Read the text and do the tasks below the text.

The Internet

Things were different before the invention of the Internet. Now everything has changed. The Internet is everywhere, and it is loved and used by everyone for everything. We get our news, receive our mail, send our letters, write to our teachers, do our shopping, arrange our lives, schedule our travels, meet new friends, review all the knowledge in the universe, and most of us do it while we are sitting in a chair looking at the screen. Can life get any better? There are some disadvantages mixed in with all the advantages, and sometimes it is a good idea to take a closer look at the other side of paradise.

The United States military began the Internet with a small network of computers in the trendy 1960s. Non-military users began enjoying its benefits when companies and American universities were given access to do research related to military projects. The information window was opened and could no longer be closed. In 1989, the World Wide Web was presented to the general public. Any of us who make the Internet a daily companion would agree that nothing has been the same since we first decided to go online.

A quick survey reveals that most people will tell you that they use the Internet to stay in touch with others on the Internet. Most of us say that writing or receiving e-mail is our number one use of the Internet. We do this at home, at work, or wherever we sit down at a computer. We send and receive e-mails for fun, for personal reason, for business, and in all areas of our work. The Internet allows us to communicate from room to room, city to city, or country to country for the same price and the same immediate speed. Correspondence is the king of the Internet.

As students, we use the Internet to do research, which helps us with our home assignments. Friends or teachers suggest we look up an article on the web. We act on those suggestions nearly as frequently as we write e-mails. We love the ability to grab chunks of information and we are tempted to make them ours. As students, we no longer have to search through books and spend money, copying articles to get our research done. This unique study tool is available twenty-four hours a day, every day of the week, or as long as we have electricity to charge the device we use to go online.

Those of us who have watched travel agencies close up their doors and go out of business, know that online travel is the future, and the future has arrived. Wherever we want to go and however we want to get there, the Internet is our guide to those destinations. The Internet has changed the way we travel forever. Go online with a credit card in hand, and you can book a hotel in Dallas, a rental car in Los Angeles, or a safari in Kenya. Electronic commerce or e-commerce is one of the fastest growing areas of Internet use. E-commerce is the buying and selling of either services or merchandise on the Internet. Buying cars, sending musical greeting cards, downloading the newest music, and even trading stocks are done every day on the Internet before some of us see the sun rise. Just imagine how much money has been exchanged as a result of various online transactions since you started reading this text.

I. Select the  correct variant to complete the statements.

1.According to the text, the Internet began as a network for:

2. According to the text, the World Wide Web was introduced to the public in:

3. According to the text, the primary use of the Internet for most people is:

4. According to the text, E-commerce involves:

II. In the text, identify the meaning of the words. Select the correct variant.

1. The word "chunks" in the text means:

2. The word "tempted" in the text means:

 III. Briefly answer the questions below, choosing words and/or numbers from the text.

1. When did the United States military start developing the Internet?

2. What is the most common use of the Internet according the text?

3. What was introduced to the general public in 1989?

4. What is one of the fastest growing areas of Internet use?

IV. Match the halves of the sentences. One is extra.

1. The United States military
   involve buying and selling goods and services

   it is the best tool for communication

   began the Internet with a small network of computers

   presented to the general public in 1989

   which helps us with our home assignments

2. A lot of online activities

   involve buying and selling goods and services

   it is the best tool for communication

   began the Internet with a small network of computers

   presented to the general public in 1989

   which helps us with our home assignments

3. We use the Internet to do research,

   involve buying and selling goods and services

   it is the best tool for communication

   began the Internet with a small network of computers

   presented to the general public in 1989

   which helps us with our home assignments

4. The World Wide Web was

   involve buying and selling goods and services

   it is the best tool for communication

   began the Internet with a small network of computers

   presented to the general public in 1989

   which helps us with our home assignments

 V. Identify if the statements are true or false. 

1. The Internet was originally developed for civilian purposes.                                                                                                                                                                                            

   True

   False

2. E-mail is the most common use of the Internet.                                                                                                                                                                                                                

   True

   False

3. The World Wide Web was introduced to the public in the 1990s.                                                                                                                                                                                    

   True

   False

VI. Put the most important ideas in order they come in the text.

A. E-commerce is one of the fastest growing areas of Internet use.

B. The United States military started the Internet with a small network of computers.

C. The World Wide Web was introduced to the general public in 1989.

D. People use the Internet to communicate, mainly through e-mail.

VII. What is the main idea of the text? Select the letter corresponding to the correct variant.