Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 461
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 461 – PASSAGE – 3
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 461
READING PASSAGE – 3
The Future of the Internet
A. In the 30 years since the Internet first came into existence, we have experienced a technological revolution that has completely transformed the way we live and the functioning of business and communications throughout the world. Change is spiralling faster and faster, and the introduction of a single piece of new technology can catapult the world into another level of existence almost overnight.
The effect of the invention of the smartphone, for example, has been massive, giving citizens of developing nations access to the Internet, and smashing the socioeconomic division between the technological ‘haves’ and ‘have- nots’ in just a few years. It is safe to say that from a technological standpoint, any prediction for what might be in existence in the next 30 years cannot be deemed as fanciful but as something that is probably within our grasp.
IELTS General Reading Test
B. One of the major predictions is that the digital world will no longer be separate from the physical world. No longer will we be plugging in computers, looking at flat screens, or squinting at phones that are reflecting against the daylight. Any hardware will most likely be in the form of augmented-reality glasses or contact lenses that project images into the world to display information that is constantly available around us, mingled into and not easily distinguishable from the physical world.
Instead of typing questions with a keypad, or even asking a voice-activated system, the Internet will be able to respond to eye movement and thought instructions triggered by the neurological signals of our consciousness. This is called a brain interface. The information projected into the air in front of us will not just be about the availability of parking spaces in a certain location or price comparisons of certain products for sale.
IELTS General Reading Test
It will perform far more intricate functions – such as, identifying those who are standing around us in a crowd, informing us that a dish containing a nutrient we lack in is on the menu in a nearby restaurant, or overlaying a hologram of how a historical place actually looked 500 years before.
C. As well as us having augmented-reality glasses, earpieces may be replaced by surgical implants to give us information in an auditory form, similar to what Siri or Alexa does. Gone will be the need to type or perhaps even ask questions; it will be enough to just think of a question to get the answer. This giving over of thought processes to the Internet may raise some concerns over how much of what we think could be monitored, and there are certainly some ethical and privacy issues that will need to be addressed before this type of technology becomes ubiquitous.
Our future reactions and thoughts may even be anticipated by algorithms, and the consequences of such possibilities might be considered either useful to society or frightening for us. Similar concerns are currently being raised about the massive amount of private data on individuals which is being accumulated today. However, this type of data accumulation will be vital for the functioning of the advanced systems that are coming to us, and decisions have to be made about how much privacy we are willing to relinquish.
IELTS General Reading Test
D. Education will be completely transformed. What we need to know and remember will be so different from what is required now that the whole the educational system will be restructured. Different languages will no longer be a barrier, with instant translations occurring as we speak so that people will hear each other in languages we can understand and be able to communicate with ease.
E. We will also be able to monitor our health more easily. Wrist trackers like Fitbit are a current example of this. It allows you to monitor your heart rate, body temperature, and the amount of sleep taken or exercise done. Future versions may also include measurements of blood sugar and hormone levels, requirements for vitamins, notifications of infection, information on lung, liver and renal function, and antibody testing.
IELTS General Reading Test
Physical anomalies will be picked up earlier and treated accordingly by doctors. Apart from individual benefits, the data on the general population will allow scientists to understand the health status of entire communities better, and health care could be tailored to reflect real needs. Again, there are some concerns about how on an individual level some of the data may be used to discriminate against people who could be susceptible to diseases due to genetic or environmental factors.
F. Clearly there is some urgency to define guidelines for control of which data will be accumulated, who will accumulate it, and who will get access to it. People have already shown to be willing to give up a certain level of privacy in order to have the conveniences that big data can offer, such as the offer of information on goods and services available around them based on their location or purchasing history.
IELTS General Reading Test
But do we want our medical insurance company to know that we have a combination of symptoms that point to a high probability of getting a particular disease? Do we want a government to know the likelihood of getting our vote in the next election when they are in control of future health care we might receive? Once such practices become the norm, they are very difficult to dismantle. Privacy legislation and ethical policies will need to advance at the same rapid rate as that of upcoming technology.
Questions 28-33
The text has six sections, A-F.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph, A-F, from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, I-vill, in boxes 28-33 on your answer sheet.
28. Paragraph A
29. Paragraph B
30. Paragraph C
31. Paragraph D
32. Paragraph E
33. Paragraph F
IELTS General Reading Test
List of headings
i. Transport completely transformed
ii. A warning to plan for the future
iii. Two worlds join as one
iv. Is sharing our thoughts OK?
v. No ethical dilemmas
vi. Nothing is impossible
vii. Looking after our body
viii. A change in what we need to know
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 34-37
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.
The World Wide Web
The smartphone has been a great leveller, as it quickly gave everyone around the world 34……………. to technology. Any 35……………. made for the Internet in the next 30 years should be thought of as achievable.
36……………. as we know it, such as mobile phones, computers and screens, will become obsolete.
The information revealed to us with augmented reality will be much more 37…………….
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 38-40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
38. According to the text, why will it be necessary to provide some private data?
A. The new technology will require it to function.
B. Governments will insist on having it.
C. It will ensure the safety of the Internet.
D. It will ensure that people make correct ethical decisions.
39. We will no longer have to learn other languages because
A. we will not communicate with our voices.
B. we will all speak one language.
C. we will hear an automatic translation of each other’s language.
D. we will see translations on augmented-reality screens.
40. The text highlights the need to continually update legislation and policy to
A. be in line with new ethical opinions.
B. keep up with each change in technology.
C. help medical insurance companies
D. enable fair voting in elections.
IELTS General Reading Test
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
28. VI
29. III
30. IV
31. VIII
32. VII
33. II
34. ACCESS
35. PREDICTIONS
36. HARDWARE
37. INTRICATE
38. A
39. C
40. B
IELTS General Reading Test