Read An Article from the BBC With Me! B1 Reading Exercise (FREE LESSON PDF)

Welcome back to JForrest English. I'm Jennifer.

And today, we're.

Going to read a news article  together so you can improve your.

Fluency in English.

Let's get started.

1st I'll read.

The headline TikTok allows Europe to access  research software with ion EU online content.

Rules first, let's.

Talk about this with Ion. That might sound.

A little odd.

This is an idiom in English.

Now, grammatically, the idiom is with an eye  on something. Notice the difference here they.

Left out the.

Article This is commonly  done in headlines of news.

Articles because they always try to be short.

And concise.

And.

It's easy to.

Omit an article, but grammatically.

It is required.

It's just an acceptable thing to.

Do specifically with.

Headlines of news.

Articles with.

An eye on something. This is an idiom, and this  means to be focused on a particular thing or area.

So here with.

An eye on EU online content  rules. European Union, That's.

EU, so Tiktok allows researchers  to access the research software.

But they're accessing this software.

Or Tiktok is.

Allowing them to.

Do so only.

Focused on.

This specific.

Area online content rules because there are many.

Other.

Areas within this.

Research software, but the researchers? The EU.

Researchers won't have access to all of that.  

They'll only have access to  the online content rules.

Because that's what.

With an eye on means don't worry about  writing down the information because I've.

Created a free.

Lesson PDF so you can look in the description  for the link to download that. Let's continue.

TikTok on Thursday opened up its.

Research software.

When you open up something to  someone, it means you make it.

Available so here they.

Opened up what? Did they open up the something?

Is the research software to.

Someone in this?

Case researchers, people.

Who conduct?

Research so to.

Open up.

To open up something to someone means to make  it available now. In this case, you must.

Use the phrasal.

Verb open up. You can't just say  to open something to someone. It's  

open up. So I might say I'm going to  open up my analytics to this company.

I'm going to.

Make it available.

And you do that when whatever you're opening  up is not available to the general public,  

so normally that person would not have access.

To.

My analytics, but I'm opening it up to them.

So.

Here opened up.

It's research software to researchers.

In Europe.

Ahead of.

New EU?

Rules.

So they're making this available  information that normally wouldn't.

Be available.

Because soon that is going to.

Be a rule.

But notice.

Here they said ahead of.

And that's.

Why? I said.

Soon is going to be a.

Rule.

Because right now, currently, it  isn't because they're opening up.

The software ahead of.

Ahead of means before something happens.

Ahead of.

So in this case.

Before the rule.

Comes into effect before I notice you need.

Ahead of, Ahead of.

You may already know the expression to be.

Ahead of schedule.

So you have this.

Schedule of.

All the things that you need to do.

And if you're ahead of schedule, it means you're  completing the items faster than you anticipated.

But if you're.

Behind schedule?

It's.

The opposite, you're completing items  slower than anticipated, but notice.

Ahead of.

Schedule but behind schedule, so  we only need that preposition of.

With a head ahead of.

Schedule behind schedule.

Ahead of new EU?

Rules.

Requiring big.

Tech. Big. Tech refers to the big.

Technology companies such as.

TikTok, Google, Facebook, Which?

Is actually owned by Meta and Twitter  and other big tech companies as well  

to do more to police online content.

So notice.

Here police is.

Being used as a verb.

To police.

You're probably more familiar with it as a noun I.

Saw a police officer. There's  the police, but here it's.

A verb, technically.

The police, police. That's  what they do, they police.

So that's the verb.

To police.

TikTok owned by Chinese technology conglomerate.

A conglomerate is 1 company  that owns many other companies,  

and usually they're smaller companies.  So this one company is made-up of smaller  

companies and those smaller companies can be  completely unrelated to one another one could.

Sell.

Vacuums and another.

Could be a social.

Media platform. They're.

Totally.

Different, but they're owned  by the same one company.

So bite.

Dance is the one company that owns many  other companies, one of those being TikTok  

is one of 19 online platforms and search engines.

Subject to.

Tougher requirements.

So here subject to.

Subject.

You're probably familiar with.

This as a noun.

1.

Subject you studied.

In school is likely English or maybe.

A subject.

You didn't like in school?

Was history or?

Math.

Or English for.

Example that's.

A subject? A school subject.

In this case it's.

A verb because.

These online platforms and search engines.

Are subject.

To tougher requirements.

When you're subject to  something, it means that that.

Is.

Forced upon you as an obligation, for example.

Cars are subject to, subject  to. This is our verb, subject.

To something to belongs to the expression  subject to a high domestic tax.

So the cars receive that as an obligation. They  

have to follow that they don't  have any choice in the manner.

So they're subject to tougher.

Requirements that will kick  in from August. Kick in means.

To be activated, so these.

Tougher requirements will be activated.

Which is a.

Fancier way of simply saying.

Start. They'll start.

From August, so starting from  August, the online platforms.

Will be subject to tougher.

Requirements So kick in to be activated or simply  to start when something starts, that's kick in.

We use this.

The phrasal verb to.

Kick in we.

Use it quite.

A lot and how you might.

Use it is.

Let's say I have an A headache and I take Tylenol.

Which is a pill to help with a headache.

It's a brand in North America at least,  and I say I hope my Tylenol kicks in soon.

If I could spell that correctly, oh, capital T.

I hope my Tylenol kicks in soon. I hope the  medicine in the Tylenol is activated soon. I.

Hope it starts.

Working soon? Oh, I hope my Tylenol kicks in  soon, So we frequently use this with any sort of  

treatment that you're taking to say.

I hope it.

Starts soon.

So it will kick in from August under.

The digital services.

Act.

So this is.

The act that will become a new law and once.

That is a.

Law These online platforms  including Tick Tock will be.

Subject to these tougher.

Requirements, and that's why they're opening up.

Their research software ahead of.

These new.

Rules.

They know it's coming soon, so why  not just do it now? I guess is there?

Their thought process?

Around that, the company said.

It was still.

Waiting for the European Commission.

To set out.

Technical conditions for the  Application Programming Interface.

API.

Let's take a look at this phrasal verb set out.

When you set something out, in  this case the technical conditions.

For the application.

Programming Interface API,  it simply means that you.

Provide a clear.

Explanation or you?

Provide all the details.

Needed.

So what are?

These conditions.

Tick Tock and the other.

Big.

Tech companies, they need to know exactly what  the conditions are so they can make sure they're  

meeting the new requirements. So the European  Commission needs to set them out. They need to be.

Very clear about.

Those requirements.

Set out technical conditions.

For the application.

Programming interface API for  accessing its data but decided.

To go ahead.

Anyway, so here.

To go ahead.

When you.

Go ahead with.

Something you simply.

Proceed with it. You proceed  to do it, so you proceed.

This is very commonly used in a work context.

Your boss or a coworker?

Or anyone could?

Say please go.

Ahead and e-mail the client.

So you could simply say please.

E-mail the client. But when you.

Say please.

Go ahead and e-mail the client.

It simply means that we've discussed this  before and now I'm giving you permission.

To do this.

Action. So I'm giving you permission to.

Proceed. Oh, please go ahead.

And do this is also commonly used.

With please go ahead with but because with is a.

Preposition. Your verb needs to be  in the gerund form, the ING form.

So it could be. Please go ahead with.

Emailing the client, there's no  difference in these two sentences.  

It's simply the sentence structure that's  different. They have the same meaning,  

but just notice the difference  in the sentence structure.

So they decided to go ahead anyway.  They decided to proceed with opening.

Up their.

What did they open up?

Their research software was that.

It they opened.

Up yet? The research software.

They made it.

Available to the researchers.

TikTok is proactively rolling out.

Is research API.

When you roll something out.

It means you make something available.

For the first.

Time and by saying proactively, when you  do something proactively it means you.

Do it before you're required  to do it. So let's say.

You know.

There's a.

Deadline in two.

Weeks, but you could just proactively.

Do the task now and then when your boss asks you.

Oh.

We need to make sure.

We do this.

Soon.

You can say.

Oh, I already.

Did it. Your boss will be  very impressed. Wow. I'm.

Impressed you proactively did it.

So they're making.

This available.

For the first time, they're rolling it  out and they're doing it proactively.

Before they.

Have to TikTok is proactively rolling out its.

Research API ahead of further.

Technical guidance.

So remember, the European  Commission still needs to.

Set out those.

Technical conditions. They still  need to explain them or provide.

The details.

Of them, but TikTok is rolling it out anyway.

Ahead of further.

Technical guidance and  launching a commercial content.

Library ahead of.

DSA compliance deadline.

Launching. When you launch something, it  also means that you make something available.

For the first.

Time make something available or  something starts. So if you launch  

a business, that business starts make  something available or when something.

Starts so it.

Could be the sense that this commercial  content library if they're launching it.

They're.

Starting that initiative, but at the  same time they're also making it.

Available so it.

Means the same thing in this context,  but when you launch a business,  

it means you're starting a business, not  that you're making a business available.

But I guess.

You are making.

Your services available to the public.

So in a.

Way it still works for both.

So they're launching a commercial content library.

Ahead of before.

The DSA compliance deadline compliance.  This comes from the verb to comply,  

and when you comply, it means you.

Follow the official.

Rules and regulations, so compliance deadline.

This is the.

Deadline The date that they have to comply.

With.

The.

Rules and regulations and the  rules are in, regulations are.

Set out, set out.

In this DSA, so they have to comply.

With the DSA, so I'll write that out for you.

To comply with something.

This is to follow the rules the.

Regulations or simply?

The law.

The social media app said in a statement.

So TikTok released this to the public.

To let the public know.

Why they were?

Rolling out.

This research API all researchers will.

Need to have their own TikTok.

For developers.

Account and be located in the United.

States or.

Europe to access.

Our research API.

Now this.

Is because.

They're only opening up.

Their research API to specific people.

And those specific.

People are the researchers.

In the United.

States.

And Europe? The company released  an initial version of its.

Research AP.

I.

To academic researchers.

In the United.

States earlier this year.

An initial version. This is the first version.  So when you say, oh, this is the initial.

Report it's either the 1st.

Port report in a series.

Of reports or.

It can also mean it's the.

First draft.

And you?

Expect that there will be other drafts, other.

Versions because when you launch  something, when you make it available.

Generally you make changes  to it based on feedback.

So that's why this.

Is probably the initial version suggesting.

There will be.

Future versions as well. So  you can think of initial as.

The first the 1st.

In a series.

We use this when you're thinking of  different ideas, you can say, oh, my initial.

Idea was to.

Go on vacation to Spain.

That was your first idea, but.

Then I did.

Some research.

And I decided.

To go to.

Morocco instead. So my initial idea,  my first idea, TikTok on Thursday.

Also allowed researchers.

Access to its commercial content.

API to comply.

With DSA rules. So this is where  we saw it before, but it was.

As the noun form compliance, compliance.

So here to comply with.

To follow the.

Rules and regulations.

Of this DSA.

To comply with.

DSA rules.

On transparency on paid advertising,  the company opened up its database,  

made it available, but remember simply.

Two specific people.

Made it available.

Opened up its database with information  about paid ads and ad metadata all right.

Kind of a.

Technical.

Article. Don't worry.

About some of these technical terms like  API, focus on the new vocabulary you have,  

and now you can also focus on my pronunciation.

Because what I'll do is  I'll go to the start of the.

Article and I'll read it from  start to finish so you can.

Specifically, focus.

On my pronunciation. Let's do  that now. TikTok allows Europe to.

Access Research software.

With Ion EU.

Online content rules TikTok on Thursday.

Opened up its research software to researchers.

In Europe ahead of new EU.

Rules.

Requiring big tech to do more to police  online content, TikTok, owned by Chinese  

technology conglomerate Bite Dance, is one  of 19 online platforms and search engines.

Subject to tougher.

Requirements that will kick in from August.

Under the Digital Services Act, DSA.

The company.

Said it was.

Still waiting for the European  Commission to set out technical  

conditions for the Application Programming  Interface API for accessing its data.

But decided.

To go ahead anyway, Tik.

T.O.K is proactively.

Rolling out.

Its research API ahead of further.

Technical guidance and launching  a commercial content library.

Ahead of the DS.

A compliance deadline, the social  media app said in a statement.

All.

Researchers will need to have their own TIK.

T.O.K for developers.

Account and be located in the United.

States or Europe?

To access.

Our research API.

The company released an initial version of its.

Research API to academic.

Researchers in the United States.

Earlier this year.

TikTok on.

Thursday also allowed researchers access.

To its commercial content API to comply with.

DSA rules on.

Transparency on paid  advertising, the company opened.

Up its database.

With information about paid ads and ad metadata.

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