INTERNET BOOM
Today the internet is widely used in homes, schools and businesses around the world. However, that hasn't always been the case. The internet was first developed in the 1960s and 1970s by U.S goverment scientists as a way of sharing information. The earliest version of the internet was called ARPAnet, for advanced Research Projects Agency network. In 1969, only four computers were connected to the ARPAnet. Just 20 years later, though, as computers became more commonly developed, over 80,000 computers were connected.
Use of the Internet has continued to grow dramatically. Experts estimate that about 1% of the world's population used theinternet in 1996. By 2008, that percentage grew to nearly 24%. How do reseachers count more than 1 billion users? Programs called web crawlers browse the collecting data once they are started. These programs are sometimes called "spiders" because they "crawl" around the web.
As the internet continues to grow, an increasing number of spiders scurry invisibly , collecting and sending information24 hours a day.
1. What does the word "Boom" in the title mean?
A. a loud noise
B. a job
C. a computer program
D. A rapid increase
2. When was the internet first invented ?
A. 20 years ago
B. in 1969
C. in the 1960s
D. by 2008
3. Why did the USA first develop the internet?
A. for sharing information
B. for monitoring
C. for connecting computers
D. for crawling around the web
4. The word "dramatically" can be best replaced by................
A. Slightly
B. unchangeably
C. automatically
D. strongly
5. What is the percentage of the world"s population using the internet before 2008?
A. 1%
B. about 24%
C. 24 hours
D. 80,000