A. ACHIEVEMENTS B. DEVELOPMENTS C. FICTION D. PROGRESS READ TH...

35. A. achievements B. developments C. fiction D. progress

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to

indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 36 to 42.

The advent of the Internet may be one of the most important technological

developments in recent years. Never before have so many people had access to so many

different sources of information. For all of the Internet’s advantages, however, people are

currently becoming aware of some of its drawbacks and are looking for creative solutions.

Among the current problems, which include a general lack of reliability and numerous

security concerns, the most crucial is speed.

First of all, the Internet has grown very quickly. In 1990, only a few academics had

ever heard of the Internet. In 1996, over 50 million people used it. Every year, the number of

people with access to the Internet doubles. The rapid growth has been a problem. The

computer systems which run the Internet have not been able to keep up with the demand.

Also, sometimes a request for information must pass through many routing computers before

the information can be obtained. A request for information made in Paris might have to go

through computers in New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo in order to obtain the required

information. Consequently, service is often slow and unpredictable. Service also tends to be

worse when the Internet is busiest – during the business day of the Western Hemisphere -

which is also when companies need its service the most.

Some people are trying to harness the power of networked computers in such a

way to avoid this problem. In 1995, a group of American universities banded together to

form what has come to be known as Internet II. Internet II is a smaller, more specialized,

fewer users are allowed access. Consequently, the time required to receive information has

decreased.

Businesses are beginning to explore a possible analogue to the Internet II.

Many businesses are creating their own “Intranets”. These are systems that can only be used

by the members of the same company. In theory, fewer users should translate into a faster

system. Intranets are very useful for large national and international companies whose

branches need to share information. Another benefit of an Intranet is an increased amount of

security. Since only company employees have access to the information on the Intranet, their

information is protected from competitors. While there is little doubt that the Internet will

eventually be a fast, reliable service, industry and the academic community have taken their

own steps toward making more practical global networks.