Read the text and answer the questions that follow.

Sweden's Parliament narrowly approved a contentious law Wednesday that gives authorities sweeping powers to eavesdrop on all e-mail and telephone traffic that crosses the Nordic nation's borders. The right-leaning government's slim majority helped secure 143-138 approval, despite strong opposition from left-leaning parties led by Social Democrats. Supporters argued the law - which takes effect in January - will provide a level of security against potential terrorists plotting attacks. But critics have slammed it as an invasion of privacy and an infringement on civil liberties. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Parliament Wednesday, some handing out copies of George Orwell's famed "1984," dealing  with a fictional police state.

 

The new powers will give Swedish defense officials the right to scan international phone calls, e-mails and faxes for sensitive keywords without a court order. The companies Swedish telecom Telia Sonera AB and Google Inc. and have called the measure the most far-reaching eavesdropping plan in Europe, comparable to a U.S. government program. After the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush granted intelligence officers the power to monitor without court approval, international calls and e-mails between people in the United States and suspected terrorists overseas. The Protect America Act, passed last July, extended that authority, but it expired Feb. 15 and a replacement law is being debated.

The Swedish government rejects claims the law will give it unlimited powers to spy on its own citizens and maintains it will filter out domestic communications and is interested only in international traffic.

Four ruling coalition lawmakers forced additions to the bill, hoping the measures would protect individual privacy. But critics said the changes, which included monitoring by independent institutions, don't alter the fundamental problems with the law. "This is just as absurd as before," said Per Strom of The New Welfare Foundation think tank. "It will still create a society characterized by self-censorship and anxiety. "The European Federation of Journalists argued that electronic monitoring of phone and e-mail communications contravenes international and European legal standards.

1. The new Swedish law is ____________________.

A. seen as a good thing by everyone.

B. the brainchild of the ruling Social Democrats.

C. causing a lot of controversy.

What's the things that opponents of the law are worried about?

A. Illegal immigration

B. The loss of privacy

C. The lack of communication between political parties

3. The new law gives Swedish government officials the right to monitor:

A. local phone calls.

B. Swedish citizens living abroad.

C. international phone calls.

Who will oversee the process to make sure that individual privacy is protected?

A. Independent organizations

B. A special government organization

C. No one

According to the article, do any other countries in Europe have similar eavesdropping laws?

A. Yes

B. No

C. The article doesn't say

Answer key. 1. C    2. B 3. C 4. A 5. B  

Тест 8.

Cracking down on illegal hiring in the UK

Read the text and for questions 1-5 choose the most appropriate answer (A, B, or C).

Companies that employ illegal immigrants are to be named and shamed in a further attempt to crack down on people smuggling. The move by the Home Office comes four months after officials launched a concerted effort to identify and prosecute companies breaking the law. More than 200 companies have already been fined for hiring illegal labour. The Home Office says names of companies and directors are to be published on the UK Border Agency website. The agency will publish how many illegal immigrants the company was employing and how much it was fined.
By May this year there had been 137 prosecutions under the new rules leading to fines totalling £500,000 - almost £3,000 per firm. The total number of prosecutions

was 10 times more than were carried out in 2007, and double the total for the

previous decade.
Immigration chiefs are also switching their focus from small-time illegal employers, such as takeaway restaurants, in an effort to uncover so-called "Mr Bigs" - major organised criminal enterprises supplying illegal labour, often relying on international networks to smuggle people into the UK.

Some 7,500 immigration officers will be re-organised into more localised teams with police and customs officials in an effort to better target what the Home Office says are illegal working hotspots. These could include areas of the economy where there is a high demand for labour including agriculture, construction and hospitality. Nobody knows how many people are working without permission in the UK - although estimates put the number of illegal residents at more than 500,000.
Trade union leaders have also raised concerns about the government's strategy, arguing that it could drive the worst employers further underground, penalising exceptionally poor workers unable to break out of a situation they did not necessarily choose.