Today, the Internet. Tomorrow,…?

The Internet is a huge network of computers spanning this planet and is now started to bring in the surrounding area like space. Some computers like servers share data, others just surf the web as clients downloading the data. Public Internet began in the late 70’s. In the 70’s web users used an interface called telnet, but now that program is mainly obsolete. Telnet is most widely deployed in accessing college email accounts. The Internet is very helpful, because it’s a huge database of knowledge, from the pictures of family trips to an analysis of quantum mechanics. Everyone should have the Internet because of its near instantaneous communication and huge wealth of knowledge. But how to go on the Internet and do a search for information we need. There are two ways to do it.

The first is when you know an internet address of data you need and the second one is when you try to find information you need by using a search program. In the beginning we have got to enter any browser you like. It could be an Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator or Opera, etc. If we have a broadband connection, we connect to the Internet at once. If not, we have to set up and connect to our dial-up service. Finally, if we want to find some information in the Internet, we are to type an address of this data in the browser we use or simply use the existing search-programs such as the google search program, rambler search program, yandex search program or yahoo search program. They are very simple and popular networks of sites. In these programs we can just type the word or name of thing, we would like to find and then press enter. A search program solves this problem. We get our results in the same window.

Besides data, one can get from the Internet; we can also send and receive e-mail or electronic mail. This internet service is cheaper than ordinary mail and much quicker. It is becoming popular day by day. We can get some news from the Internet, because there are many informational servers in the web.

Exercise1. a) as you read text find the English equivalents to the following:

сеть компьютеров, Интернет-адрес, загружать данные, квантовая механика, войти в Интернет, «удаленный доступ к сети», напечатать в браузере, поисковые программы, информационные сети сайтов, информационный сервер, послать или получить электронную почту, новости из сети, мгновенная связь, учетные записи электронной почты, находиться в сети, выделенное подключение, программа-поисковик, запрос.

2. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the Internet? 2. What are the servers? 3. When did public Internet appear? 4. What was the most popular mail interface used in 70s? 5. What kind of browsers do you know? 6. How can we find information in the Internet? 7. Is it cheaper to use the Internet mail service instead of ordinary post office? 8. What research programs do you know?

Exercise2. Translate the following sentences into Russian:

1. The Internet is a global computer network. 2. Invention of modems, special devices allowing your computer to send the information through the telephone line, has opened doors to the Internet for millions of people. 3. Nowadays the most popular Internet service is e-mail. 4. You can work through the Internet, gambling and playing through the net. 5. The local network was designed for short calls which you make and then hang up, but Internet calls often occupy a line for hours. 6. Devices such as Web TV allow our television to browse the Web and use electronic Mail. 7. K.Kao and G.Hockman were the first to come up with the idea of using fiber optic cables, as opposed to copper wire, to carry telephone signals. 8. To help solve the problem of Internet clogs, internet providers are trying new ways of pricing for customers. 9. Computers have opened up a new era in manufacturing and they have enhanced modern communication system. Computers speeds are measured in Hertz or cycles per second. 10. Except two main types of computers, analog and digital there are 8 generations of digital computers or processing units.

Exercise3. Pair work. Agree or disagree with the statements below. Be sure to provide sound arguments. Consider the following points and extend hem whenever possible:

1. We need to have a computer to get access to the Internet today.

2. The digital computers are widely used today.

3. In business time any connection to Net cost more than your connection at night.

4. There are dangers as well as benefits in the Virtual Reality technology.

Exercise 4. Computer functions What can you do with a computer? Try to separate the functions from this long line of letters.

sendemailwritealetterdocalculationssurftheinternetprintlistentomusicwatchDVDsrecordCDsplaygames

What do you use a computer for?

Exercise 5. Write the names of five class-mates in the columns 1-5 and then ask them the questions about computer games. Write their answers in the chart. Write your own question in the last space.

	Questions  1.    2.    3.    4.    5.   Do you like playing computer games? How often do you play computer games? What’s your favourite computer game? Do you think computer games are addictive? Do you usually play computer games alone or with friends?

• Look at your results and decide who is the biggest computer gamer in your class?

• Make a bar chart to show the results of your class survey.

Exercise9Quotes for discussion Read the following quotes from a selection of people involved in the gaming industry. Discuss them with your class.

	“When you don’t know what the colour of eyes of your ten best friends are because you’ve never met them in real life you may have a problem.”  Jay Parker – therapist and co-founder of the Internet Computer Addiction Services.

	“Blowing somebody’s head off becomes rapidly boring.”  Seamus Blackley – Xbox co-creator

	“You may kill a thousand people on the screen in 4 hours of play.”  Pamela Eakes – founder of Mothers Against Violence in America

	“My only contact with the outside world was this little Tamagochi.”  Peter Molyneu – Creative Director of Lionhead Studios

	“You’ll meet people that you never would have met.”  Tim Moss – Sony

	“If I were designing a game, it would have stuff that girls like, like shopping.”  No name –a player at Seattle’s Gameworks Arcade.