EA Pancho Lasso Curso 2023-2024

Reading exam Unit 1

Name: /20

The History of E-Mail

I
Today, almost all of our written communication takes place digitally. This is mainly thanks to an engineer called Ray Tomlinson,
who invented e-mail more than 40 years ago. Although many teenagers consider e-mail outdated and prefer to communicate using
text messages or social media tools, e-mail still remains essential, especially for business and banking.
II
How it all began: In 1971, Tomlinson was working at a company that was developing an early version of the Internet, called
ARPANET. At the time, it was already possible to transmit electronic messages to people who were using different terminals that
were attached to the same computer. However, there was no way to transmit messages between two different computers.
III
Tomlinson had not been told by his managers to develop a network communication system. However, he had noticed that it was
sometimes difficult for him to get hold of his colleagues in other offices by phone. So, he secretly began working on a program
that would enable people to send messages from one computer to another.
IV
He began by sending messages between two computers in his office. He would begin by typing a message on one. Then, he would
wheel his chair to the other to check whether his message had been successfully transmitted. Often, the messages he sent did not
make sense. Eventually, Tomlinson managed to send the first e-mail message. Sadly, because he did not keep a record of it, we
will never know what it said.
V
Tomlinson also started the e-mail address format that is used to this day. He chose to use the @ sign in the addresses, since it
appeared on standard keyboards but was rarely used. As a result, he felt that it would be unlikely to cause confusion.
VI
E-mail today:Unfortunately, since its invention, e-mail has become problematic. Often, people create fake e-mail addresses as a
way to cover up their true identity. Yet despite this, nobody can deny that e-mail has made communication easier and faster. We
could say that e-mail has completely changed our world.

1 Choose the correct answer. (4 points)

1 According to the writer, e-mails .......... .
a are still popular
b have become a thing of the past
c are no longer used for personal communication
d are popular with young people
2 Before e-mail was invented, .......... .
a it was not possible to send electronic messages
b people did not communicate digitally
c it was more difficult to communicate with people in different locations
d people were unable to communicate with people in other locations
3 We know the first e-mail that was ever sent .......... .
a did not make sense
b was recorded
c was sad
d was not kept
4 The @ sign .......... .
a became widely used thanks to e-mail
b did not exist before e-mail was invented
EA Pancho Lasso Curso 2023-2024

c was invented by Tomlinson

d has always been common

2 Complete the sentences. (6 points)

1 Tomlinson began developing e-mail because........................................................................................................

2 At first, Tomlinson kept his invention secret because ......................................................................................

3 Tomlinson moved from one computer to the other so that ...............................................................................

4 Tomlinson used the @ sign because .................................................................................................................

5 People can deceive others through e-mail by.....................................................................................................

6 Tomlinson’s invention was significant because.................................................................................................

3 Find words or expressions in the text that mean:(10 points)

1 old-fashioned (paragraph I) .................................................................

2 contact (paragraph III) .......................................................................

3 move (paragraph IV) ..........................................................................

4 were illogical (paragraph IV) .............................................................

5 hide (paragraph VI) ............................................................................

Listening exam Unit 1 /15

1 Listen to three students talking about their experiences and feelings living away from home. Then
decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F). (6 points)
.......... 1 John’s e-mails to his school friends became shorter and less personal.
.......... 2 John is enthusiastic about his school reunion.
.......... 3 Amy expected university to be more challenging.
.......... 4 Amy didn't tell her family and friends her problems.
.......... 5 Amy plans on keeping in touch with her old friends.
.......... 6 Ben is still in touch with all his closest friends from school.

2 Listen again to the three students and answer the questions. (9 points, 3 each)
1 What is John’s complaint about his flatmates?

2 Why is Amy enjoying life more these days?

3 What was Ben worried about?