OPTION A - FORMULA ONE
Who would not like to drive a super-car and get to experience extreme speed? Formula One cars are the fastest regulated racing cars in the world. They can go around a corner or bend in the road at very high speeds through the generation of large amounts of aerodynamic downforce. These cars underwent major changes in 2.017, which allowed wider front and rear wings, and wider tyres. Traction control and automatic shifting, plus other electronic driving aids, were first banned in 1.994. Yet, Formula One can trace its roots back to the earliest days of motor racing, and emerged from the buoyant European racing scene of the inter-war years.
Plans for a Formula One drivers' championship were discussed in the late 1930s but were shelved with the onset of World War Two. The formula in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and cars must comply and was originally known as Formula A.
A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, which take place worldwide on both purpose-built circuits and closed public roads. A points system is used at Grands Prix to determine two annual World Championships: one for drivers, the other for constructors. Each driver must hold a valid Super Licence, the highest class of racing licence issued by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; English: International Automobile Federation). To the general public, the FIA is mostly known as the governing body for many auto racing events such as Formula One. The FIA also promotes road safety around the world.
EXERCISE A.1: Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (2 points)
a) In the motor racing sphere, Formula A was the name given originally to the Formula One drivers' championship.
b) The only function of the International Automobile Federation is to organize and regulate auto racing events.
EXERCISE A.2: Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words. (2 points)
a) Is it true that in Formula One all kinds of driving aids and driving licenses are permitted?
b) How can a Formula One season be described?
EXERCISE A.3: Find words or phrases in the text which mean the same as the following: (1 point)
a) experienced
b) arose, originated
c) outbreak, commencement
d) advocates, encourages
EXERCISE A.4: Complete the second sentence in each pair. The meaning should be the same as that of the first sentence. (2 points)
a) "Traction control was prohibited in 1.994", the engineer said. The engineer claimed that (...)
b) Plans for a Formula One drivers' championship were abandoned at the beginning of WW2, but the FIA had been discussing them for a long time. Although (...)
c) The French driver did not hold a Super Licence, so he was unable to participate. If the French driver (...)
d) FIA officials examined the new Ferrari in wonder. The (...)
EXERCISE A.5: Write a text giving your views on dangerous driving and the appropriate penalties. Justify your opinion (100-140 words). (3 points)

OPTION B - CYBERCRIME
Interested in becoming an expert in the scientific study of crime and criminals? If you are, welcome to the world of criminology! Although this science arose a long time ago, in the mid-18th century, when social philosophers decided to give thought to crime and concepts of law, they could hardly have imagined that three centuries later criminologists would be studying something called cybercrime. In these modern times, people may use computers as an instrument to further illegal ends, such as committing fraud, trafficking in child pornography, stealing identities, or violating privacy. Cybercrime, especially through the Internet, has grown in importance as commerce, entertainment, and even government have become more and more dependent on the computer. At first, because of the early and widespread adoption of computers and the Internet in the United States, most of the earliest victims and villains of cybercrime were Americans. Later, 22 years into the 21st century, hardly a firm, town or home remains in the world that has not been touched by cybercrime.
Ransomware and phishing are examples of the new forms of crime covered by cybercrime. The former is a type of malware from cryptovirology that threatens to publish the victim's personal data or perpetually block access to it unless a ransom is paid.
Phishing is a cybercrime in which targets are contacted by email, telephone or text message by someone posing as a legitimate institution to lure individuals into providing sensitive data such as banking and credit card details, including passwords. The information is then used to access important accounts and can result in identity theft and financial loss.
EXERCISE B.1: Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer. (2 points)
a) Nowadays committing fraud or violating people's privacy is hardly ever carried out with computers.
b) The first cybercrime victims and gangsters came from the USA because the widespread use of computers and the Internet began there.
EXERCISE B.2: Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words. (2 points)
a) What has made cybercrime become one of the most important concerns of present-day criminology?
b) What are the typical objectives of ransomware and phishing?
EXERCISE B.3: Find words or phrases in the text which mean the same as the following: (1 point)
a) leisure, recreation
b) barely
c) disclose, circulate
d) supplying
EXERCISE B.4: Complete the second sentence in each pair. The meaning should be the same as that of the first sentence. (2 points)
a) Criminologists did not give thought to cybercrime until the 1990s. I wish (...)
b) Governments are more and more dependent on the computer, so cases of cybercrime are on the increase. If governments (...)
c) "Pay the ransom or we'll publish your personal data", the gangsters said to Paul. The gangsters warned Paul that (...)
d) I gave them my credit card details and they stole my identity. As (...)
EXERCISE B.5: Write an e-mail to a friend persuading him/her to be more careful with computer passwords and sharing personal information on the Net. Give reasons for your recommendation (100-140 words). (3 points)