This problem is not far away from us. Not long ago, Ni Hanxiang, a Chinese student at a university in the US, was sent back to China after expressing on social media that he would kill his teachers if he failed to pass his exams.
In China, posting threatening words online is also against the law. In 2013, Wu Hongfei, a singer, got into trouble for saying on weibo that she wanted to blow up a building.
“Threatening happens not only face to face but also through the Internet, social media and the telephone,” said Mr. Cao, a lawyer from Chongqing. “Although the law of China protects people’s right of free speech, it doesn’t include words that threaten others’ lives and national safety.”
“Some people may not mean to threaten. They may just be trying to say “I’m strong”, said Fred Pratt, a lawyer from the US.
The girl’s mother said her daughter was a good kid who had never been in trouble before. Ni Hanxiang also said he didn’t realize that what he put online was so serious.
“But not knowing the law doesn’t mean the law will treat you any differently if you break it,” says David Allen Green, a lawyer from the UK. So, do you think we’d better spend a minute or two thinking about the words or emojis we use on social media before we press “send”?
1. The 12-year-old girl from Virginia put the words “Killing. Meet me in the library Tuesday”, with three emojis ________.
| A．in her own diary | B．in a letter to her friend |
| C．on a social media | D．on the wall of the library |
| A．because he broke the US law | B．because he wasn’t honest |
| C．after he killed his teachers | D．after he blew up a building |
| A．Fred Pratt thinks some people may not mean to threaten |
| B．the girl’s mother didn’t think her daughter was a bad child |
| C．Cheating in an examination at school may get you into trouble |
| D．Putting threatening words on QQ may bring you problems |
| A．we shouldn’t break the US law if we study at a university in the US |
| B．students and singers shouldn’t post words or emojis on social media |
| C．students should study hard at school and not use the Internet too much |
| D．we should be careful when we send words or emojis on social media |
2 . News Review
APEC Blue People in Beijing got the saying after the APEC meeting in Beijing. It refers to(指) the clear blue sky during the meeting. To get such a blue sky, many factories in Beijing and nearby cities stopped work, and the number of cars on the road was cut.
A Warning Ticket A 24-year-old woman in Nanjing was given a warning ticket for eating food on the subway. Eating is not allowed on Nanjing subway. Up to now, 2,698 people have been punished(惩罚) because of their eating, smoking or selling goods on the subway.
A Teacher-free Exam Recently, students at Ningbo Huamao Foreign Language School in Zhejiang took their mid-term exam –a teacher-free exam. After handing out the exam papers, the teachers left the classroom, leaving the students to take the exam without being watched. They only came back to collect the papers at the end.
A Tomato Fight Do you want a tomato shower? Come to the “tomato fight” in Spain! Once every year, people in the town of Bunol throw tomatoes at each other. Don’t worry. It’s not a real fight. People do this only for fun.
1. APEC Blue refers to _____ in Beijing during the APEC meeting.| A．the factories | B．the clear blue sky |
| C．the people | D．the cars on the road |
| A．drinking | B．smoking |
| C．eating food | D．selling goods |
| A．at the end of the term | B．outside the classroom |
| C．without giving answers | D．without being watched |
| A．to have fun | B．to enjoy dinner |
| C．to take a shower | D．to start a fight |
