Giải đề Cambridge IELTS 19, Test 1, Reading Passage 3: The persistence and peril of misinformation

Bài giải đề trực tiếp từ team IELTSITY giúp các bạn xác định từ khóa, vị trí thông tin và giải thích đáp án cho đề Cambridge IELTS 19, Test 1, Reading Passage 3: The persistence and peril of misinformation

Nội dung chính

ANSWER TABLE
27. D	34. B
28. A	35. E
29. C	36. C
30. D	37. YES
31. G	38. NOT GIVEN
32. J	39. NO
33. H	40. NOT GIVEN

The persistence and peril of misinformation

Brian Southwell looks at how human brains verify information and discusses some of the challenges of battling widespread falsehoods

Misinformation – both deliberately promoted and accidentally shared – is perhaps an inevitable part of the world in which we live, but it is not a new problem. People likely have lied to one another for roughly as long as verbal communication has existed. Deceiving others can offer an apparent opportunity to gain strategic advantage, to motivate others to action, or even to protect interpersonal bonds. Moreover, people inadvertently have been sharing inaccurate information with one another for thousands of years. (Q27)

However, we currently live in an era in which technology enables information to reach large audiences distributed across the globe, and thus the potential for immediate and widespread effects from misinformation now looms larger than in the past. Yet the means to correct misinformation might, over time, be found in those same patterns of mass communication and of the facilitated spread of information. (Q28)

The main worry regarding misinformation is its potential to unduly influence attitudes and behavior, leading people to think and act differently than they would if they were correctly informed, as suggested by the research teams of Stephan Lewandowsky of the University of Bristol and Elizabeth Marsh of Duke University, among others. In other words, we worry that misinformation might lead people to hold misperceptions (or false beliefs) and that these misperceptions, especially when they occur among large groups of people, may have detrimental, downstream consequences for health, social harmony, and the political climate.

At least three observations related to misinformation in the contemporary mass-media environment warrant the attention of researchers, policy makers, and really everyone who watches television, listens to the radio, or reads information online. First of all, people who encounter misinformation tend to believe it, at least initially. Secondly, electronic and print media often do not block many types of misinformation before it appears in content available to large audiences. Thirdly, countering misinformation once it has enjoyed wide exposure can be a resource-intensive effort. (Q29)

Knowing what happens when people initially encounter misinformation holds tremendous importance for estimating the potential for subsequent problems. Although it is fairly routine for individuals to come across information that is false, the question of exactly how – and when – we mentally label information as true or false has garnered philosophical debate. (Q31) The dilemma is neatly summarized by a contrast between how the 17th-century philosophers René Descartes and Baruch Spinoza described human information engagement, with conflicting predictions that only recently have been empirically tested in robust ways. (Q32) Descartes argued that a person only accepts or rejects information after considering its truth or falsehood; Spinoza argued that people accept all encountered information (or misinformation) by default and then subsequently verify or reject it through a separate cognitive process. (Q33) In recent decades, empirical evidence from the research teams of Erik Asp of the University of Chicago and Daniel Gilbert at Harvard University, among others, has supported Spinoza’s account: (Q34) people appear to encode all new information as if it were true, even if only momentarily, (Q35) and later tag the information as being either true or false, a pattern that seems consistent with the observation that mental resources for skepticism physically reside in a different part of the brain than the resources used in perceiving and encoding. (Q36)

What about our second observation that misinformation often can appear in electronic or print media without being preemptively blocked? In support of this, one might consider the nature of regulatory structures in the United States: regulatory agencies here tend to focus on post hoc detection of broadcast information. Organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offer considerable monitoring and notification functions, but these roles typically do not involve preemptive censoring. The FDA oversees direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising, for example, and has developed mechanisms such as the ‘Bad Ad’ program, through which people can report advertising in apparent violation of FDA guidelines on drug risks.

Such programs, although laudable and useful, do not keep false advertising off the airwaves. (Q30) In addition, even misinformation that is successfully corrected can continue to affect attitudes. This leads us to our third observation: a campaign to correct misinformation, even if rhetorically compelling, requires resources and planning to accomplish necessary reach and frequency. For corrective campaigns to be persuasive, audiences need to be able to comprehend them (Q37), which requires either effort to frame messages in ways that are accessible or effort to educate and sensitize audiences to the possibility of misinformation. That some audiences might be unaware of the potential for misinformation also suggests the utility of media literacy efforts as early as elementary school. Even with journalists and scholars pointing to the phenomenon of ‘fake news’, people do not distinguish between demonstrably false stories and those based in fact when scanning and processing written information.

We live at a time when widespread misinformation is common. Yet at this time many people also are passionately developing potential solutions and remedies. The journey forward undoubtedly will be a long and arduous one. (Q39) Future remedies will require not only continued theoretical consideration but also the development and maintenance of consistent monitoring tools – and a recognition among fellow members of society that claims which find prominence in the media that are insufficiently based in scientific consensus and social reality should be countered. Misinformation arises as a result of human fallibility and human information needs. To overcome the worst effects of the phenomenon, we will need coordinated efforts over time, rather than any singular one-time panacea we could hope to offer.

GIẢI THÍCH CHI TIẾT ĐỀ The persistence and peril of misinformation

Questions 27-30

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.

27 What point does the writer make about misinformation in the first paragraph?

A Misinformation is a relatively recent phenomenon.

B Some people find it easy to identify misinformation.

C Misinformation changes as it is passed from one person to another.

D There may be a number of reasons for the spread of misinformation.

Dịch nghĩa: D. Có thể có nhiều lí do cho sự lan truyền của thông tin giả

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: Deceiving others can offer an apparent opportunity to gain strategic advantage, to motivate others to action, or even to protect interpersonal bonds. Moreover, people inadvertently have been sharing inaccurate information with one another for thousands of years.

Giải thích: Lừa người khác bằng việc đưa thông tin giả đem lại một vài lợi ích như là (1) chiếm ưu thế trước họ, (2) thúc đẩy người khác hành động hoặc thậm chí (3) bảo vệ những mối quan hệ giữa người với người. Vậy đáp án là D.

28 What does the writer say about the role of technology?

A It may at some point provide us with a solution to misinformation.

B It could fundamentally alter the way in which people regard information.

C It has changed the way in which organisations use misinformation.

D It has made it easier for people to check whether information is accurate.

Dịch nghĩa: A. Đôi khi nó có thể cung cấp cho chúng ta giải pháp đối với thông tin sai lệch.

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: However, we currently live in an era in which technology enables information to reach large audiences distributed across the globe, and thus the potential for immediate and widespread effects from misinformation now looms larger than in the past. Yet the means to correct misinformation might, over time, be found in those same patterns of mass communication and of the facilitated spread of information.

Giải thích: Cách để giải quyết vấn đề thông tin sai lệch, qua thời gian, lại có thể được tìm thấy ngay trong cách truyền thông đại chúng hoạt động ngày nay và việc thông tin được lan truyền một cách dễ dàng. Vậy đáp án là A.

29 What is the writer doing in the fourth paragraph?

A comparing the different opinions people have of misinformation

B explaining how the effects of misinformation have changed over time

C outlining which issues connected with misinformation are significant today

D describing the attitude of policy makers towards misinformation in the media

Dịch nghĩa: C. Nêu ra những vấn đề quan trọng có liên quan đến thông tin sai lệch ngày nay

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: At least three observations related to misinformation in the contemporary mass-media environment warrant the attention of researchers, policy makers, and really everyone who watches television, listens to the radio, or reads information online. First of all, people who encounter misinformation tend to believe it, at least initially. Secondly, electronic and print media often do not block many types of misinformation before it appears in content available to large audiences. Thirdly, countering misinformation once it has enjoyed wide exposure can be a resource-intensive effort.

Giải thích: Đoạn văn này chỉ ra 3 vấn đề liên quan tới việc đưa thông tin sai lệch mà cần có sự quan tâm của các nhà nghiên cứu v..v.. Vậy đáp án là C.

30 What point does the writer make about regulation in the USA?

A The guidelines issued by the FDA need to be simplified.

B Regulation does not affect people’s opinions of new prescription drugs.

C The USA has more regulatory bodies than most other countries.

D Regulation fails to prevent misinformation from appearing in the media.

Dịch nghĩa: D. Quy định không ngăn chặn được thông tin sai lệch xuất hiện trên các phương tiện truyền thông.

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: Organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offer considerable monitoring and notification functions, but these roles typically do not involve preemptive censoring. The FDA oversees direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising, for example, and has developed mechanisms such as the ‘Bad Ad’ program, through which people can report advertising in apparent violation of FDA guidelines on drug risks.

Such programs, although laudable and useful, do not keep false advertising off the airwaves.

Giải thích: Những chương trình của FDA không kiểm duyệt thông tin trước khi chúng được quảng cáo rộng rãi mà chỉ nhận báo cáo của mọi người và chỉnh sửa sau đó nếu các quảng cáo đó vi phạm luật lệ. Vậy đáp án là D

Questions 31-36

Complete the summary using the list of phrases, A-J, below.

Write the correct letter, A-J, in boxes 31-36 on your answer sheet.

What happens when people encounter misinformation?

Although people have 31 _____G_____ to misinformation, there is debate about precisely how and when we label something as true or untrue. The philosophers Descartes and Spinoza had 32 _____J_____ about how people engage with information. While Descartes believed that people accept or reject information after considering whether it is true or not, Spinoza argued that people accepted all information they encountered (and by default misinformation) and did not verify or reject it until afterwards. Moreover, Spinoza believed that a distinct

33 _____H_____ is involved in these stages. Recent research has provided 34 _____B_____ for Spinoza’s theory and it would appear that people accept all encountered information as if it were true, even if this is for an extremely 35_____E_____, and do not label the information as true or false until later. This is consistent with the fact that the resources for scepticism and the resources for perceiving and encoding are in 36 _____C_____ in the brain.

A constant conflict B additional evidence C different locations

D experimental subjects E short period F extreme distrust

G frequent exposure H mental operation I dubious reason

J different ideas

Q31:

Từ khóa câu hỏi: Although people have 31 __________ to misinformation, there is debate about precisely how and when we label something as true or untrue.

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: Although it is fairly routine for individuals to come across information that is false, the question of exactly how – and when – we mentally label information as true or false has garnered philosophical debate.

Giải thích: Việc từng cá nhân bắt gặp những thông tin không chính xác xảy ra thường xuyên. Cụm từ ‘fairly routine’ này đồng nghĩa với cụm ‘frequent exposure’ – tiếp xúc liên tục. Vậy đáp án là G.

Q32:

Từ khóa câu hỏi: The philosophers Descartes and Spinoza had 32 __________ about how people engage with information.

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: The dilemma is neatly summarized by a contrast between how the 17th-century philosophers René Descartes and Baruch Spinoza described human information engagement, with conflicting predictions that only recently have been empirically tested in robust ways.

Giải thích: Descartes và Spinoza được mô tả là có những quan điểm trái ngược ‘contrast’ về cách con người tiếp cận với thông tin. Từ này đồng nghĩa với cụm ‘different ideas’. Vậy đáp án là J.

Q33:

Từ khóa câu hỏi: Moreover, Spinoza believed that a distinct 33 __________ is involved in these stages.

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: Spinoza argued that people accept all encountered information (or misinformation) by default and then subsequently verify or reject it through a separate cognitive process.

Giải thích: Spinoza tin rằng trước hết con người tiếp nhận thông tin một cách tự nhiên (dù đúng hay sai) rồi sau đó mới xác thực hoặc phủ nhận nó. Và đây là một quy trình nhận thức riêng biệt. Cụm ‘cognitive process’ đồng nghĩa với ‘mental operation’. Vậy đáp án là H.

Q34:

Từ khóa câu hỏi: Recent research has provided 34 __________ for Spinoza’s theory and it would appear that people accept all encountered information as if it were true

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: In recent decades, empirical evidence from the research teams of Erik Asp of the University of Chicago and Daniel Gilbert at Harvard University, among others, has supported Spinoza’s account.

Giải thích: Trong các thập kỷ gần đây, những bằng chứng thực nghiệm từ các nhóm nghiên cứu khác đều ủng hộ giả thuyết của Spinoza. Cụm từ ‘supported’ đồng nghĩa với ‘provided additional evidence’. Vậy đáp án là B.

Q35:

Từ khóa câu hỏi: … even if this is for an extremely 35 __________, and do not label the information as true or false until later.

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: … people appear to encode all new information as if it were true, even if only momentarily,

Giải thích: Mọi người có xu hướng chấp nhận tất cả thông tin họ tiếp nhận là đúng, dù chỉ trong chốc lát. Cụm ‘momentarily’ đồng nghĩa với ‘for an extremely short period’. Vậy đáp án là E.

Q36:

Từ khóa câu hỏi: This is consistent with the fact that the resources for scepticism and the resources for perceiving and encoding are in 36 __________ in the brain.

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: … a pattern that seems consistent with the observation that mental resources for skepticism physically reside in a different part of the brain than the resources used in perceiving and encoding.

Giải thích: Những nguồn tài nguyên được sử dụng để tiếp nhận và mã hóa thông tin nằm ở những phần khác nhau trong não bộ. Cụm ‘in a different part’ đồng nghĩa với ‘in different locations’. Vậy đáp án là C.

Questions 37-40

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?

In boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

37. YES Campaigns designed to correct misinformation will fail to achieve their purpose if people are unable to understand them.

Dịch nghĩa: Các chiến dịch thiết kế để sửa lại các thông tin sai lệch sẽ không thể hoàn thành mục tiêu của chúng nếu mọi người không thể hiểu những chiến dịch này.

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: For corrective campaigns to be persuasive, audiences need to be able to comprehend them.

Giải thích: Để các chương trình sửa chữa sai lệch thông tin có hiệu quả, mọi người cần phải hiểu được chúng. Thông tin trong bài trùng khớp với mệnh đề, vậy đáp án là YES.

38. NOT GIVEN Attempts to teach elementary school students about misinformation have been opposed.

Dịch nghĩa: Các nỗ lực dạy học sinh tiểu học về thông tin sai lệch đã bị phản đối.

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: That some audiences might be unaware of the potential for misinformation also suggests the utility of media literacy efforts as early as elementary school.

Giải thích: Ta tìm thấy thông tin liên quan đến nỗ lực giáo dục từ bậc tiểu học, tuy nhiên không có thông tin về việc nỗ lực này có bị phản đối hay không. Vậy đáp án là NOT GIVEN.

39. NO It may be possible to overcome the problem of misinformation in a relatively short period.

Dịch nghĩa: Có thể khắc phục được vấn đề thông tin sai lệch trong một thời gian tương đối ngắn.

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: The journey forward undoubtedly will be a long and arduous one.

Giải thích: Cuộc hành trình giải quyết vấn đề thông tin sai lệch sẽ rất dài và gian nan chứ không hề nhanh chóng. Vậy đáp án là NO.

40. NOT GIVEN The need to keep up with new information is hugely exaggerated in today’s world.

Dịch nghĩa: Nhu cầu cập nhật thông tin mới đang được phóng đại quá mức trong thế giới ngày nay.

Từ đồng nghĩa trong bài: Misinformation arises as a result of human fallibility and human information needs.

Giải thích: Ta tìm được câu nói về nhu cầu cập nhật thông tin của con người. Song không rõ nhu cầu này có bị phóng đại hay không. Vậy đáp án là NOT GIVEN.

IELTSITY hy vọng rằng bài viết này đã giúp bạn hiểu rõ và hoàn thành tốt bài đọc The persistence and peril of misinformation (CAMBRIDGE 19 – TEST 1 – PASSAGE 3). Đừng quên chia sẻ cho bạn bè để cùng luyện tập nhé! Chúc các bạn học tốt!

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