CNED Terminale Anglais: Blockchain-Based Citizenship PDF

SÉQUENCE 1 : BLOCKCHAIN-BASED CITIZENSHIP CORRECTION Part 1 Activity 1 3. Script “Welcome to the Internet of Sovereignty”, Bitnation Pangea, September 2017 - 2’07 Before nations, before borders, there was the Pangea super continent. Since then, the world has been divided by tectonic shifts, wide...

SÉQUENCE 1 : BLOCKCHAIN-BASED CITIZENSHIP CORRECTION Part 1 Activity 1 3. Script “Welcome to the Internet of Sovereignty”, Bitnation Pangea, September 2017 - 2’07 Before nations, before borders, there was the Pangea super continent. Since then, the world has been divided by tectonic shifts, widening oceans and stifling politics. Nation states are crumbling under the weight of local and global challenges that they seem incapable of solving. Rather than embracing a borderless world and increasing personal freedoms, governments and multilateral organizations have overseen a surge in bureaucracy, protectionism and ever greater intrusions into our personal lives. To prevent a drift towards tyranny, we need drastic change. Pangea is Bitnation’s decentralized jurisdiction platform. Using Pangea, you can build voluntary nations, agree contracts, and resolve disputes with other citizens, and access the services you need. This is our vision of jurisdiction as a service, a global market for government services. The Pangea Arbitration Token, or PAT, in an Ethereum based in-app token that powers the Pangea platform. When you create a contract, complete a contract, or resolve a dispute on Pangea, you receive non-tradeable reputation tokens through Lucy our AI bot. Accumulating reputation tokens earns you tradeable PAT tokens. This ensures that you can’t buy a good reputation, or acquire a true popularity, but if you earn one, you will be rewarded. Imagine a world where people can freely choose which voluntary nations and jurisdictions, they want to be part of. A world where voluntary nations offer a choice of services under their own laws and policies, and compete for citizens in a free market that rewards good governance. You too can be part of the future of governance by joining the Pangea token sale. Welcome to the internet of sovereignty. Welcome to Pangea. 4. Questions de compréhension orale Voici un exemple de ce que vous auriez pu répondre. a) Pour s’inscrire dans l’histoire du monde, à quoi fait référence cette vidéo de Bitnation ? Dans la vidéo, Bitnation inscrit sa naissance dans l’histoire de la planète Terre en faisant référence à la tectonique des plaques, et à l’existence d’un super continent avant la séparation des continents. La vidéo fait un parallèle entre ce mouvement tectonique et les frontières entre les états, ainsi que la politique. b) Quels services sont proposés par la Bitnation ? Bitnation permet de signer des contrats, de résoudre des désaccords entre ses citoyens et d’accéder à tous les services classiques offerts par un Etat. c) Bitnation se pose comme une solution à certains problèmes actuels, lesquels ? Dans cette vidéo, Bitnation se présente comme le remède contre la bureaucratie, le protectionnisme et la diminution toujours plus grande des libertés individuelles. CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS 1 d) Comment Bitnation propose-t-elle de lutter contre les fausses réputations ? Pour assurer la bonne réputation des parties, Bitnation utilise un système de jetons (PAT) que l’on ne peut pas falsifier, grâce à la technologie de chaîne de blocs. De cette façon, on ne peut pas acheter une bonne réputation, on peut seulement l’acquérir avec le temps à travers des transactions certifiées. On ne peut pas tricher avec la chaîne de blocs. e) La vidéo peut être divisée en plusieurs parties. Pouvez-vous les décrire ? Pourquoi cette séparation ? Comment s’illustre-telle ? La vidéo est clairement divisée en deux parties. La musique et la nature des images indiquent un changement radical. Dans la première partie, la vidéo présente une vision très négative du mode de gouvernance actuel : images effrayantes avec des scènes d’incendies, de bataille etc, ainsi qu’une musique typique des films catastrophe. Au contraire, dans la deuxième partie, la musique est douce, les images sont positives. Cette opposition sert à appuyer le message de la voix off qui nous présente Bitnation comme une solution idéale aux problèmes politiques du monde contemporain. f) Comment qualifieriez-vous le point de vue exposé dans cette vidéo ? Cette vidéo est éminemment subjective. Elle montre une vision manichéenne (tout est noir ou blanc) et même un peu simpliste dans laquelle Bitnation est la solution miracle. L’objectif de cette vidéo est d’attirer de nouveaux citoyens virtuels, on y présente donc Bitnation sous un jour positif, comme dans une publicité, ou dans des documents de propagande. Il est intéressant de noter que la vidéo ne mentionne quasiment pas la technologie de chaîne de blocs qui pourrait faire peur à certaines personnes et en rebuter d’autres. Le message est simplifié au maximum pour être convaincant et facile à mémoriser. 5. Vocabulary and pronunciation 1E – 2A – 3D - 4C – 5F – 6G – 7B A B Tectonic shifts Movements of plates To stifle To suffocate, to suppress To crumble To collapse To embrace To accept Drastic Severe, dramatic A surge A sudden increase To oversee To supervise In order to memorize these new words, write a few sentences using them. Fun fact: how many times do you reckon your brain needs to be exposed to a new word to remember it? Find the answer in an article on: https://www.thoughtco.com by searching for “Exposures to Learn New Words”. Are you surprised by the answer? Now you know why it is important to practice! 6. Sum it Up! Not all answers will be the same. Here is an example: Virtual nations are created by groups of people who are unhappy about current political institutions. They agree on a common goal of achieving a better way of life, using a model of government more suited 2 CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS towards their beliefs. They are called “virtual” because they have no physical territorial boundaries, and they are based on a new technology called “blockchain” which allows to certify transactions through the Internet. Bitnation is one of the most famous virtual nations. They want to fight bureaucracy, protectionism and intrusion into their personal lives. Activity 2 3. Answer the following questions a) According to Susanne Templehof, what is the main issue refugees are facing? She says that their main problem is that they can’t prove their identity. b) What does Bitnation offer refugees to help them? Bitnation offers them a digital identity and a visa card based on blockchain technology. This technology makes digital identity unforgeable. c) What concrete form does this take? This digital identity is stored in a QR code that refugees can show on their cellphones. d) What other Bitnation service does S. Templehof develop in this paper? What are the upsides and downsides of this service through Bitnation as opposed to a regular State? What funny example does she give? She mentions marriage. The upside of getting married on the blockchain is that you can marry anyone, even if in your country same-sex marriage is illegal for example. She says you can even marry your cat – in theory – which is a rather funny thing to imagine. The main downside is that, because Blockchain technology is so immutable, you cannot get a divorce. That is why she recommends short-term marriages that you can choose to renew. e) Quoting the exact words from the text, how does S. Templehof define borders? She says they are “the most criminal parts of our existing legacy system”. To her, borders are “a problem” in our society. 4. Vocabulary & morphology a) What does “outcompete” mean in the following paragraph? More generally, the project aims for mass adoption to eventually “outcompete governments by providing the same services cheaper and better through the blockchain”. □ Finish up Be more successful than □ Be as good as b) Observe the verb “outcompete”. How is it built? Outcompete, sometimes written out-compete, is built of the prefix “out” and the verb “compete”. c) Can you think of other verbs with a similar construction? Similar verbs: outcast, outlaw, outweigh, outwork, outstay … There are many examples, I am sure you have found others! Check what they mean. They all have in common the notion of “more than” carried by the prefix “out”. Choose three verbs, and use them in three different sentences. Challenge: can you write a short paragraph (no more than 5 sentences) making sense, and using at least three of these verbs? CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS 3 5. Direct/Indirect speech a) Which one is in direct speech and which one is in indirect speech? How can you tell the difference? Extract 1 is in direct speech. Extract 2 is in indirect speech. The easiest way to see the difference is the quotation marks. When we look more closely, we can also see that there are differences in verbs and pronouns. b) Write each extract in the opposite type of speech. Direct speech → indirect speech and vice-versa. S. Templehof said that just because we were born in one area, we had to use one service provider. That is absurd to her. She considers it as absurd as only being allowed to visit one single website because you were born in a certain geographical area. “However, the intrinsic immutability of Blockchain systems means it can be very hard to get a divorce,” she warned. “I’d recommend short term marriage contracts of four or five years at a time,” she suggested. c) Why or when is direct/indirect speech used in this particular text? In general? The article is based on an interview. The journalist chose not to transcribe the whole conversation, which may have been a bit lengthy and boring, but to quote only certain parts of the interview. Most of what the interviewee said is summed up, to make the article shorter and more pleasant to read. Adding a few quotes in direct speech adds authenticity to the text. It lets us hear the voice of the interviewee. The reader then knows how S. Templehof speaks, it makes the article livelier. The journalist therefore chose a clever mix of direct and indirect speech to give the perfect balance to the style of his final article, using the advantages of each type of speech. In general, indirect speech is considered as more elegant, more refined. Keep this in mind when you have to write an essay for school! 6. Developing critical thinking skills Many additional questions could have been asked. Here are a few, just to give you an idea. Check the construction of the questions you wrote (Petite Grammaire Anglaise p74-79, « Enoncés interrogatifs ».). – How did you come up with the idea of a virtual nation based on the blockchain? – How do you expect refugees to own cellphones if they can’t even carry identification papers? – You seem to view borders as an issue. Don’t you think they are also a solution? Don’t they guarantee peace between nations? – If I become a Bitnation citizen, can I keep my French/American citizenship? Are they compatible? – When travelling abroad, can anyone show a Bitnation passport to cross borders? Do all customs recognize this form of identity? – Are all citizens equal in Bitnation? – Is there a Bitnation constitution to guarantee citizens have rights? 4 CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS Activity 3 2. Grille d’auto-évaluation de la présentation orale d’une image J’ai réussi à ☺ 😐 ☹ Conseils à moi-même pour la prochaine fois Contenu Parler environ 5 minutes. Commencer par identifier la nature du document. Ici : A recent colour photo Décrire les éléments les plus évidents de l’image. Localiser ce que je décris dans l’espace en utilisant “on the right, in the middle, in the background …” Après avoir décrit ce qui est évident, exprimer l’implicite : quels choix ont été faits et pourquoi ? Que veut nous montrer ce document ? Quelle(s) question(s) pose-t-il ? Formuler une conclusion Langue Parler sans faire de longues pauses (de courtes hésitations sont tout à fait naturelles) Quand un mot ne me vient pas, je reformule ou je recommence ma phrase autrement. Je ne parle jamais français. Utiliser une variété de tournures pour commencer mes phrases : « there is…, we can see……, what strikes me is that …» Varier le vocabulaire en évitant les mots trop communs comme « good, bad etc ». Je montre que je connais du vocabulaire. Faire attention à la grammaire (accorder les verbes par exemple : he gives …) Faire attention à mon accent (prononciation de chaque mot, mais aussi intonation de la phrase) Elocution Parler clairement (articuler) Parler à un rythme naturel et constant, ni trop rapide, ni trop lent. Parler suffisamment fort, mais pas trop. Avoir une voix dynamique, et non ennuyeuse. CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS 5 3. Vocabulary 1B – 2C – 3D – 4F – 5A – 6E A B Astonished Feeling or showing great surprise or wonder. Dumbfounded To be confounded briefly with astonishment. Goggle-eyed Having bulging or rolling eyes in surprise. Startled To be frightened or surprised suddenly and usually not seriously. Surprised Feeling or showing surprise because of something unexpected. Taken aback To be surprised (usually in an unpleasant way) Don’t forget to check the pronunciation of new words. 4. “A penny for your thoughts!” Quelle est la différence entre ces deux énoncés ? Observez et complétez le tableau : What does he think? I wonder what he thinks. Exemple What does he think? I wonder what he thinks. Type de question Directe indirecte Ponctuation finale ?. Ordre des mots (sujet/verbe) Verbe – sujet Sujet - verbe Style plus recherché, plus Intérêt/usage Donne plus de vie à un énoncé. élégant. Pour approfondir ce point grammatical, et vous entraîner, visitez le site BBC Learning English, Unit 21 – Session 2 https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/lower-intermediate/unit-21/session-2 Les questions indirectes sont très utiles dans les introductions (à l’écrit comme à l’oral) pour exprimer la question centrale (problématique) d’une manière élégante. Activity 4 - Use what you have learnt 1. Recap All answers will be different. Here is an example: Some people lament that younger generations are less interested in politics, rarely vote or engage in active citizenship, yet I believe they fail to see that civic participation is only shifting to a new space. Thanks to new technologies, such as the blockchain, people are creating virtual nations that satisfy them more than traditional governments. With the blockchain, people can find new ways to spontaneously organize and coordinate themselves into transnational ‘cloud communities.’ Some even offer virtual IDs to refugees, which shows it is not only about individualism. 6 CNED TERMINALE ANGLAIS