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X. Read the passage carefully, then do the tasks.

The very first, simple, text message was sent on December 3rd, 1992. It was sent by software engineer Neil Papworth to his boss  at the British mobile phone operator Vodafone. It read simply, “Merry Christmas”. Little did they know that their simple mode of communication would take the world by storm. SMS (Short Message Service) is today a multi-billion-dollar industry covering every corner of the globe. An estimated nine trillion text messages are sent globally each year. Everyone from presidents to schoolchildren to villagers in remote parts of developing countries relies on it to communicate.

SMS is now an integral part of daily life for most of us. It is the preferred method of communication between family members. One study showed that the average American teenager sends up to 60 texts a day. However, SMS has also been blamed for a decline in language ability and an increase in traffic accidents. A new sub-language has spread worldwide as texters find shortcuts to write their messages as quickly as possible using the fewest possible characters. Texting shorthand such as LOL (laugh out loud) and OMG (oh my god) has even entered the Oxford English Dictionary.

A. Match the following synonyms from the article.

1. age                    a. faraway

2. mode                b. held responsible

3. remote              c. decrease

4. relies                 d. method

5. integral              e. era

6. blamed              f. depends

7. decline              g. essential

B. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
1. The first text message was sent to engineer Neil Papworth in 1992.

2. The first text message simply said “Merry Christmas”.

3. Today SMS is a widely used form of communication.

4. Around nine billion text messages are sent worldwide every year.

5. An average US teen supposedly sends more than 60 text messages a day.

6. People blame SMS for a decline in writing standards.

7. An abbreviated, shorthand language has been created by texters.

8. The texting acronym “LOL” is in the dictionary as “Lots of Love”.

C. Answer the questions.

1. On what day was the first text message sent?

_______________________________________________________________

2. Who was the first text message sent to?

_______________________________________________________________

3. How many words were there in the very first text message?

_______________________________________________________________

4. What does “SMS” mean?

_______________________________________________________________

5. What does everybody rely on SMS to do?

_______________________________________________________________

6. What two problems has texting been blamed for?

_______________________________________________________________

7. What did texters find to write messages more quickly?

_______________________________________________________________

8. What does “LOL” mean in a text?

_______________________________________________________________

1. video conferencing will be used for special occasions or short conversations

2. social media has become popular among young people

3. telepathy ( thần giao cách cảm ) is a way to communicate instantly by thought ( suy nghĩ )

4. teens are sending more text messages than ever before

5. will people in 30 years be communicating by telepathy

6. we often give a thumbs- up to let someone know that something is good

7. chatting with friends via webcam allows you to watch their body language

8. technology has changed dramactically the way we communicate with each other

9. teenagers today prefer texting on their cell phone to talking face to face

10. in spite of the language barrier ( rào cản ngôn ngữ ), foreigners can help communicate with gesture

III. Complete each sentence so it means the same as the sentence above. Use “Used to”.

1. They once started these machines by hand.

=> They used to start these machines by hand.

2. He doesn’t get up late anymore.

=> He used to get up late.

3. I don’t listen to the radio any more.

=> I used to listen to the radio.

4. They don’t have a dog any more.

=> They used to have a dog.

5. My brother doesn’t serve in the army any longer.

=> My brother used to serve in the army.

6. Barbara is not as keen on travel as she used to be.

=> Barbara used to be keen on travel.

7. When he was young, he usually did morning exercise in the park.

=> He used to do morning exercise in the park when he was young.

8. The man often spent his holiday in the mountain when he was young.

=> The man used to spend his holiday in the mountain when he was young.

9. Before he had the car, he went to work by bike.

=> Before he had the car, he used to go to work by bike.

10. When I was young, I usually get up early.

=> I used to get up early when I was young