ESL WORKSHEET - Politics

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

X BACKS DOWN IN BATTLE

WITH BRAZILIAN AUTHORITIES

LinguaHouse

Oct. 21, 2024

Level: Upper-Intermediate (B2-C1)
Type of English: Business English
Tags: Politics; Celebrities and Historical Figures; Breaking News; The Media; Challenges; Vocabulary Lesson; Article Based; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old; 13-15 Years Old
Publication date: 10/21/2024

This lesson revolves around the ongoing battle between Brazilian authorities and X, formerly known as Twitter. There is a video report that details the history of the dispute, and how matters might progress. There is then a short task centered around EU regulation aimed at limiting disinformation online, which is followed by a discussion section. After this, there is a reading comprehension about X circumventing its ban in Brazil. Finally, there is a vocabulary game to recycle vocabulary. (by Joey Vaughan-Birch)

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/watch the video (MP4).

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Speaker: Elon Musk’s X looks to have backed down in its battle with Brazil. Documents seen by Reuters show it has asked a judge to lift a national ban on the social network. X says it has now complied with orders to stop the spread of misinformation. If confirmed, that would mark a climbdown by Musk, who has been battling what he calls “censorship”. He’s been engaged in a months-long feud with Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The judge has spearheaded a campaign against perceived attacks on democracy and the political use of disinformation.
He shut down access to X in the country after it resisted complying with his orders. Then he froze Brazilian bank accounts for Starlink - another of Musk’s businesses. The billionaire responded furiously, calling Moraes a “dictator”. X then attempted to circumvent the ban using cloud services from third parties but soon backed down amid the threat of heavy fines. It has since taken a series of conciliatory steps, including appointing a local representative, as demanded by the judge. A lot was at stake for the network, with Brazil its sixth-largest market. In a statement Thursday, the firm said it respected the sovereignty of countries where it operated but would defend free expression through due legal processes.

 
Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/business-english/x-backs-down-in-battle-with-brazilian-authorities. Accessed on October 21, 2024. © 2008–2024 LinguaHouse.com. All rights reserved.