steven Smith of the 15th
District of Georgia’ claimed that the mainstream media were telling falsehoods.
Even though both this name and district were invented, the message was re-
tweeted many times.
3. Fake news stories can be hard to control for several reasons. Many people
mistrust established news sources and others just don’t read them, so the
debunking of a fake story by a serious newspaper or TV channel has limited
effect. In addition, the internet is very hard to police. When users are caught
misusing one media platform, they simply go to another one or start up a website
themselves.
4. There are also various reasons why people create fake news. Some have
political motives, to belittle or incriminate their opponents. Other websites, like
The Onion, deliberately publish fake news as satire. Another group is in it for the
profit: many people clicking on entertaining fake news stories can bring in a lot of
advertising revenue. One man running fake news sites from Los Angeles said he
was making up to US$ 30,000 a month in this way.
5. So, what can we do to stop fake news spreading? First, make sure that the
websites you read are legitimate, for example by looking carefully at the domain
name and the About Us section. Check the sources of any quotes or figures
given in the story. Remember that amazing stories about famous people will be
covered by the mainstream media if they are true. Only share stories you know
are true and let your contacts know, tactfully, when they unknowingly share fake
news.
1) a) Reading comprehension
Why did many people not believe 'The Washington Post' and 'The New York Times'
when they denounced the pizzeria story?
a) They checked the facts and found that the articles were incorrect.
b) They didn’t trust anybody.
c) They thought the newspapers had a political agenda.
d) They thought the newspapers had not researched the story carefully enough.
Which reason for the difficulty of controlling fake news stories is not given in the article?
a) Many people don’t read the mainstream media.

b) Online media platforms don't check stories before publishing them.
c) People are sceptical of the mainstream media.
d) Fake news posters can easily switch to other websites and platforms if caught.
b) Propose one title for each paragraph.
PART 2-Use of English and grammar:

Money and time. Complete the sentences with a suitable word
1. Hurry up! We need to hand in the manuscript _______ time to get it

published
2. It’s already 1:10 and the Zoom meeting hasn’t started. The hosts might
be running ________ schedule
3. Tablets to prevent Covid disease are still in its experimental stages for
the time ________, a source revealed.
4. Our boss can be rather moody _______ times
5. With all that traffic this morning I can’t believe I made it to work with
time to ________
6. Countries whose average _______ is $1500 tax at 20 percent
7. This office furniture is so expensive. Do you accept payment in monthly

________?
8. No, sorry. We just accept one __________ payment
Third conditional
Complete the sentences using the third conditional structure.
1. If I ________ (know) it was going to rain, I ________________ (bring) my

umbrella to the office
2. If you _______________ (not go) to the wrong meeting, you _________
(not miss) the official lunch.
3. ______ you _________ (come) to live in Uruguay if you ________ (know) it
was really expensive?
Writing
You are trying to manage your schedule in the most efficient and savvy way you can.
It’s the end of the year and, as usual, you have many meetings coming ahead.
You want to schedule a meeting with your account executive at your bank to discuss your
finances and ask for advice about a product (it can be a loan, a mortgage, company shares,
or a savings account).
Write an email to the executive explaining the situation and asking for an in-person
meeting. Then, write a quick note to your assistant to schedule this meeting for you.
If possible, use the money and time vocabulary that you reviewed in class.

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Embajada de Francia en Uruguay November 30th.

C1/C1+ English Test

The rise of fake news

a) Many people don’t read the mainstream media.

b) Propose one title for each paragraph.

PART 2-Use of English and grammar:

1. Hurry up! We need to hand in the manuscript _______ time to get it

7. This office furniture is so expensive. Do you accept payment in monthly

Complete the sentences using the third conditional structure.

1. If I (know) it was going to rain, I ________ (bring) my

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