FCE READING 5

      1. How does it work? Electricity shared Just make a request Present limitations Distance is not a problem Practical applications An essential part of our lives Available soon A new era for the Internet Less than two decades ago, a British scientist called Tim Berners Lee invented two abbreviations that we are very familiar with today; www and @. Even if we don't use the Internet directly, it certainly influences our modern world to the extent that it is hard to imagine how we could exist without it. Now the next generation of computers is waiting in the wings.

      2. Available soon An essential part of our lives Just make a request Practical applications Distance is not a problem Present limitations Electricity shared How does it work? A new era for the Internet Recently, ten laboratories run by governments in different parts of the world have become linked. Their computers have been connected so they can "talk” to each other. This may not seem dramatic news, but it is the beginning of a development that will increase the power of the Internet tremendously.

      3. A new era for the Internet Electricity shared Just make a request Present limitations Distance is not a problem Practical applications An essential part of our lives How does it work? Available soon The Internet is an interconnected system of networks that connects computers around the world and facilitates the transmission and exchange of information. The way that you use the Internet is by accessing this network. This depends on the power that the system allows you to use. The power of your computer is responsible for how fast you can download files, how much data you can store, etc. If your computer is old and slow, accessing the information can be very difficult.

      4. Electricity shared How does it work? Distance is not a problem Present limitations Just make a request Practical applications A new era for the Internet Available soon An essential part of our lives The new development in information technology has been called "the grid", and it will be a network of computers that are linked together. The grid will work in a different way from the Internet, enabling you to get the power of the biggest computers in the world on your computer. Accessing the information will no longer depend on the power of your computer. The idea is that while you access information, you will also access the power of the bigger computer stations.

      5. An essential part of our lives A new era for the Internet Distance is not a problem Present limitations Just make a request Practical applications How does it work? Available soon Electricity shared One advantage of this revolutionary idea is that geographical location will become irrelevant. The grid will decide which are the best parts of a worldwide network to do the job you want. This means that you may be accessing a computer in Japan to solve a problem in Alaska.

      6. An essential part of our lives A new era for the Internet Distance is not a problem Present limitations Just make a request Practical applications How does it work? Available soon Electricity shared The grid can be compared to having an efficient personal assistant. You can give your assistant a task and it will be done for you. The assistant will do the preliminary research, collect the data, compare them and decide on the best course of action by accessing any of the computer centers in the grid that happen to have the relevant information. All you have to do is to assign the task, sit back and wait.

      7. An essential part of our lives Available soon Distance is not a problem Present limitations Just make a request Practical applications How does it work? A new era for the Internet Electricity shared Complicated everyday problems can become potential tasks for the new generation of computers. Solving the problems can bring major changes to everyday life. For instance, if there is a fire in a large building, the fire brigade tries to extinguish the fire and rescue people. If it were possible to calculate which way the fire would spread, and how long it would take, it could save vital seconds. The grid could make this possible.

      8. An essential part of our lives Available soon Distance is not a problem Present limitations Just make a request Practical applications How does it work? A new era for the Internet Electricity shared At present, possible applications of the grid in scientific research are being explored. While it has taken about fifteen years for internet use to become widespread, experts believe that the grid could be up and running for private individuals far more quickly. Scientists working on grid projects are convinced that it will be as widely used as the web in the next ten years.