UNIVERSIDAD DEL VALLE SEDE PALMIRA

LECTURA DE TEXTOS ACADMICOS EN INGLS 1

PAIR WORK
COMPUTERS AND THE INTERNET
1.

Software or hardware?

Put S (software) or H (hardware) next to each of the following words:

a hard drive

a keyboard

a laser printer

a spreadsheet

an antivirus

a pen drive

a media player

a word processor

a scanner

an application

a mouse

an operating system

2. Which of the above devices or programmes would you use to ...

1. make a copy of your screen on paper?
2. make a copy of a sheet of paper on your screen?
3. store data and transfer it to another computer?
4. protect your computer from harmful programmes?
5. double-click on an icon?
6. play music or videos?
7. type out an email or document?
8. calculate your monthly expenses?
3. ICONS
Look at the icon set below. Match the words to the correct icons.
Copy

Cut

4. ON THE INTERNET

Edit

Folder

Help

Paste

Print

Search

Complete the email below putting the following verbs in the correct form.
surf
go

bookmark
scroll

browse
search

click
sign up

download
upload

While I ______________________ the net, I came across an interesting website offering free cooking recipes for lots of
tasty dishes from all over the world. I love cooking so I decided to fill in the online registration form and
_________________________ for a free account. After I _________________________ a few pages, I found a recipe that
I really wanted to try, so I decided to ______________________ down to the bottom of the page and
__________________________ on the download link in order to __________________________ it in pdf format. The
next day, I decided to invite some of my friends for dinner, so I went on Google and ___________________________for
some more cooking websites. I __________________________a few interesting ones, so now I can find them again
easily whenever I _______________________ online. Anyway, the dinner party was a great success. I'll
___________________ the pictures to my Facebook profile!
5. TYPES OF WEBSITES
Match the type of website on the left with the activities on the right.
1. social networking websites

a. buying and selling goods, bidding prices

2. blogs

b. connecting with friends, sharing pictures

3. forums

c. doing courses online

4. auction websites

d. downloading/uploading large files, e.g. music and films

5. file sharing websites

e.finding websites, surfing the net

6. search engines

f. participating in discussions and posting comments on a specific topic

7. e-learning websites

g. sending and receiving emails

8. webmail sites

h. writing an online diary

ADDICTION TO INTERNET IS AN ILLNESS

addiction a strong need that someone feels to regularly take an illegal or harmful drug:
There is a growing problem of drug addiction in our cities.
addiction to a strong need or wish to spend as much time as possible doing a particular activity:
Many people have an addiction to nicotine.
His addiction to the Internet is taking over his life. Source: Macmillan English Dictionary Online
1. WHAT THINGS MIGHT PEOPLE BECOME ADDICTED TO?
Make a list. Can you divide the list into new or modern addictions and old or traditional addictions?
2. KEY WORDS AND PHRASES
Write the keywords and phrases from the article into the sentences.

discussion boards

clinical disorder

irony

significant other

inaccessible

diverse

psychiatrist

excessive

withdrawal symptoms

adolescent

self-help group

repercussions

component

1. When something is ___________________ it is much more than is reasonable or necessary. (subtitle)

2. ___________________ are the unpleasant physical and mental effects suffered by someone who stops taking a substance
that they are addicted to.
3. A ___________________ is a medical problem or condition.
4. A ___________________ is a doctor who treats people with mental disorders.
5. A ___________________ is a part, or feature of something.
6. When something is ___________________ it is impossible to reach or use.
7. ___________________ are the bad effects that something has, usually lasting for a long time.
8. An ___________________ is a boy or girl who is not yet a man or a woman.
9. Your ___________________ is the person (or thing) you are having a (romantic) relationship with.
10. ___________________ is a form of humour in which you use words to express the opposite of what the words really mean.
11. ___________________ is another term for online forums.
12. When things are very different from each other they are ___________________
13. A ___________________ is a group of people who discuss their similar problems and find ways to deal with them.
Addiction to Internet is an illness
New evidence shows that excessive use of the Internet causes people to suffer from isolation, tiredness and
withdrawal symptoms
David Smith, technology correspondent
March 23, 2008
Tense? Angry? Cant get online? Internet addiction is now a serious health problem that should be officially recognized as a
clinical disorder, says a leading psychiatrist.
In the respected American Journal of Psychiatry, Dr Jerald Block writes that the disorder is caused by excessive gaming,
viewing online pornography, emailing and text messaging. He says that the disorder is now so common that it should be
included in medical text books. According to Block, Internet addiction has four main components:
Excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time;
Withdrawal symptoms, including feelings of anger, tension and/or depression when the computer is inaccessible;
The need for better computers, more software, or more hours of use;
Negative repercussions, including arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation and tiredness.
Block says that in South Korea 10 people died from blood clots because they stayed seated for long periods in Internet cafes
and another was murdered because of an online game. South Korea now considers Internet addiction one of its most serious

public health issues. The government estimates that around 210,000 South Korean children need treatment. 80 per cent of
them might need drugs that target the brain and nearly a quarter could need to go to hospital. Since the average high school
pupil there spends about 23 hours per week gaming, another 1.2 million are believed to be at risk of addiction and require basic
counselling. Many people are also worried about the number of addicts who stop going to school or leave their jobs to spend
more time on computers. In China it has been reported that about 10 million adolescent Internet users could be considered
addicts.
Dr Block, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, writes that it is more difficult to estimate how
bad the problem is in America because people tend to surf at home instead of in Internet cafes. But he believes there are
similar cases, and says: Unfortunately it is not easy to treat Internet addiction. He told The Observer that he did not believe
specific websites were responsible. The relationship is with the computer, he said. First, it becomes a significant other to
them. Second, they use up emotions that they could experience in the real world on the computer, through any number of
mechanisms: emailing, gaming, porn. Third, computer use takes up a huge amount of time in their life. Then if you simply try to
remove the computer, they feel theyve lost their best friend. That can take the form of depression or rage.
Harry Husted, a single 51-year-old from New York, spends 16 hours a day on the Internet. He insists that he is not addicted, but
admits that he used to be. I used to work with computers for eight hours, then get home and go online for another seven hours.
I stayed up until two or three in the morning, or until I got so sleepy I had to go to bed. I didnt go out to get the groceries and I
didnt care about friends, TV, or anything. After a while I realized what was happening and did something about it. Now if I use
MySpace its only to advertise my business.
Internet addiction clinics are opening all around the world, and many people have turned, apparently without irony, to web
discussion boards with names such as Internet Addicts Anonymous. The Centre for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford,
Pennsylvania, says Internet addiction has become a growing legal issue in criminal, divorce and employment cases.
Robert Freedman, editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry, said Internet addiction can be diverse. In Korea, it seems to be
mostly gaming sites. In America, it is Facebook. Additionally, its porn, its games, its gambling, its chatting with friends. All
these things existed before, but now theyre a lot easier.
To beat the addiction, he advised: A self-help group might be a good place to start, but maybe a real group is better than an
online one.
COMPREHENSION CHECK
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

I.
According to the article, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)?
The four basic components of Internet addiction are excessive use, withdrawal symptoms when the computer is not
accessible, the constant need for better computers and software and negative repercussions on the users social life.
In South Korea, the main cause of Internet addiction is spending time on social networking websites such as Facebook and
MySpace.
The average South Korean high school student spends 16 hours a day playing online games.
People have died as a consequence of their Internet addiction.
South Koreans go online at Internet cafes more often than Americans.
Internet addiction is easy to treat.

II. MATCH THE SENTENCE HALVES.

1. Internet addicts dont realize how...
2. Leading psychiatrists think...
3. The average South Korean high school student...
4. People have died because of their...
5. South Koreans go online...
6. Internet addiction is...
7. Facebook and MySpace are...
8. In the USA, most people...
9. Internet addicts are often...
10. Internet addicts think they need...

... lonely and tired.

... spends 23 hours a week playing online games.
... difficult to treat.
... many hours they spend online.
... social networking websites.
... Internet addiction.
... better computers and software.
... at Internet cafes more often than Americans.
... Internet addiction is a real illness.
... surf the Internet at home.

Discussion: Addicted to
Do you agree with either of these sentences?
Many people are addicted to something and it is a big problem these days.
Being addicted to something is not a new problem.

ANSWER SHEET
UNIVERSIDAD DEL VALLE SEDE PALMIRA
LECTURA DE TEXTOS ACADMICOS EN INGLS 1
PAIR WORK
NAME 1: ______________________________________________________________________________________
NAME 2 :______________________________________________________________________________________
TEXT 1
COMPUTERS AND THE INTERNET
1. Software or hardware?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which of the above devices or programmes would you use to ...
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ICONS
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ON THE INTERNET
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. TYPES OF WEBSITES
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEXT 2
ADDICTION TO INTERNET IS AN ILLNESS
1.

WHAT THINGS MIGHT PEOPLE BECOME ADDICTED TO?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.

KEY WORDS AND PHRASES

Write the keywords and phrases from the article into the sentences.
1._____________________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________________________________________
6. _____________________________________________________________________________
7. _____________________________________________________________________________
8. _____________________________________________________________________________
9. _____________________________________________________________________________
10. _____________________________________________________________________________
3.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

I. According to the article, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)?
1._____________________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________________________________________
6. _____________________________________________________________________________
II. MATCH THE SENTENCE HALVES.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
II.

Discussion: Addicted to Do you agree with either of these sentences?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________