UNIT

4 Beyond Words
LE V EL 3 – RE A DING WORK SHEE T: Business PAGE 1 OF 2

READING
Read the text. How has the internet affected the way we do business?

Interface to Interface
For many young people, it is hard to imagine what
doing business was like before the internet. In the early
nineties, computers were already common, both in
homes and in offices, and they had a large effect on
working life. Businesses used them to keep records
and to run programs. However, communication with
both customers and other businesses still happened by
telephone, by mail, or in person. It was expensive and
slow. Communication between computers was possible,
and universities and other organizations in the US sent
messages through computers, but private businesses
were not allowed to use the internet. That changed in The internet has also changed how people work. Many
1992, which was only a year after Sir Tim Berners-Lee more of us work remotely—in other words, we don’t travel
created the World Wide Web. Both developments led to to a central office every day, but work from a home office.
a revolution for businesses. One thing that makes this possible is video conferencing.
Business meetings are much cheaper and easier now.
It became possible to communicate directly with
It’s also easy to send documents over the internet and to
customers and other businesses around the world
work together on the same files in the cloud, which means
instantly and for free. Businesses quickly created
there is less need to be in the same room together to
webpages with information about their products and
work. Another advantage for businesses is that they can
the services they offered. Customers could see these
hire workers from a much bigger area. If the workers don’t
webpages on their computers using web browsers,
have to travel to an office every day, they can live a long
such as Mosaic, which appeared in 1993, and Internet
way from the business. The business can choose from a
Explorer, which appeared a couple of years later.
much wider group of people and so they can hire the best,
Communicating in this way was good for all businesses
instead of just hiring people who live in the local area.
because now they could reach many more people, but
it was especially useful for small businesses. Before that As more and more people around the world get
point, large businesses were the only ones that could access to the internet, it will continue to change how
afford to print catalogs and mail them out to large we do business.
numbers of people. Suddenly, anyone could get that
information to possible customers and take orders from video conferencing (n): the audio and video technology
anywhere in the world. This meant more competition that allows people in different places to see and hear
between businesses and lower prices for consumers. one another in meetings

Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Macmillan Education Limited. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2020.
This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
UNIT

4 Beyond Words
LE V EL 3 – RE A DING WORK SHEE T: Business PAGE 2 OF 2

VOCABULARY
Choose the correct option.

1 I have to send a … of emails, one to the office and one to my brother.

a set b couple c pair
2 I can’t … Lizzie by phone. Could you email her for me?
a send b touch c reach
3 We need to … more salespeople so we can grow the business.
a collect b take c hire
4 I try to buy from … businesses if I can.
a local b present c near
5 More people in developing countries are getting … to the internet.
a contact b access c connection

COMPREHENSION
Choose True or False.

1 Before the ’90s, businesses spent a lot of time and money on communication. True / False
2 No private companies used computers for communication before 1992. True / False
3 The World Wide Web gave large companies a particular advantage. True / False
4 Video conferencing allows businesses to have more meetings in person. True / False
5 Businesses now have more choice when they want new employees. True / False

THINKING
In what other ways has the internet affected businesses?

Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Macmillan Education Limited. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2020.
This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
UNIT

4 Beyond Words
LE V EL 3 – RE A DING WORK SHEE T: Services PAGE 1 OF 2

READING
Read the text. How important is communication when planning events?

Clear Communication
Planning an important event is a big challenge for most
people. It’s something they do rarely, and they are often
unsure how to manage the process. Good communication
with the people and the companies who are providing
different services is very important. Clear instructions
usually produce a successful event. However, there are
many different ways of communicating with people, and
they all have advantages and disadvantages.
These days, we all send and receive many messages
a day, either as text messages or through messaging
services, such as WhatsApp, which are easy and instant. solve your problem than someone who only knows you
When you are organizing an event, it means you can get through text messages. You probably won’t be able to
a fast answer to a question or communicate a decision use this method with all the people you need to work
very quickly. However, there are possible problems. with, because it demands time and effort. Modern
This kind of message does not communicate some technology, such as Skype, can help, but you still need to
information such as tone of voice or body language. It’s make time to speak to the other person.
easy to misunderstand what someone means, especially Communication can become even more important when
if they try to use humor. It’s a good idea to use this things go badly. If a company makes a mistake and
method of communication for simple, factual messages, doesn’t reply to your messages, you may decide that
such as dates, times, names, or numbers. When you are you want to make your problem public. One method is
arranging more complex details, such as the look of an through social media. You may decide to post a message
event, it’s probably better to choose a different method on the company’s social media page. Companies want
of communication. people to see them positively, so they will probably
Meeting in person is a very good way of communicating act. You should remember, though, that public
these complex details. You can see a person’s facial communication can easily cause more problems. The
expressions and hear their tone of voice. You can also company may question your view of what happened and
read their body language. This is useful information they may stop working with you. In the end, clear and
and you can be confident that you have communicated positive communication from the beginning is the best
your message. It also means that you build a personal way to make sure you organize a successful event.
relationship with the other person, which can become
very important if you face problems. A person who complex (adj): something hard to understand or deal
knows you personally will work harder to help you with because there are a lot of details or small parts

VOCABULARY
Match the definitions (1–5) to the words (a–e).

1 If a message is , everyone can see it. a arrange

2 When you make a/an , you try hard to do something. b confident
3 If you are about something, you are sure it will be successful. c effort
4 When you a/an event, you organize all the details to make it happen. d method
5 A/An is a way of doing something. e public

Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Macmillan Education Limited. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2020.
This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
UNIT

4 Beyond Words
LE V EL 3 – RE A DING WORK SHEE T: Services PAGE 2 OF 2

COMPREHENSION
Choose the correct option.

1 Most people who organize important events don’t do it very often / well.
2 With text messages, you receive / don’t receive all the information you need to understand completely.
3 If you want to communicate public / complicated information, you should do it in a face-to-face meeting.
4 Communicating in person can become useful when you need to work hard / things go wrong.
5 When you communicate with a company in public, it can have negative results / improve their opinion
of you.

THINKING
When you are arranging an event, what are the advantages and disadvantages of communicating by phone?

Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Macmillan Education Limited. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2020.
This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
UNIT

4 Beyond Words
LE V EL 3 – RE A DING WORK SHEE T: Science PAGE 1 OF 2

READING
Read the text. What is it about? Is technology helping how we communicate?

In an Instant
As we know, the internet has changed the way we
communicate. But it’s funny to think that less than 25 years
ago, not many people knew what the internet was.
Now, most of us write emails, send texts, or have online
conversations with people all over the planet. To give
you an idea of the size of this communication revolution,
in 2019 there were about 3.7 billion email users
worldwide, and they sent nearly 294 billion emails every
day. But sometimes email can be too slow, especially
when you don’t know when the person you want to email
is online. This explains why instant messaging (IM) has
on MSN Messenger. In 2003, Skype started its voice
become so popular. The present-day IM experience now
and video calling service, but it was another five years
includes many different features such as video, pictures,
before Facebook started Facebook Chat. This allowed
voice messaging, e-commerce (buying services using the
Facebook friends to message one another for the first
app), and gaming. However, the features of popular apps
time. This became Facebook Messenger in 2014, as a
like Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp
separate app from Facebook. In 2009, WhatsApp started
would not be possible without the earlier development
and became popular with people who didn’t want to
of simple instant messaging apps. So how did it all start?
pay to send text messages. Two years later, Snapchat
In 1992, someone sent the first IM—“Merry started. It allows users to send “snaps,” or pictures that
Christmas!”—using the Vodafone UK messaging service. disappear after a certain amount of time, and is a huge
But instant messaging really exploded onto the internet success with millennials.
scene in November 1996. That’s when Mirabilis, a
And what does the very near future look like for IM? With
software company from Israel, introduced ICQ, a free
virtual reality (VR), users won’t send text or video, but
instant messaging service that anyone could use. ICQ is
will be able to see the person they are communicating
short for “I seek you” (seek means “to look for”). Users
with in 3-D in real time. The ability to instantly translate
could download the free software app, called a “client,”
from one language to another means that people who
to their computer. The client communicated with ICQ
speak different languages will be able to communicate,
when you went online and the software was running. This
and companies will start using IM as a way of sharing
allowed people to chat in “real time.” In other words,
information rather than using emails or telephones.
there was only a very short delay between sending the
message and the other person receiving the message.
By 2001, there were 100 million users worldwide. features (n plural): the distinctive parts of something
America Online (AOL) bought ICQ in 1998. explode onto the (internet) scene (idiom): become
In 1998, Yahoo released Yahoo Messenger, and a year popular very quickly in a particular area
later, in 1999, Microsoft released MSN Messenger. millennials (n plural): people who reached young
By 2005, users sent about 2.5 billion messages daily adulthood around the year 2000

Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Macmillan Education Limited. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2020.
This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
UNIT

4 Beyond Words
LE V EL 3 – RE A DING WORK SHEE T: Science PAGE 2 OF 2

VOCABULARY
Complete the sentences with words from the box.

delay release software translate worldwide

1 When I was chatting with my cousin in New Zealand on the phone, I noticed there was a short
time .
2 Around 203 million people use the Snapchat app every day.
3 Jake works for a company that makes computer programs for NASA.
4 The band will their new music video on YouTube.
5 I use the Babylon app to for me when I travel abroad and don’t speak the language.

COMPREHENSION
Choose the correct option.

1 In 2019, people sent approximately … emails every day.

a 2.5 billion b 3.7 billion c 294 billion
2 A person sent the first instant message from … in 1992.
a the UK b the US c Israel
3 In 1998, ICQ …
a changed its name. b had 100 million users. c was bought by another company.
4 Facebook Chat started in …
a 2003. b 2008. c 2014.
5 In the very near future, it’s likely that IM will replace … at work.
a emails b phone calls c both emails and phone calls

THINKING
How is communication using instant messaging different from face-to-face communication?

Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Macmillan Education Limited. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2020.
This page may be photocopied and used within the class.