Internet: The information age - Part 2

Internet: The information age - Part 2 - audio    Aulas Online in Sorocaba com o professor Fúvio mais informações visite www.inglesvip.xpg.com.br

  

 

1. Computer experts began to greatly expand the Internet system in the last years of the nineteen eighties. This expansion was called the World Wide Web. It permits computer users to easily search for information using software called a browser.

2. How fast is the World Wide Web part of the Internet system? Here is an example. A computer user in London, England is seeking information about volcanoes in the American state of Hawaii. She types in the words "Hawaii" and "volcano" in a search engine, such as Google.

3. The computer produces a list within seconds. She chooses to examine information from the National Park Service's headquarters at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The Park Service computer in Hawaii provides information about the huge volcanoes there, and how they were formed. It also has other useful information.

4. The researcher in London looks at the information on her computer. Then she prints a copy of it. Within seconds she has a copy of the National Park information including pictures. It has taken her less than five minutes to complete this research.

5. Who pays for the Internet? That is not easy to explain. Each network, small or large, pays for itself. Networks decide how much their members will pay for their part of the cost of the local service connecting time. Then all of the large networks decide how much each will pay to be part of the larger network that covers a major area of the country.

6. The area network in turn pays the national network for the service it needs. Each person who has a computer at home pays a company that lets the computer connect to the Internet. These companies are called Internet service providers.

7. ISP's charge about twenty dollars a month for a slow dial-up connection to the Internet. A computer user with a high-speed wireless connection pays at least forty dollars a month. Wireless connections generally link computers to the Internet with a special technological device called a router.

8. The United States used to have the largest number of Internet users in the world. However, in April, the USA Today newspaper reported that China now has the largest number of people using the Internet. Estimates from a Chinese research group said more than two hundred twenty million people in China were using the Internet as of February. That is about seventeen percent of the Chinese population.

9. The newspaper said the United States had two hundred sixteen million Internet users at the end of last year. That is seventy-one percent of the population. The Internet World Statistics Web site notes several other countries where more than sixty percent of the people use the Internet. They include Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia and South Korea.

10. Studies have shown that people use the Internet for communication and for research. Much of that research leads to buying products on the Internet. More peoplethan ever are now using the computer for e-commerce – to buy and sell products electronically.

11. Some governments, private groups and individuals have criticized the Internet. Some governments do not trust the Internet because they say it is difficult to control the information that is placed there.

12. Some government officials say extremist groups place harmful information on the Internet. They say dangerous political information should be banned. Other groups say it is difficult to protect children from sexual information and pictures placed on the Internet. They say this kind of information should be banned.

13. Other critics say that it is becoming extremely difficult to know if you can trust the information that is found on the Internet. They wonder if the information is correct.Still other critics say the Internet is no longer a free exchange of information and ideas. They say it has become a big business that sells products, services and information. They want the Internet to be used only for research and education.

14. Next week we will examine some new technologies that have developed with the help of the Internet. Many of these technologies are being used in education.

This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.

And I'm Barbara Klein. Our programs are online with pictures, transcripts and MP3s at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. 

Vocabulary

1. About = aproximadamente
2. also = também
3. at least = pelo menos
4. banned = proibido(a)
5. becoming = tornando-se
6. Began = começaram
7. being = sendo
8. browser = navegador
9. Called = chamado(a)
10. charge = cobram
11. children = crianças
12. chooses = escolhe
13. cost = custo
14. covers = cobre
15. criticized = criticado
16. dangerous = perigoso
17. dial-up connection = conexão discada
18. Each = cada
19. exchange = troca, intercâmbio
20. explain = explicar
21. found = encontrado(a)
22. Greatly = enormemente
23. harmful = prejudicial
24. have shown = tem mostrado
25. headquarters = sede,matriz
26. how much = quanto
27. However = contudo
28. huge = imenso
29. in turn = por sua vez
30. is no longer = não é mais
31. kind = tipo
32. larger = maior
33. leads to = leva a, conduz a
34. less than = menos de
35. lets = deixa, permite
36. looks at = olha para
37. major = importante
38. Pays= paga
39. pictures = fotos
40. placed = colocado(a)
41. prints = imprime
42. providers = provedores
43. provides = fornece
44. Reported = noticiou
45. researcher = pesquisador
46. router = roteador
47. search engine = motor de busca
48. search for = buscar por
49. seeking = procurando
50. Several = diversos, vários
51. should = deveria
52. slow = lento(a)
53. Still = ainda, ainda assim
54. such as = tal como
55. taken = levou (tempo)
56. than ever = do que nunca
57. trust = confiar
58. used to have = costumava ter
59. useful = útil
60. Users = usuários
61. volcanoes = vulcões
62. wireless = sem cabo, sem fio
63. within = dentro de
64. wonder = questionam