LESSON
8
INTERNET
I.
Consider the
following questions
in the
group of
four.
A spokesperson will report on your discussion
to the whole group.
1. Why do you think the Internet is so popular with many people, especial-ly
young people?
2. Do you know how many users of the Internet
there are in
3. Do you remember when access to the Internet
was provided in Bela-rus?
4. Will the number of users of the Internet be
growing in
II.
Read the text
below and check its
comprehension.
Internet
The Internet is a computer-based
worldwide information network. The Internet is composed of a large number of
smaller interconnected networks called internets. These internets may connect
tens, hundreds, or thousands of computers, enabling them to share information
with each other and to share various resources, such as powerful supercomputers
and databases of information. The Internet has made it possible for people all
over the world to effectively and inexpensively communicate with each other.
Unlike traditional broadcasting media, such as radio and television, the
Internet is a decentralized system. Each connected individual can communicate
with anyone else on the Internet, can publish ideas, and can sell products with
a minimum overhead cost. In the future, the Internet may have a dramatic impact
on higher education and business as more universities offer courses and more
companies offer goods and services online.
Uses of the Internet
Individuals, companies, and
institutions use the Internet in many ways. Businesses use the Internet to
provide access to complex databases, such as financial databases. Companies can
carry out commerce online, including advertising, selling, buying, distributing
products and providing after-sales services. Businesses and institutions can
use the Internet for voice and video conferencing and other forms of
communication that allow people to telecommute, or work from a distance. The
use of electronic mail over the Internet has greatly speeded communication
between companies, among coworkers, and between other individuals. Media and
entertainment companies use the Internet to broadcast audio and video,
including live radio and television programs; to offer online chat, in which
people carry on discussions using written text; and to offer online news and
weather programs. Scientists and scholars use the Internet to communicate with
colleagues, to perform research, to distribute lecture notes and course
materials to students, and to publish papers and articles. Individuals use the
Internet for communication, entertainment, finding information, and to buy and
sell goods and services.
How the Internet Works
The Internet is based on the concept
of a client-server relationship bet-ween computers,
also called a client/server
architecture. In a client/server
architecture, some computers act as servers, or information providers, while
other computers act as clients, or information receivers. The client/server
architecture is not one-to-one—that is, a single client computer may access
many different servers, and a single server may be accessed by a number of
different client computers. Prior to the mid-1990s, servers were usually very
powerful computers such as mainframes or supercomputers, with extremely high
processing speeds and large amounts of memory. Personal computers and
workstations, however, are now capable of acting as Internet servers due to
advances in computing technology. A client computer is any computer that
receives information from a server and is often a personal computer.
To access information on the
Internet, a user must first log on, or connect, to the client computer’s host
network. A host network is a network that the client computer is part of, and
is usually a local area network (LAN). Once a connection has been established,
the user may request information from a remote server. If the information
requested by the user resides on one of the computers on the host network, that
information is quickly retrieved and sent to the user’s terminal. If the
information requested by the user is on a server that does not belong to the
host LAN, then the host network connects to other networks until it makes a
connection with the network containing the requested server. In the process of
connecting to other networks, the host may need to access a router, a device
that determines the best connection path between networks and helps networks to
make connections.
The Future of the Internet
A major challenge facing the
continued growth of the Internet is the difficulty of providing enough
bandwidth (the amount of data that a computer network can transmit.) to sustain
the network. As Internet applications become more sophisticated, and as more
people around the world use the Internet, the amount of information transmitted
across the Internet will demand very high bandwidth connections. While many
communications companies are attempting to develop higher bandwidth
technologies, it is not known whether the technology will be able to
satisfactorily keep up with demand.
Another important question facing Internet
growth is the issue of censorship. Because the Internet has grown so rapidly,
governments have been slow to regulate its use and to pass laws regarding what
content is acceptable.
Commercial use of the Internet is
sure to grow dramatically as more indi-viduals gain
access to it. It may be possible in the future to order nearly any goods from
Internet sites and have them delivered using the postal service.
The issue of business being conducted over the Internet raises
important security issues. Companies doing business over the Internet must have
very sophisticated security measures in place so that information such as
credit card, bank account, and social security numbers cannot be accessed by un-authorized
users. Similarly, government
facilities, universities, and institutions
must ensure that access to their computers over the Internet is strictly
regulated.
Comprehension
Check
Up
1. What is the Internet?
2. What is it composed of? 3. In what ways is the Internet used? 4. What has
the use of electronic e-mail over the Internet speeded? 5. On what concept is
the Internet based? 6. What must a user do to access information on the
Internet? 7. What is a major demand facing the continued growth of the
Internet? 8. What is another important question facing Internet growth? 9. Is
commercial use of the Internet sure to grow?
III.
Choose the best
answer.
1. The word Internet
refers to …
a) resources; b) a supercomputer; c)
information network; d) database.
2. The word internets
means …
a) hundreds of computers; b) radio and
television; c) broadcasting media; d) smaller interconnected networks.
3. The best explanation of the concept of client-server
architecture might be …
a) some computers act as information providers,
while other computers act as information receivers; b) personal computers act
as Internet servers; c) very powerful computers act as servers; d) a single
client computer may access many different servers.
4. A
client computer means …
a) an information receiver; b) an information
provider; c) a personal computer; d) a mainframe.
5. The word server implies …
a) a workstation; b) a supercomputer; c)an
information provider; d) an information receiver.
6. To access information on the Internet
implies that one should…
a) request information from a remote server; b)
first log on to the client computer’s host network; c) connect to other
networks; d) access a router.
7. To log on to
the host network refers to …
a) the action of
connecting to the client computer’s host network; b) the process of connecting to a local area network (LAN); c) the process of
con-necting to other networks; d) the
process of making a connection with a server.
8. A host
network defines …
a) a local area network (LAN); b) a personal computer network; c) a
public data network; d) a dial-up network.
9. The best explanation of information retrieval
might be …
a) information restoration; b) data retrieval;
c) information search; d) remote access.
10. The verb to route means …
a) to send by a specific route; b) to transmit
data; c) to arrive at the destination; d) to label with a unique number.
11. The word reside implies
…
a) to be in an intermediate memory; b) to be
present in; c) to be in a permanent memory; d) to be in a user memory.
12. To gain access refers to …
a) to establish a connection; b) to access
information; c) to be linked to; d) to make a connection.
13. The
router
deals with …
a) supporting easy Internet access; b)
packaging information; c) helping networks to make connections; d) determining
the best connection path between networks.
14. The word bandwidth means …
a) frequency band; b) pass band; c)
the amount of data that a computer network can transmit; d) communication
bandwidth.
IV.
Use the
right verb from those given below.
to communicate, to
carry out, to speed, to reside, to provide, to demand, to share, to offer, to
use, to request, to retrieve, to grow.
1. Computers are able … information
with each other. 2. Each connected individual can … with anyone else on the Internet. 3. More universities and companies … courses, goods
and services online. 4. Companies can … com-merce online, including advertising, selling, buying,
distributing products. 5. Bu-sinesses and institutions can … the Internet
for voice and video conferencing and other forms of communication. 6.
The use of electronic mail over
the Inter-net has greatly … communication between companies, among coworkers
and between other individuals. 7. The
user may … information from a
remote server. 8. The information
requested by the user … on one of the computers. 9. That information is quickly
… and sent to the user’s terminal. 10. A major difficulty is … enough bandwidth
to sustain the network. 11. As Internet applications become more sophisticated
the amount of information transmitted over the Internet will … very high
bandwidth connections. 12. Commercial use of the Internet is sure …
dramatically as more individuals gain access to it.
V.
Are the following statements True or False?
1. Internet is a computer-based
worldwide information network. 2. The Internet is composed of a large number of
interconnected networks called internets. 3. The Internet is a centralized
system. 4. The Internet has made it possible for all people all over the world
to effectively and inexpensively communicate with each other. 5. In the future
the Internet may have no dramatic impact on
higher education and business. 6. Individuals, companies and institutions use the Internet in few ways. 7. Media and entertainment
companies don’t use the Internet to broadcast audio and video, including live
radio and television. 8. Scientists and scholars don’t use the Internet to
communicate with colleagues, to perform research, to distribute lecture notes
and course materials to students, and to publish papers and articles.
VI.
Express the main idea of
each
paragraph
in one sentence.
VII.
Summarize
the text
and be ready to retell it.
VIII.
Speak on pros
and cons of the Internet communication.