1. Find the answers to the questions in the article.

1. What are the four basic components of Internet addiction?

a) Emailing, viewing online pornography, texting and isolation.

b) Excessive use, withdrawal symptoms when the computer is not accessible, the constant need for better computers and software and negative repercussions on the user’s life.

c) Spending at least 16 hours a day on the Internet, quitting jobs, leaving school and social isolation.

2. In Korea, the main cause of Internet addiction is...

a) ... playing online games.

b) ... viewing pornography.

c) ... spending time on social websites such as Facebook and MySpace.

3. The case study revealed that many Internet addicts...

a) ... are in financial trouble.

b) ... take recreational drugs.

c) ... left their jobs or stopped attending school.

4. Ironically, self-help groups can be found...

a) ... in Internet cafes.

b) ... on the Internet.

c) ... in Pennsylvania.

2. Find words in the text that mean the following.

tiredness _________________

despondency _________________

loneliness _________________

anxiety _________________

3. Answer these questions for yourself or for someone you know and discuss the results. Do you think these test questions are a good indicator of Internet addiction?

1. Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet?

2. Do you need increasing amounts of time on the net in order to achieve satisfaction?

3. Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop Internet use?

4. Do you feel restless, moody, depressed or tense when you try to cut down or stop Internet use?

5. Do you often stay online longer than you originally intended?

6. Have you jeopardized or risked losing a partner, job, educational or career opportunity because of the Internet?

7. Have you lied to family members, a therapist or others to conceal the extent of your involvement with the Internet?

8. Do you use it to escape from problems (e.g. feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression)?

If you answer ‘yes’ to five or more of these questions, you may have an Internet addiction!

Exercise 3. Webquest. Go to the website www.netaddiction.com. Here you can take further tests, read about real-life cases of Internet addiction, listen to podcasts and watch videos.

A PRACTICAL ENGLISH GRAMMAR: Prepositions of Place: at, in, on

In general, we use:

• at for a POINT

• in for an ENCLOSED SPACE

• on for a SURFACE

at	In	On
POINT	ENCLOSED SPACE	SURFACE
at the corner	in the garden	on the wall
at the bus stop	in London	on the ceiling
at the door	in France	on the door
at the top of the page	in a box	on the cover
at the end of the road	in my pocket	on the floor
at the entrance	in my wallet	on the carpet
at the crossroads	in a building	on the menu
at the front desk	in a car	on a page

Look at these examples:

Jane is waiting for you at the bus stop.

The shop is at the end of the street.

My plane stopped at Dubai and Hanoi and arrived in Bangkok two hours late.

When will you arrive at the office?

Do you work in an office?

I have a meeting in New York.

Do you live in Japan?

Jupiter is in the Solar System.

The author's name is on the cover of the book.

There are no prices on this menu.

You are standing on my foot.

There was a "no smoking" sign on the wall.

I live on the 7th floor at 21 Oxford Street in London.

Notice the use of the prepositions of place at, in and on in these standard expressions:

at	In	On
at home	in a car	on a bus
at work	in a taxi	on a train
at school	in a helicopter	on a plane
at university	in a boat	on a ship
at college	in a lift (elevator)	on a bicycle, on a motorbike
at the top	in the newspaper	on a horse, on an elephant
at the bottom	in the sky	on the radio, on television
at the side	in a row	on the left, on the right
at reception	in Oxford Street	on the way

Exercise 1. Fill in the gaps with prepositions of time.

1. I always keep some extra money _____ my bag in case of emergencies.

1. on

2. at

3. in

2. I’ll read it tonight _____ home.

1. in

2. at

3. on

3. Do you live ____ a house or an apartment?

1. on

2. at

3. in

4. Did you learn English _____ Malta?

1. in

2. on

3. at

5. She grew up ____ a farm.

1. at

2. on

3. in

6. I read about it ____ the newspaper.

1. at

2. in

3. on

7. He went for a swim ____ the river.

1. on

2. at

3. in

8. The dog’s sleeping ____ the carpet.

1. at

2. in

3. on

9. The information is ____ the top of the page.

1. in

2. on

3. at

10. Were you ____ the party too?

1. on

2. in

3. at

Exercise 2. Complete the sentences. Use in, at or on + one of the following:

the window your coffee the mountains that tree

my guitar the river the island the next garage

1. Look at those people swimming ………….

2. One of the strings ………………… is broken.

3. There’s something wrong with the car. We’d better stop …………………..

4. Would you like sugar …………………..?

5. The leaves ………………. are a beautiful colour.

6. Last year we had a wonderful skiing holiday …………………..

7. There’s nobody living ………………….. It’s uninhabited.

8. He spends most of the day sitting ……………… and looking outside.

Exercise 3. Complete the sentences with in, at or on.

1. Write your name ….. the top of the page.

2. I like that picture hanging …… the wall ……. the kitchen.

3. There was an accident …… the crossroads this morning.

4. I wasn’t sure whether I had come to the right office. There was no name …… the door.

5. …….. the end of the street there is a path leading to the river.

6. You’ll find the sports results ……. the back page of the newspaper.

7. I wouldn’t like an office job. I couldn’t spend the whole day sitting …… desk.

8. My brother lives …… a small village …… the south-west of England.

9. The man the police are looking for has a scar …… his right cheek.

10. The headquarters of the company are ……. Milan.

11. Nicola was wearing a silver ring …… her little finger.