52 The media: Internet and e-mail
Here is a list of some possible advantages (pros) and disadvantages (cons) of the Internet.
pros |
cons |
e-mail, instant messaging1, chat rooms2, newsgroups3 |
ISP9 charges can be high for heavy users |
e-commerce4 (e.g. Internet banking, travel booking) |
downloading10 and uploading" times can be slow |
ability to send files as attachments5 |
spam12 can be annoying |
fun of just browsing6 and surfing the Web7 |
cookies13 track your activities on the Web |
ability to transmit graphic images8 and sound files |
many sites contain pornography and other offensive material14 |
1 a kind of e-mail where both people are online at the same time
2 an online conversation between a group of people on topics chosen by them, where you can enter or leave the 'room' at any time
3 a website where people with shared interests can get news and information
4 all kinds of business done on the Internet
5 files you send at the same time as e-mail messages
6 looking at different websites, with no particular goal
7 moving from one website or one web page to another, usually looking for something
8 technical term for pictures, icons, diagrams, etc.
9 (pronounced I-S-P) Internet Service Provider: a company that offers users access to the Internet and services such as news, e-mail, shopping sites, etc., usually for a monthly fee
10 bringing files to your computer from the Internet
1' Sending files from your computer to the Internet or to another Internet user
12 unwanted advertisements and other material sent to you by e-mail from companies
13 a kind of program that is sent from the Internet to your computer, often without your knowledge, which can follow and record what you do, which websites you visit, etc.
14 material such as pornography, or extreme political views, or material that encourages hate and violence against people
E-mail and Internet communications
I've bookmarked the CNN home page as I use it regularly to get the latest news, [put it in
a list of websites I can access immediately]
If you subscribe to newsgroups, you often get hundreds of messages, [become a member of]
Some ISPs allow you to screen out unwanted mail, [prevent from reaching you]
Our server [central computer that distributes e-mail and other services to a group of users]
at work was down [not working] yesterday so I didn't get your message till today.
Someone hacked into our company server and destroyed all our files, [accessed it illegally]
Do you have good anti-virus software? It's worth updating it frequently, [protection against
computer viruses]
She must have changed her e-mail address — the e-mail I sent her bounced, [came back to me]
That file you sent me as an attachment was unreadable. The text was completely garbled.
[just a series of meaningless letters and numbers]
122 English Vocabulary in Use (Advanced)
Exercises