[2012/06/19] Topic-The Internet

<A name="[문서의 처음]"></A> The Internet By 1998, less than five years after it came into general use, it had become an integral part of life as we know it. As soon as it was discovered by the public, it grew by leaps and bounds. Today we can’t even imagine life without it. We depend on it for information, communication, our shopping needs, and increasingly, for our entertainment as well. It is the first communication tool ever invented by man and that has the power to create a common global culture with a common language, yet it is still in its infancy. Of course, we’re talking about Internet. The most common use of the Internet is for electronic communication, commonly know as email. It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t have an email address. Even children have them. A person who doesn’t have email addresses are considered to be odd and somewhat out of touch with what is happening in society today. Email communication has become so pervasive in society that the future of the postal service is in question. The volume of letters sent through the mail is steadily decreasing. According to the postal service, about 70% of the mail now being carried is junk mail. Most people who are connected to the Internet use it to find information in the form of news, stock quotes, weather information, travel information, or any other type of information anyone can think of. The internet has actually replaced the public library for most people. Many people who still do visit public libraries go there to use the computers to connect to the internet. Discussion Questions 1. Which of these Internet features do you use the most? 2. Has it been good or bad for our society? Tell why you think so. 3. How would you describe your level of expertise when it comes to using the Internet? What are some of the things you can do on a computer? 4. What do you think of file-sharing? Do you think it’s OK, or is it wrong? 5. What’s the future of the post office? Will email shut down the post office, or will it make no difference? 6. People say if you spend too much time surfing the web means you have the “Internet addiction disorder.” How should we deal with this disorder?