Doomscrolling - Page 40

C2 Proficiency · Open Cloze · Ready for C2 Proficiency Workbook, Macmillan

For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word in each space. There is an example at the beginning.

You know the feeling. You absent-mindedly grab your phone to scroll (0) ___ the day's news, but every story seems to be about how the world is going to the dogs. As you keep reading in the vain (1) ___ of finding nuggets of good news among the endless reports of war, crime, disease and climate crisis, you spiral deeper (2) ___ despair. Before you know it, you're unable to tear (3) ___ away from the constant stream of doom-filled news. The term 'doomscrolling' appears to (4) ___ been coined around 2018, but (5) ___ was during the pandemic of the early 2020s that it really took off, as people with too much time (6) ___ their hands took to social media to keep track of the unfolding crisis and find out if their lives would ever return to normal. Recent research suggests that doomscrolling is harmful to our mental and physical health, exacerbating stress, anxiety and other problems. Around 16.5% of respondents admitted to (7) ___ severely impacted by overconsumption of bad news, (8) ___ a further 27.3% reporting moderately problematic behaviour.

Doomscrolling

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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