ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

GRADE 11th-2020
TOEFL READING 3

"Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care". Theodore Roosevelt

The Internet and Fiber Optics

1. The Internet is lauded by most as the

greatest innovation of the
twentieth century. Originally conceived of by the US Federal Department of
Defense as a means of decentralizing their computer control center in the
event of nuclear attack, the Internet has grown into a huge network of globally
connected computers. In fact, recent figures indicate that nearly two billion
people currently make use of its many services. The Internet has
revolutionized global communications, information access, and commercial
transactions.
2. This complex system, whose visual representation resembles the architecture
of the human brain, allows individuals to communicate almost instantaneously
across vast distances through email, instant messaging, and
videoconferencing. The emergence of the World Wide Web, a massive set of
interlinked online documents, and search engines such as Google, have
ushered in a new age of instant information including text, graphics, and audio-
visual media. Online forums, message boards, and websites dedicated to
serving particular interest groups have broadened people's social circles and
communication opportunities. Remote access enables users to check email
and access files and programs on a home or office PC from distant locations.
Streaming media provide a venue for broadcast companies such as the BBC
or individuals participating in sites such as YouTube to upload video for mass
consumption. Secure servers allow for financial transactions and the online
purchasing of virtually any type of product.
3. Because of the Internet's invaluable contributions to the enhancement of
knowledge, communications, and commerce, physicists and engineers
constantly endeavor to increase its power and speed. The development of
fiber optics is a cost-effective technology that serves to accomplish these aims.
Fiber optics is a data-delivery system that operates by transmitting light
through glass fibers. Due to its many advantages over copper-wire electrical
 ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
GRADE 11th-2020
TOEFL READING 3

"Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care". Theodore Roosevelt
transmission, it is now the state-of-the-art system deployed in intercity and
transoceanic communication lines connecting the developed world. Fiberoptic
cables currently deliver information 1000 times faster and 100 times farther
than copper-wire technology. While utilizing less power, they deliver a clearer
and more secure signal that is less prone to electromagnetic interference and
degradation.
4. Fiber optics works by using a light source adjacent to the fiber such as a light-
emitting diode (LED) or laser to produce and digitally encode the light signal.
This light travels through the core of the fiber, which is composed of pure
flexible glass. The purer the glass, the clearer the signal. Since light travels in
straight lines, the core is covered with a mirrored layer that reflects light off its
walls and guides it down the fiber channel. To make up for signal loss over
distance, laser amplifiers convert the weakening signal into a stronger one
with the same properties. Finally, upon reaching its destination, an optical
receiver decodes the digital signal so that it can be read by a computer, TV, or
telephone. Fiber-optics technology is not limited to the Internet.
5. Due to the physical constraints involved in creating a fiber-optic infrastructure
within cities because of the need to distribute fibers among millions of users,
fiber-optic systems have been reserved up until very recently for long-distance
applications. Telecommunication companies usually solve what they call the
"last mile" connectivity problem by complementing fiber with copper-wire
systems already in place. Fiber-to-the-node, also called fiber-to-the-
neighborhood, (FTTN) delivers fiber-optic service to an area where cable or
DSL copper-wire service providers offer high-speed Internet to their
subscribers. While their bandwidth is inferior to fiber, both cable and DSL
(digital SUbscriber line) are intermediate measures that provide adequate
service without the huge undertaking of replacing and rerouting fiber to
individual residences and businesses.
6. Recent studies estimate that Internet traffic will increase fifty-fold within the
next two years. Because the number of light colors that can be routed through
a single fiber doubles every six to nine months, the bandwidth potential for
fiber is virtually limitless. This makes it a safe bet for the future where yet
unheard of Internet media hinted at by 3-D virtual world applications will likely
demand increasingly faster connection speeds To date, more than 10 million
customers worldwide have fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) service. While Asian
countries have taken the lead in this regard, it is probable that FTTH will be the
standard international medium of Internet connectivity in the not-so-distant
future.