Английский язык: Сборник текстов и упражнений. Иваненко Т.И. - 59 стр.

        Q: Does anybody of your friends use regular mail?
        I think my girlfriend. She likes to send presents through regular mail to her mom and to a
sister, and they, of course, also send mail back to her. They send little presents to each other and
little cards. Really, now I guess, paper mail has become some…it's become more like a treat, for
most people it's become like a treat, when you receive something really nice and special from
your family and friends through the paper mail, because, you know, you receive so much…
        there's just so much junk out there that it, you know, becomes like a treat,
        when you receive something special from somebody.
        Q: Are there any laws that prohibit people from sending junk mail?
        I don't know of any laws specifically, that don't allow people to send you junk mail, espe-
cially through the paper mail. I think, you can send anybody anything that you want, and of
course, within reason, I think there's certain rules of propriety, that don't allow people to send
you…I don't know... things that are either abusive or you know, may be pornographic, but I
know that they are starting to think about rules for e-mail and sending junky mail, because it has
become the more prevailing form of talking with people and communicating with people. So, I
believe they are beginning to try to make laws
        that prohibit people from gathering information over the internet,
        like people's e-mails, to make a law that prohibits somebody from sending you something.
The people, who can do this, are already working on new ways to do it, and so, I'm not sure that
one law or a law that they will create will be sufficient enough to actually stop people from send-
ing junk mails. I’m just not sure that's gonna be possible.

      NOTES

      1. Instant Messaging –мгновенная почта
      2. Quick one-to-one communication – быстрый способ общения один на один
      3. A walkie-talkie – переносная рация
      4. Paper mail – бумажная корреспонденция
      5. Junk mail – спам
      6. A paperless workforce – безбумажное делопроизводство
      7. Solicitors – агенты по распространению заказов
      8. Bulk mail – массовая рассылка


                                     LET THEM DO E-MAIL.

       What about the belief that the Internet will reduce inequality? According to a study carried
out by America’s Department of Commerce, households with annual incomes above $ 75, 000
are more than 20 times as likely to have Internet access as the poorest households.
       But, as the cost of using the Internet continues to fail (services offering free access are becom-
ing the norm, and a basic PC can now be had for little more than a video recorder or a large televi-
sion), the true reason for the digital divide between rich and poor will become apparent. The poor are
not shunning the Internet because they cannot afford it: the problem is that they lack the skills to ex-
ploit it effectively. So it is difficult to see how connecting the poor to the Internet will improve their
finances. It would make more sense to aim for universal literacy than universal Internet access.
       Yet, even in the more ludicrous claims for the Internet, there may be germs of truth. This
open network, so hard for governments to control, may indeed help to give more power to indi-
vidual citizens and encourage democracies. As democratic governments rarely fight each other,
that might promote peace. As for the environment, the Internet will allow many pieces of machi-
nery to be monitored and tuned more precisely from afar. That will promote energy efficiency.
Taxing or merely measuring pollution will be less expensive and so easier for governments to
undertake.

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