English Unlimited HTL 4/5, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD und CD-ROM

160 Preparing for final exams 160 Reading 166 Listening 169 Writing 172 Speaking Reading TaSK 1 Read the text about the role of social media. First decide whether the statements (1–8) are true (T) or false (F) and put a cross (  ) in the correct box. Then identify the sentence in the text which supports your decision. Write the first four words of this sentence in the space provided. There may be more than one correct answer; write down only one. The first one (0) has been done for you. Twitter should win the Nobel Peace Prize for its role during the civil unrest in Iran, according to a former US national security adviser.  Mark Pfeifle, a former aide to George W. Bush, recommends Twitter be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded to those who push for “holding the promotion of peace”. Previous winners of the Nobel Peace Prize include Mother Teresa, Mikhail Gorbachev, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Apple board member Al Gore.  In the Christian Science Monitor, Pfeifle said, “When traditional journalists were forced to leave the country, Twitter became a window for the world to view hope, heroism and horror. It became the assignment desk, the reporter and the producer. And, because of this, Twitter and its creators are worthy of being considered for the Nobel Peace Prize. I first mentioned this idea while being interviewed on a cable news program. Many scoffed. That’s understandable. But think about what Twitter has accomplished: It has empowered people to attempt to resolve a domestic showdown with international implications – and has enabled the world to stand with them. It laid the foundation to pressure the world to denounce oppression in Iran.”  He argued, “Twitter has been criticized as a time-waster – a way for people to inform their friends about the minutiae of their lives, 140 characters at a time. But in the past month, 140 characters were enough to shine a light on Iranian oppression and elevate Twitter to the level of change agent. Even the government of Iran has been forced to utilize the very tool they attempted to squelch to try to hold on to power. Without Twitter, the world might have known little more than a losing candidate accusing the powers of alleged fraud. Without Twitter, the people of Iran would not have felt empowered and confident to stand up for freedom and democracy. They did so because they knew the world was watching. With Twitter, they now shout hope with a passion and dedication that resonates not just with those on their street, but with millions across the globe.”  At the height of the Iranian protest activities, more than 221,000 Iran tweets were sent in an hour. In one day, 3,000 Iranian videos were uploaded on YouTube, and 2.2 million blog entries were posted.  Mark Pfeifle was deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and global outreach at the National Security Council from 2007 to 2009. A Nobel Peace Prize for social media? Nur zu Prüfzwecken Eigentum des Verlags öbv