Unit 3 Net Changes Life (II)

Part I Warming up

A.

Time

1. in the 1830s

2. on Aug. 5th, 1858

3. on Nov. 2nd, 1920

4. after World War II

5. in the 1950s

6. on Sep. 25th, 1956

7. in July 19'62

8. today

Events

a. first radio program broadcasting b. two coasts of the U.S. shown on

TV ,at the same time

c. telegraph invention

d. television invention

e. first message transmitted by a wire cable under the Atlantic Ocean

f. three hundred million computers connecting to networks

g. first direct telephone calls from the U.S. to Europe

h. first communications satellite placed in orbit around the earth

1--c 2--e 3--a 4--d 5--b 6--g 7--h 8--f

Tapescript:

1. The first useful telegraphs were developed in Britain and the United States in the 1830s. Each letter of the alphabet and each number had to be sent separately by a device called a telegraph key.

2. On Aug. 5th, 1858, the first message was transmitted by a wire cable under the Atlantic Ocean. This meant that information now took only a matter of hours to reach most large cities in the world.

3. On Nov. 2nd, 1920, radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania broadcast the first radio program. Within a few short years, news and information could be heard anywhere a radio broadcast could reach.

4. After World War II, a new invention appeared: television. In the industrial countries, television quickly became common in most homes.

5. In the 1950s, two important events took place that greatly affected the communication of information. The first was a television broadcast that showed the east coast and the west coast of the United States at the same time. People could see two reporters talk to each other although they Were separated by a continent.

6. The other event happened on Sep. 25th, 1956. That was when the first telephone cable under the Atlantic Ocean made it possible to make direct telephone calls from the United States to Europe.

7. In July 1962, the first communications satellite was placed in orbit around the earth. The speed of information again greatly increased.

8.Today experts say there are about 300 million computers connected to networks that provide links with computers around the world.

B.

Tapescript:

America Online is the largest provider of Internet service in the world. It serves more than 20 million people worldwide. Time Warner is the world's largest media company. The company owns Time magazine, first published in 1923. Time Warner publishes more than 30 magazines. One hundred and twenty million people read them. The company produces TV shows and films as well as recordings.

Part II Net changes dorm life

Areas Examples

Academics a. registering for classes

b. getting assignments and research papers

c. attending professors' "virtual office hours"

d. posting course lectures

Entertainment a. data containing music files

b. online games

Communications a. instant messages

b. toll-free phone calls

Commerce e-commerce orders

B.

1. When you choose a university, will you consider high-speed

Internet access a top priority? Why or why not?

2. What facilities do you think are a must that a university should offer in the future?

3. What do you think of attending professors' "virtual office

hours" online? Is it better than the traditional way?

Tapescript:

The proposed merger of America Online and Time Warner anticipates an age when high-speed Internet access is everything. It will be a pipeline for almost all the entertainment, communications and information that people consume.

It is an era so distant to most Americans that they can hardly envision it. And yet it already exists. In fact, it is the only world that today's college students know. Colleges across the United States have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years wiring dormitories for high-speed Internet access.

When admissions people go out and talk to students these days, the students always ask, "Do you have a high-speed network?" Indeed, for today's students, having high-speed Internet access is a top priority. They base their housing decisions on it, and restructure their meager student budgets to afford it.

College administrators acknowledge that academic pursuits are just a fraction of the activity On their campus networks. The bulk of the traffic consists of data containing music files, instant messages, toll-free phone calls, e-commerce orders, online games and just about anything.

At a high-rise dorm at the University of Southern California, walking down the hallway on the eighth floor almost any time of day, you're likely to hear students in separate rooms shouting at each other -- "You killed me! '-- as they mow each other down in online games played over the network. Friends from opposite ends of the floor simultaneously make for the elevators. They've just messaged each other by computer that it's time to head off to the dining commons. To them, knocking on someone's door is an antiquated 20th century tradition.

Today's students register for classes, get their homework assignments, research papers and attend professors' "virtual office hours" online. Some universities even post course lectures on the Net, so that students can review them any time they wish.

Just as one of the students put it: "We live our lives over the Internet."

Part III Global multi-media giant

A. Tapescript:

The Internet company America Online and the movie company Time Warner may soon link to create the world's largest media company. Officials of the two companies said they will work to use the latest technology to provide news and entertainment products. America Online will buy Time Warner for at least 160 thousand million dollars. Officials of both companies have approved the agreement. But it still must be approved by stockholders and government officials.

B.

--Event: merger agreement between America Online and TimeWarner

--Name of the new company: AOL Time Warner

--Areas influenced by the event: music, publishing, news gathering, films, Internet

--Way of buying: with stock

--Value of the agreement: 180 thousand million dollars

C.

(F) 1. Time Warner earns more money than America Online

and its stocks are more valuable than those of America

Online.

(F) 2. The value of America Online stock has risen 180% in

the past two years.

(T) 3. It can be inferred from the report that in the future

there may be more mergers of Internet and media busi-

nesses.

(T) 4. The agreement is the result of media companies trying to use the power of the Internet and Internet companies wanting to reach more people.

(F) 5. Some groups oppose the sale of Time Warner to America Online because Internet and media businesses may feel more pressure to unite.

Tapescript:

On Monday, the largest provider of Internet service in the world announced plans to buy the world's largest media company. America Online and Time Warner expect to combine their businesses by the end of the year. The new company will have a major influence in many areas including music, publishing, news gathering, films and the Internet. The new company will be called AOL Time Warner.

America Online agreed to buy Time Warner with stock. Some media estimates said the agreement was worth as much as 180 thousand million dollars. However, share prices in both companies fell as the week continued. The agreement shows that traditional media no longer exist separately from the media created by new technology. Time Warner admits that its efforts to move in new directions have not always succeeded. So it welcomed the offer by America Online. The agreement surprised many people. Time Warner earns a lot more money than America Online. However, America Online is growing faster. Many investors consider the stocks of Internet companies to be more valuable than those of traditional companies. The value of America Online stock has risen 800% in the past two years. The sale of Time Warner to America Online must be approved by shareholders in both companies. It also will be closely examined by federal officials.

Some experts say AOL Time Warner could be as powerful as the computer software company Microsoft. Other Internet and media businesses may feel more pressure to unite. The agreement comes as traditional media companies try to decide how best to use the power of the Internet. At the same time Internet companies want to reach more people. Media observers worry that as the Internet becomes more popular it will become controlled by fewer and fewer companies. That's why some groups oppose the sale of Time Warner to America Online. They want the government to make sure that the Internet does not become just another place of business.