CZYTANIE 2 EN [#45]

#16 ( MOD )#44 ( 059 )#43 ( 058 )#42 ( 057 )#37 ( 056 )#36 ( 054 )#35 ( 053 )#34 ( 052 )#33 ( 051 )#29 ( 050 )#15 ( 049 )#14 ( 048 )#13 ( 047 )#12 ( 046 )#11 ( 045 )
TASK 1
Read the text and circle T for True or F for False
THE BOOM
Since the Empire State Building is the most iconic landmark in New York City, it has been a target for terrorists and has seen some criminal activity over the years. In 1997, a 69-year-old Palestinian school teacher, Ali Hassan Abu Kamal, opened fire on the 86th floor observation deck, leading to the death of one person and injuring 6 other people before shooting himself to death right there. The only victim to die was 27-year-old Christoffer Burmeister, who was a Danish musician living in New York City at the time. Burmeister was visiting the 86th floor with his music band mate, Matthew Gross, who was seriously injured in the incident. The attack was motivated by Kamal’s anger over Israel and Palestine. The observation deck was reopened two days later with metal detectors installed at the second floor elevator entrance that all observatory visitors had to pass through. These metal detectors were moved to a more centrally located area on the second floor after the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Another incident took place on August 24, 2012, when a gunman shot to death his work colleague outside the Empire State Building on the sidewalk. The gunman was a 58-year-old Manhattan resident, Jeffrey T. Johnson. He was a clothing designer, who had been fired a year earlier. The victim was 41-year-old Steven Ercolino, a salesman who lived in Union City, New Jersey. As Johnson tried to escape, he was shot and killed by officers from the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Gunshots from the NYPD officers also led to the injuries of 9 passers-by, who took the NYPD to court for compensation a few years later.

The most serious case happened in 2011. On May 12, New York City law enforcement officials announced that two suspects, Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh, had been arrested for attempting to bomb various targets in Manhattan, including the Empire State Building. Ferhani was probably trying to sell drugs to fund the attacks. According to the police, that wasn’t the first terrorist attempt against New York City – 12 such plots had been prevented since the September 11 attacks.

How was the Manhattan plot discovered? An undercover detective had been investigating one of the suspects, Ahmed Ferhani, for several months. In October 2010, Ferhani was arrested on a robbery charge in Manhattan. It was then that the detective overheard Ferhani saying he hated Jews and was upset with the way Muslims were treated around the world. Ferhani also told the detective about "his intention to participate in jihad". Eventually, Ferhani, who had been the architect of the Manhattan plot, involved Mamdouh in his deadly plans. The authorities decided to act, because "Ferhani's plans became bigger and more violent with every passing week". In several meetings with the undercover detective, Ferhani discussed his idea of attacking a few targets in Manhattan. Finally, on May 11, 2011, the NYPD arranged an arms deal on Manhattan's West Side. In the deal, one of the undercover officers handed Ferhani a bag containing three handguns, boxes of ammo and an inert grenade. Once Ferhani placed the bag in the trunk of his car, the police moved in and arrested him and Mamdouh. In December 2012, the suspects were found guilty of terrorism conspiracy and were sentenced to ten years in prison.
1. During the 1997 attack, the terrorist killed several people.
2. The metal detectors’ location was changed after the Sept. 11 attacks.
3. Johnson and his victim had the same duties at work.
4. Accidental victims wanted money from the New York Police.
5. Ferhani and Mamdouh were arrested for selling illegal substances.
6. Ferhani was the creator of the Manhattan plot.
7. Ferhani and Mamdouh got into a trap set by the police.
TASK 2
Read the texts and choose the best answer A, B or C
TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY?
In the late 1990s, in order to encourage young people to join the military, the US Army released its own video game aimed at a younger generation. “When a kid starts thinking about what he’s going to do with his life, it’s not at age 17, it’s more like age 13,” said the colonel responsible for the project, adding: “You can’t wait until they’re 17, because by then they will have already decided whether to go to college or a trading school.” The resulting video game, America’s Army, was hugely successful. So, the profitable cooperation between the military and the gaming industry continues. However, one must remember that promoting the military with video games, basically making a game out of a war, is unethical and dangerous for the young minds.

These days, the US military games are widely available on Twitch, YouTube, Instagram and Discord. Internet users have to be at least 13 to gain access to these social media sites. Users under 18 are supposed to have parental permission, but such age limitations are easy to get around. Kaitlynn Considine, a former Marine, gives her 13-year-old brother as an example. “He is a very young child. His brain isn’t fully developed yet and he certainly doesn’t realize how harmful such military video games are. What he knows about the military is that his older sister was a Marine, and he has pictures of me in front of ‘super cool’ equipment.” Kaitlynn believes the military must advertise itself, because the service is sometimes the best (or only) option for the young, especially if they’re in a difficult financial situation. “But people need to understand what they’re getting into,” she says. “No matter what your job is, you are supposed to help the military to kill enemies. You might not ever pull a trigger, but you’re still part of that mission.”

The situation is worsened by the fact that military recruiters are allowed to talk to children in schools thanks to the legal act passed in 2000, which gave the military access to campuses. In 2008, the ACLU (an organization protecting civil rights) reported to the United Nations (UN) that the US Land Forces didn’t respect children’s rights by “heavily recruiting” students under 17 on high school campuses. However, the State Department didn’t do much about the problem. They just repeated their request for a change of the military’s age policy. The UN’s reaction was similar. The organization expressed its worries and gave recommendations for improvement. This was not enough to change the recruitment practices in the military.

After the US Land Forces were accused of unethical practices, the Navy changed its own recruitment procedures to avoid similar problems. The Navy stresses that its streaming team members are not official “recruiters”. The team use streaming to talk about life in the military, but they direct anyone who expresses interest in the Navy to a recruiting website, where candidates can connect with an official recruiter.

The military does not release data on how effective video game recruitment is, but the strategy seems to be successful. Almost all branches use video game recruitment and cooperate with influential streamers. Notably, the Marines have so far refused to use games for recruitment. Although there is a Marine Corps Gaming team, it doesn’t officially represent the branch. “It’s a very serious decision to serve. We don’t use gaming for recruitment as there’s little connection between playing video games and the actual military service,” a US Marine Corps communications officer told Military.com.

Because of potential conflicts with Russia and a growing tension in the Middle East increasing the number of personnel is extremely important. But it’s very hard to do: in December, the Department of Defense said the military missed its 2023 recruiting target by 41,000 soldiers. The military points out that many young people are excluded from the service due to their weight, drug use or criminal past. However, the main factor that discourages young people from the service is that the military has a bad reputation among society. Information about limited support for veterans as well as cases of racism and sexual violence throw a negative light on life in uniform. No amount of heavy advertising or online video games will change that.
8. The colonel says that promoting the military through video games ...
9. When it comes to her 13-year-old brother, Kaitlynn says that ...
10. Kaitlynn is of the opinion that …
11. After the ACLU reported the problem, …
12. In the Navy, …
13. The Marines don’t use video games for recruitment because …
14. The main reason why too few young people join the service is that …
TASK 3
In this task six phrases have been removed from the text and placed at the bottom. An extra phrase has been included. You must decide which phrase goes into which gap and write the letter in the box below the sentences.
NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Several hundred US soldiers and military vehicles have moved from Narvik, Norway, across Sweden, and on to Rovajarvi, Finland, for the military exercise Immediate Response 24. This is the first time Sweden has conducted host nation support as a NATO member. US Army forces and military equipment have moved via roads and railway in a 900-kilometre tactical march, which marked the beginning of a series of multinational exercises, whose … (1) … .

The US vehicles and containers arrived at the Port of Narvik on April 24. The equipment belongs to the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the US' 10th Mountain Division based at Louisiana. Since its arrival in Narvik, … (2) … and some also by railway, through northern Sweden, towards the final destination in Finland. About 1,600 US Army soldiers and 200 vehicles have been involved.

The Swedish Armed Forces now inform that the last US vehicles have crossed the border to Finland, and the supporting units … (3) … . With this, Sweden has, for the first time as a NATO member, provided host nation support in such a massive tactical march from the Norwegian to the Finnish border. “Through supporting our allies from the US forces, … (4) … ," says Colonel Karlsson, Commander of the Swedish Northern Military Region.

During the movement through Sweden, the staff at the Northern Military Region have been responsible for the operation. At the established command center, however, several other units and representatives have also been part of the coordination, including … (5) … .

Colonel Karlsson highlights that Sweden's ability to provide host nation support has worked very well. "We have seen that our live plans are working. However, Sweden has not managed this on its own. We have done this … (6) … and other civilian actors in the total defense. Together, we have contributed to NATO's collective deterrence and ability to defend all allies," says Karlsson.
15. ...(1)...
16. ...(2)...
17. ...(3)...
18. ...(4)...
19. ...(5)...
20. ...(6)...