S e c o n d e d I t I o n 1 Reading for the Real World 1

Track 5
 

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World Wide Web was born. The World Wide Web is in fact a browser for the 
Internet
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a kind of software program that allows users to access and 
navigate
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 1991 allowing programmers to combine words, pictures, and 
sounds on web pages.
In the early nineties, the first 
search engine
, Gopher, and the first web 
browser, Mosaic, were developed, allowing easier and simpler access to the Net. 
Traffic on the Internet started growing at an 
annual
rate of 
approximately
340,000 percent.
At the end of the 1990s, Internet2 was born. 
Internet2 uses fiber optic cables to link together a 
consortium
of hundreds of high-speed networks 
around the world. Instead of connecting to the 
Internet solely through telephone lines, people 
could now connect in a wide variety of ways, including 
via satellite. These new methods have more 
data
carrying capacity, or bandwidth, 
than telephone lines. This made the Internet faster and able to convey much more 
information. People could soon watch TV shows and movies online.
In the future, people will not need a computer to access the Internet. The 
browser will become a platform for the Web. Information will no longer need to 
be stored in a computer hard drive. Instead, it will be stored in places around 
the world. People can retrieve it through cell phones, music players, and other 
portable devices. This is called “cloud computing,” because it seems as if 
information floats down from the sky. A 2008 study said that the Internet will 
continue to grow. By 2020, a low-cost global network will allow people even in 
remote areas to have Internet access. English will remain the primary Net language, 
but other languages, especially Mandarin, will increase. Also, a segment of society 
will refuse to use the Net and live without modern technology.
Reading Time
_______ minutes _______ seconds
562 words
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navigate --- to direct or manage its course
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search engine --- a computer program that searches the World Wide Web
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annual --- yearly
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approximately --- nearly
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consortium --- a group formed with the purpose to work together
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data --- information

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eading Comprehension
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