Reading for the real world 1

1 SECOND EDITION Reading for the Real World Second Edition Casey Malarcher · Andrea Janzen · Adam Worcester © 2009 Compass Publishing All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publisher Acquisitions Editor: Jordan Candlewyck Content Editor: Rob Jordens Copy Editor: Kelli Ripatti Cover/Interior Design: Design Plus email: info@compasspub.com http://www.compasspub.com The authors of this book would like to acknowledge the following writers for contributing materials to this series: Michael Souza, Michael Pederson, Paul Edmunds, Paula Bramante, Kandice MacDonald, Barbara Graeber ISBN: 978-1-59966-420-0 15 14 13 12 11 10 14 13 12 11 10 Photo Credits pp 5, 6, 7, 10, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 30, 31, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 41, 43, 46, 47, 48, 49, 52, 53, 54, 55, 58, 60, 61, 66, 71, 72, 73, 76, 83, 84, 85, 88, 89, 91, 94, 95, 96, 97, 100, 101, 102, 106, 107, 108, 109, 112, 115, 118, 120, 124, 125, 127, 130, 131, 132, 133, 136, 137, 139, 142, 143, 144, 145, 148 © Shutterstock, Inc pp cover, 29, 59, 64, 65, 67, 70, 82, 90, 100, 103, 126, 138 © iStock International Inc pp 42 © BigStockPhoto pp 113, 114, 119, 121 © Yonhap News pp 77, 78, 79 © Jupiterimages Corporation Contents Unit Strange & Unusual Reading : Reading : American Superstitions / Bigfoot / 11 Unit Computers & Technology Reading : Reading : The History of the Internet / 17 Gamers: Image and Reality / 23 Unit Health & Medicine Reading : Reading : Body Mass and Weight / 29 Studying Headaches / 35 Unit Social Issues Reading : Reading : High School Dropout Rates on the Rise / 41 Where Are All the Boys? / 47 Unit Environmental Issues Reading : Reading : Sixth Extinction / 53 A Plan to Curb Greenhouse Gases / 59 Unit Law & Crime Reading : Reading : The History of the Death Penalty / 65 Bounty Hunters / 71 Unit Language & Literature Reading : Reading : King’s March on Washington Address / 77 Desiree’s Baby By Kate Chopin / 83 Unit Space & Exploration Reading : Reading : The Space Race / 89 Asteroid Impacts on Earth / 95 Unit Sports & Fitness Reading : Reading : Cheating in Sports / 101 Gi / 107 Unit 10 People & Opinions Reading : Reading : Barack Obama’s Keynote Address at the Democratic National Convention / 113 Anita Roddick / 119 Unit 11 Cross-Cultural Viewpoints Reading : Reading : Ideas About Beauty / 125 Bribery or Business as Usual? / 131 Unit 12 Business & Economics Reading : Reading : Adventure Tours for Charity / 137 Rating Companies / 143 U N I T S t r a n g e & U nusua l American Superstitions Pre-Reading Questions Think about the following questions What are some good-luck superstitions? What are some bad-luck superstitions? Do you follow or believe any of these superstitions? Vocabulary Preview Match each word or phrase with the correct definition clover a inclined to believe in chance or magic conduct b a small plant with white berries; a Christmas decoration confess c a small flowering plant, usually with three leaves optimistically d to mistletoe e to admit superstitious f positively; in a positive way American Superstitions E Track very culture has superstitions Some people believe them more than others Even in our modern technological society, superstitions still hold a powerful influence Most people seem to outgrow them But how many people continue to believe (or at least act like they believe) these superstitions as adults? A survey conducted for the journal American Demographics by the research firm Market Facts found some surprising results In modern America, where 10 superstitions are seen as nothing more than the beliefs of a weak mind, 44 percent of the people surveyed still admitted they were superstitious The other 56 percent claimed to be only “optimistically superstitious,” meaning they were more willing to believe superstitions relating to good luck over ones related to bad luck For example, 12 percent of those who said they were not really 15 superstitious confessed to knocking on wood for good luck And percent confessed they would pick up a penny on the street for good luck A further percent of non-believers also said they would pick a four-leaf clover for luck if they found one And some still believed in kissing under the mistletoe for luck Of the 44 percent of Americans who admit their superstitious beliefs, 65 20 percent said they were “only a little” superstitious, 27 percent were “somewhat” superstitious, and percent were “very” superstitious Among this group of believers, some interesting differences appeared when the men and women were considered separately In the survey, women comprised 60 percent of the entire superstitious group, seeming to indicate that women tend to be more 25 superstitious than men However, more than half (64 percent) of the “very” superstitious believers were male Additionally, age also showed significant differences between the believers and non-believers More young people admitted their superstitious nature than 23 24 27 comprise - to make up indicate - to show; to suggest significant - major; large 32 35 37 38 40 41 51 expect - to guess; to consider likely respondent - a person who answers a survey minimal - low; of the smallest amount common - usual; occurring frequently check - to mark widely - over a large range or area cross one’s fingers - to put the second finger over the first finger older people in the survey For people between the ages of eighteen and twenty30 four taking the survey, 64 percent claimed to be at least a little superstitious But for seniors 65 and older, only 30 percent admitted to believing any superstitions It might be expected that people with more education would be less superstitious, but results from the survey indicated almost equal numbers of believers between those with and without college degrees Of those survey 35 respondents who never finished or only finished high school, 42 percent reported being at least a little superstitious For those with a college education, 47 percent claimed the same minimal level of belief In the survey, ten common superstitions were listed for the people who responded Of these superstitions, five were related to good luck and five to bad 40 luck Respondents were then asked to check the ones they believed Of the superstitions in the list, good-luck superstitions were more widely held The top superstitions related to good luck that most people followed “very much” were picking four-leaf clovers (79 percent), knocking on wood (72 percent), picking up pennies (70 percent), and crossing fingers for luck (59 percent) Of the bad-luck 45 superstitions, the most common belief was that breaking a mirror brought bad luck (82 percent) Other bad luck superstitions listed in the survey included seeing black cats, walking under ladders, seeing the bride before the wedding, and doing anything on Friday the 13th 50 Many people would like to think it could not hurt to something like knocking on wood or crossing your fingers to bring a little luck After all, who doesn’t want a little luck? Reading Time _ minutes _ seconds 574 words R eading Comprehension A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading The majority of people said they not believe in bad luck None of the non-believers think four-leaf clovers are lucky It is bad luck to climb a ladder Few people thought that breaking a mirror was bad luck B Choose the best answer Which of the following would bring bad luck? a b c d A cracked mirror Crossed fingers Money on the street Walking under mistletoe Which of these good-luck traditions was most commonly followed by non-believers? a b c d Avoiding black cats Kissing under mistletoe Knocking on wood Picking up money Who would be most likely to admit being superstitious? a b c d A nineteen-year-old, female, college student A thirty-year-old, male, high school drop-out A forty-year-old, male, college graduate A seventy-year-old, female, college graduate C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided What was the main purpose of the survey? What are the different groups of superstitions? S ummary Fill in the blanks with the phrases from the list Use each phrase only once in good-luck picking four-leaf clovers breaking a mirror who responded to confessed to being the superstitious beliefs A marketing research firm conducted a survey to find out information about _ of Americans It was found through the survey that many Americans actually _ at least “somewhat” superstitious Most people see themselves as “optimistically superstitious,” meaning they believe more _ than bad-luck superstitions Some common good-luck superstitions in the survey included _ and kissing under mistletoe Bad-luck superstitions on the survey included walking under a ladder and _ Of the people _ the survey, young people said they were superstitious more often than old people V ocabulary Extension Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading Fill in each blank with the best word from the list Use each word only once horoscope curse omen fate astrologist faith An can tell your fortune by the stars Oh, no! I just saw a crow That’s a bad According to my in the newspaper, I will have a good day today Have ! Everything will turn out all right in the end The archeologist had bad luck after he opened the tomb He received the mummy’s I can’t anything about it It’s my to be in this situation 10 S upplemental Reading “Unlucky” Number 13 Track 998 was a very bad year, especially for people who believed the number 13 is an unlucky number In 1998, three months had a Friday that fell on the 13th of the month February, March, and November That is actually the most Friday the 13ths possible in a year The origin of the number 13 being an unlucky number goes back to the time of Jesus’s death At the last supper, Jesus gathered his twelve followers for a special meal, but including himself, there were a total of 13 people at the table 10 One of those followers later betrayed Jesus and turned him over to be killed Today, superstitions about the number continue to worry people As a result, most American skyscrapers not have a 13th floor In addition, most airplanes lack a 13th row because few customers would buy tickets to sit there Perhaps surprisingly, when asked, only 13 percent of the American population 15 admit they believe that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day The percentage is slightly higher among young people About 30 percent of Americans between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four say they try to generally be a little more careful on a Friday falling on the 13th Interestingly, the nine movies of the horror series Friday the 13th were all released during this age group’s formative years (1980- 20 1993) Perhaps the series has had a greater effect on people than anyone would like to admit Discussion Discuss the following questions Can superstitions ever be helpful? Do you have any item that brings you luck? What is it and where did you get it? 134 R eading Comprehension A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading Bribery is bad in all cultures US companies paid bribes to businesses in other countries The US passed a law against Americans paying bribes to officials in other countries Giving a gift is always bribery B Choose the best answer What is the main idea of this reading concerning bribery? a b c d Bribery is not common in Thailand Bribery is wrong everywhere Few countries will fight bribery in the future Some countries disagree that bribery is wrong What is NOT a bribe? a b c d Some money given to prevent a harmful act An expensive bottle of wine given before the contract is signed Some gift given after the deal has been completed An expensive necklace given to guarantee products of high quality Which statement would the writer probably agree with? a b c d People should only follow one style of business People should try to find a compromise between cultural differences People should not business internationally without help from a consultant International business is difficult the first time C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided Why was the FCPA created? When people give “grease payments”? S ummary Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below Select THREE answer choices to complete the summary First Sentence: International business practices are a sensitive issue due to cultural differences between countries Even though some countries view bribery as illegal, others tolerate it or even view it as a supplement to their wages, to ensure quick payment and to prevent harassment Grease payments are bribes that can speed up the completion of a deal and even ensure the delivery of high quality goods Recently the US government cracked down on the American businesses that were taking part in bribery, but it put American companies at a disadvantage The US government worked with its international trading partners and established a business treaty to combat bribery An investigation showed that more than 400 American companies doing business internationally had paid over $300 million in bribes V ocabulary Extension Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading Fill in each blank with the best word from the list Use each word only once wholesale retail merchandise contract kickback incentive I buy directly from the company, so I get things at a cheaper price My boss gave me a(n) of $1,000 I feel motivated to work harder now Occasionally I buy running shoes from a Nike store Then I must pay full price He received a(n) of $50,000 from the boss of the ABC company because he agreed to buy ABC products “What kind of you sell in your store?” “Mainly clothing, but we also sell some accessories, too.” He signed a(n) stating that he would deliver all the goods by next month 135 136 S upplemental Reading Promoting Business Ethics A Track 44 surprising number of employees in large companies report feeling pressure to “do the wrong thing.” One out of eight workers reported that their co-workers or managers somehow pressured them to something against the company’s ethical standards Such internal corruption has led several large companies into difficulty and even complete failure When a large corporation fails due to corruption, a clear message is sent to the public That message is “unethical behavior will get you in trouble.” It appears more students are getting this message as enrollment in 10 Business Ethics courses is rising Interestingly, however, very few MBA programs in North America require students to take any Business Ethics courses For this reason, the international organization called Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) is actively working to train young businesspeople to make ethical business decisions 15 SIFE works through teams of university students who volunteer their time to work in training courses and to develop projects These teams can be found on more than 1,500 campuses in thirty-seven countries around the world The organization is supported by faculty advisors on these campuses, and many international corporations take part in events organized by SIFE 20 Each year, the teams from each university write an annual report of their activities and give a presentation in a competition where the best team is awarded the SIFE World Cup Discussion Discuss the following questions What kinds of business cultures are there in your country? Do you think they are positive or negative practices? Do you think that it is possible to be too tolerant or accommodating of another culture? Why or why not? U N I T 12 B u s i n e s s & Ec onomic s Adventure Tours for Charity Pre-Reading Questions Think about the following questions What is the most exotic place you have visited? Would you call your visit to that place an “adventure”? Why or why not? What are some famous charities that you know of? Who these charities help? Vocabulary Preview Match each word or phrase with the correct definition adventure a collecting donation b an organized vacation or holiday minimum c to together or participate raising d an exciting or strange trip take part in e a gift given to a cause or charity tour f the least level or amount 138 Adventure Tours for Charity I Track 45 n almost any magazine or newspaper in England, you can find advertisements for adventure tours to exotic places These exciting tours can be bicycling, hiking, or even motorcycle trips across deserts, over mountains, and around live volcanoes! Many of these tours are for charity, which makes them more interesting to some people One advertisement offers people a “Bike Ride to Hell and Back,” a 400-kilometer bicycle tour across the lava fields of Iceland The advertisement says that the tour is like a ride 10 across the face of the moon The organization that sets up this tour is advertising for people who can give time and effort to raising money for a good cause For their hard work, these people will also be able to take the holiday of a 15 lifetime The first thing that people have to is sign up for the tour The number of people who can go on each tour is limited, and many tours fill up fast Those who sign up then have to pay a deposit in order to hold their space on the tour People cannot get their deposit back later if they change their mind, so they had 20 better be sure they really want to go The deposit is usually between £150-250 (US $200-375) Next, each person must raise a minimum amount of money for the charity This money could be anywhere between £1,500-2,500 (US$2,000-3,500) In order to raise this much money, some people send letters to friends and relatives 25 asking for help Other people have big parties where all of the guests must pay to come to the party One farmer even divided up his field into one meter squares 12 18 26 exotic - unusual lava - rock, either hot and fluid or solidified, which comes from a volcano raise - to collect deposit - money paid to reserve a place divide up - to separate 30 38 40 43 46 cow patty - a pile of cow dung overall - general; including everything typically - commonly; usually not for everybody - not suitable or appealing for all people Namib Desert - a very dry area in Southwest Africa to raise money People could buy one square of the field for £1 each Then the farmer let his cow walk across the field Whoever bought the square where the cow dropped its first 30 “cow patty” won a prize Surprisingly, the majority of people who go on the adventure tours end up collecting more than the minimum money that the charity asks for Some people see a problem with this system 35 of raising money for charities They think that it is wrong for part of the money that people collect to be used to pay for someone’s holiday However, charities try to keep the overall cost of the tours low so that at least 60 or 70 percent of the money which is raised goes to the charity One charity said, “We 40 expect to make an average profit of £50,000 per trip.” This charity typically runs between ten to fifteen tours each year Do people really want to spend their holiday doing something like bicycling for 400 kilometers when they could be resting on a beach? These tours are not for everybody But the people who sign up for them all agree that it is a great 45 experience After hiking across the Namib Desert, a young construction worker from London cried as he hugged all of the other people who had been on the tour with him Everyone cried Most of them never thought that they could take part in an adventure like that They had not only finished a difficult hike, but they had 50 done it for someone else, for the charity Reading Time _ minutes _ seconds 554 words 139 140 R eading Comprehension A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading The adventure tours appeal to everyone Less than half of the money that people raise for the charity is used to pay for expenses on the trip The farmer described in the reading sold his cow to raise money for the charity The charities set no limit on the number of people who can go on each tour, so some tours get very crowded B Choose the best answer What is the main idea of the reading? a b c d Comparing tours arranged by two charities Describing a dangerous tour set up by a charity Explaining how charities raise money through tours Giving information about interesting places to visit What makes the tours described in the reading interesting for people? a b c d They are exciting They are a great experience They raise money for charities All of the above What would probably NOT be an adventure tour for charity? a b c d Climbing Mt Everest Staying on a beach in Thailand Crossing the Sahara desert Sailing across the Pacific Ocean C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided Why should a person be careful when they pay a deposit for a charity adventure tour? Why some people disagree with this method of raising money for charities? S ummary Fill in the blanks in the table with the phrases below according to the category they belong to Use each phrase only once Adventure Tours for Charity Adventure Activity Fundraising Activity Asking guests for donations to buy a plot of farm land for a “cow patty” Raising the minimum donation after putting down a deposit for the tour Taking part in a bike tour across the lava fields of Iceland Writing letters to friends and relatives to ask for money Hiking across the Namib Desert Taking a motorcycle trip over a mountain V ocabulary Extension Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading Fill in each blank with the best word from the list Use each word only once risk challenge journey telethon worthy volunteer A long and adventurous trip is sometimes called a(n) The biggest in this trip will be to cross the Sahara Desert during the day There’s a(n) of falling when bungee jumping, but some people think that makes it more exciting If you have some extra time, you should Although you won’t get paid, you will feel rewarded in other ways “What are you watching on TV?” “I’m watching the for the flood victims I think that I’ll phone in and donate some money.” “Do you know of any good charities I could donate something to?” “How about the Women’s Center? Helping out battered women is always a(n) cause.” 141 142 S upplemental Reading Helping Charities Can Help You, Too! T Track 46 here are lots of people in the United States who give donations to charities just because they believe strongly in what the charity is doing However, what some of these people don’t realize is that all of the donations they make to these charities can help them save money on their taxes each year, too! The average American pays about 33 percent of her or his yearly income in taxes, so any way to save money on the taxes a person has to pay each year is a welcomed benefit And these donations to charities are not limited to cash only If a person donates an old stereo or clothes, the estimated value of these items can help lower a person’s taxes as long as they get a receipt from the 10 charity Other than the usual small items that people usually give to charities, big things can help charities make money, too For example, if you have a really old car that you want to get rid of, a car dealer might only offer you a 15 few hundred dollars for it A charity might be able to match what the car dealer would give you, and then the charity can fix up the car and sell it at an auction The charity gets needed funds from selling the car, and you get a break on your taxes for the value of the car when 20 the charity took it! Other things that people don’t often think of as possible donations to charities include computers, stocks, and even land Discussion Discuss the following questions In your country, can you save money by donating to charities? Have you ever helped a charity? How? U N I T 12 B u s i n e s s & Ec onomic s Rating Companies Pre-Reading Questions Think about the following questions What company is rated #1 in your country? How you know? Who you think rates companies? How you think companies are rated? Vocabulary Preview Match each word or phrase with the correct definition assign a a business manager criterion b a number executive c the opinion people have about something; the good name figure d a standard of judgment financial e to designate reputation f related to managing of money 144 Rating Companies P Track 47 ublications such as Business Week and Fortune are two of the several publishers that produce ratings of different American and international companies These ratings not only concentrate on public or private companies, but many other kinds as well Companies are assigned two main types of ratings One of these can be summarized as the company’s actual performance The other type of rating pertains to the results of publishers’ surveys There are several reasons why publishing companies rate companies One is 10 for the companies that are ranked to know where they stand in their industry Investors and lenders of the rated company also use the ratings to decide the risk associated with doing business with the company Consumers also use ratings to learn about the company’s reputation and to rate companies when making investment decisions Companies’ actual financial performance is one of the most important 15 indications in ranking companies There are two types of measurements for companies’ performance All companies involved in the ratings must publish financial data and must report part or all of these figures to a government agency Ratings are based on yearly reported financial statements A second 20 type of performance measurement used in ratings is companies’ market performance This includes their market value, market share, and number of employees Some rankings use only financial performance or market performance as the basis for their rating of companies, such as the Wall Street Journal However, some ratings will use both measurements, such as the 25 Fortune 500 and Business Week’s ratings The other major category of ratings relies on the results of surveys sent to 16 19 21 indications - a sign; a criterion financial statement - a record of how money comes in and goes out market share - percentage of the market controlled by a company 27 30 31 34 38 45 50 analyst - a person who studies trends in a particular field revenue - profit; income securities analyst - a person who studies stocks and the stock market respondent - a person giving answers privately held - owned by one person primarily - mainly; for the most part crop up - to appear; to show up executives, company employees and analysts by the publishers The publishers’ surveys present detailed statistical and analytical data on the companies that they rank For example, in order to rank America’s most admired companies, 30 Fortune magazine started with the ten largest companies by revenue in sixtysix industries They surveyed 10,000 executives, directors, and securities analysts related to those companies, who then rated the various companies in their own industries based on certain criteria For the most admired companies, the survey respondents were asked to select the ten companies in any industry 35 that they admired most Another popular example is Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For rating To determine which companies make it on the list and where they should rank, the publisher sends surveys to employees of all the Fortune 1,000 companies, plus the 200 largest privately held US companies Among all the ratings, the most trusted and well-known rankings are done 40 by Fortune and Business Week magazines Fortune magazine publishes many company rankings every year, including the Fortune 500, Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, Global Most Admired Companies and Fortune Global 500 In Fortune magazine’s Global 500, a few of the companies that regularly show up on the list include General Electric, Exxon Mobile, IBM, and Bank of 45 America This list’s ranking is based primarily on financial performance By comparison, the Fortune Global Most Admired rankings are based on executives’ surveys Companies regularly appearing on this list year after year include General Electric, Wal-Mart, and Microsoft Finally turning to Business Week magazine’s Global 1,000 ratings, one will find such companies as General 50 Electric, Exxon Mobile, and Wal-Mart crop up in the top five companies year after year Reading Time _ minutes _ seconds 550 words 145 146 R eading Comprehension A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading People use company ratings to make investment decisions Only public and private companies are rated One of the most important things used to rank a company is its financial performance Wal-Mart is considered one of the top companies in the world B Choose the best answer What is NOT a reason for ranking companies? a b c d To help people make investments To let companies know how well they are doing To help companies make business decisions To help companies make marketing decisions Fortune’s Most Admired Company ranking is based on what survey? a b c d A survey of entry-level workers A survey of high-ranking business people A survey of marketing analysts A survey of customers In which list is General Electric usually a top company? a b c d Fortune’s Global Most Admired Fortune’s Global 500 Business Week’s Global 1000 All of the above C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided How is a company’s financial performance measured? What is probably most important for a company when company rankings are made? S ummary Fill in the blanks in the table with the sentences below according to the category they belong to Use each sentence only once Rating Companies Reasons Why Companies are Rated Methods for Rating When a company is rated, it tells them where they stand in their industry According to a kind of survey, companies can be assigned ratings on their performance based on the figures in their financial statements A company can be judged by the opinions of executives and other employees People use these rankings as an indication of the company’s reputation Another criterion for determining a company’s performance is to evaluate their market performance Investors and lenders want companies to be rated V ocabulary Extension Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading Fill in each blank with the best word from the list Use each word only once assets profit monopoly bankrupt debt conglomerate Bill Gates almost has a(n) on computer operating systems Almost everyone uses Windows on their computer Even after paying taxes and all expenses, Microsoft still made a huge My cousin’s company is going He can’t pay all the money that he owes GE has many buildings, manufactured goods, and other of value Money you owe is called a(n) GE is a(n) ; that is, it is one big company that consists of many smaller companies in different fields 147 148 S upplemental Reading Where Are the Asian Companies? S Track 48 ince 1999, the US magazine Forbes has published a special list of the “best” companies around the world: the A-list of Best Big Companies One of the first requirements is that a company must have over US $5 billlion in sales per year Next, Forbes looks at the company’s history over the past five years Only companies with stable growth of sales and solid stock prices remain on the list In looking at the list of companies selected by Forbes, it appears businesses worldwide are not really equally represented For example, a person might assume that the number of companies from a country should be related in some 10 way to that country’s economic power But companies from the United States and Europe seem overly represented on Forbes’ A-list Companies from the United States and Europe represent 85 percent of the companies on the list! Why are Asian companies underrepresented on this list? Actually, there are several reasons business analysts have suggested to 15 account for this underrepresentation Most of these reasons are related to the “bad” business practices of many Asian companies For example, companies that hire relatives or friends as managers typically not have stable growth They usually fail Both the legal and political systems in some countries allow businesses to operate in ways considered 20 unethical Such practices make these companies poor choices for investors and thus remove these companies from Forbes’ A-list Discussion Discuss the following questions Do you agree with how Fortune and Business Week rank companies? Why or why not? What you think is the most important thing to consider in order to have a successful company? [...]... with the purpose to work together data - information World Wide Web was born The World Wide Web is in fact a browser for the Internet -a kind of software program that allows users to access and navigate 30 within information on the net With the introduction of the World Wide Web, the development of the Internet accelerated at a rapid pace The first computer code of the web was created in 19 91 allowing... real life Further, gamers spend too much time in the false worlds of their games The result is that they can no longer recognize the real world They may come to 35 believe that they are characters in a game The result of this could be violence or destruction of property, either real or through computer hacking Of course, these views are only stereotypes There may be some gamers that fit the negative... unusual to find the dead remains of any animal in the forest 40 Most of the time, they say, other animals eat the remains soon after death; this may be the case for Bigfoot, too Many skeptics, people who do not believe in Bigfoot, say that the video and photographs of Bigfoot are really pictures of people wearing an ape costume They also believe that the Bigfoot footprints are really the footprints... For the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided 1 Why was the first small network useful for scientists? 2 In the future, why will people no longer need computers to access the Internet? S ummary Fill in the blanks with the words from the. .. may never know the truth about these animals If they have avoided being seen for the last several thousand years, then maybe they will stay hidden for another several thousand Or it may be that as we humans go deeper and deeper into the forests of Northwest America and Canada, we may 50 finally come face to face with the elusive Bigfoot Reading Time _ minutes _ seconds 572 words 13 14 R eading Comprehension... costume They are very big 3 According to the reading, what do cryptozoologists probably study? a b c d Fish All animals Unknown or mysterious creatures Humans C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the passage and write them on the lines provided 1 What is Dr Krantz’s theory about Bigfoot? 2 If Bigfoot does exist, why is the Northwest... e r s & Te c hnology 1 The History of the Internet Pre -Reading Questions Think about the following questions 1 During which decade were computers first used in homes? 2 During which decade did lots of people start using the Internet? 3 Was the original use of the Internet for business or some other purpose? Vocabulary Preview Match each word or phrase with the correct definition 1 accelerate a a set... history, the Internet has had a great impact on modern society The concept of the Internet came from military research in the 19 60s The military wanted to 1 _ its research and control centers through connections to many locations by computers As more and more people began using the system during the 19 80s, privacy and security became an issue due to the threat of 2 _ and viruses In the 19 90s,... of the Net’s users, no one standard can be applied to govern speech on the Net Furthermore, the Internet technology itself prevents complete blocking of access to information 0 10 The Internet has helped to promote political freedom in many cases and allowed protesters a way to express their discontent In 19 90, the Internet allowed Chinese dissidents to bypass government censorship and inform the world. .. only are they ugly, but they are also boring Gamers have no interests outside games, so games are all that they can talk about, besides computers Further, this image of gamers implies they are antisocial They do not know how to communicate with other people This is the main 25 reason that they play games Gamers spend all of their time alone with their computers, and they only connect with other people