Teens talk about cyberlove

I personally wouldn’t go for online love but my sister did. It was a major drama. She e-mailed him, then phoned him, then ran off with him! After a couple of months they got married. Did I mention that he was Chinese and has never left his country? Well, that’s what I call a «cyber miracle». Laura, 16	I know quite a few girls but if you are shy or live in an area where you don’t know a lot of girls, e-mails dating would be a good thing to do. You don’t have to marry them! You can just flirt a bit. Tom, 17
I suppose the Internet is quite a good way of getting to know the person before you meet her to go on a date. I use the phone more than the e-mail. To tell the truth, I’m a phonaholic. Rob, 16	You hear too many scary stories about online dating. Anyway, I’d want to go out with the person properly and get to know him by talking. I know it’s a stereotype but I imagine a real geek when I think of dating online. Sarah, 15

Exercise 3. Laura, Tom, Rob or Sarah? Who says what?

a) The Internet is a good way to approach people.

b) A family member got involved with someone online.

c) It’s better to know people personally.

d) It is said that online dating can be a dangerous thing.

e) Sending e-mails allows you to flirt a bit without having to build a serious relationship.

f) People who go for cyberlove are believed to be netaholic.

g) I spend a lot of time talking on the phone

Exercise 4.

Read the text and complete it with the missing words given below.

Meg Ryan _(a)_ Kathleen Kelly who is involved with Frank Navasky (Greg Kinnear). _(b)_ Frank, as a newspaper writer for the New York Observer, is devoted to the typewriter, Kathleen prefers her _(c)_ and logging into her AOL e-mail _(d)_. There, using the avatar Shopgirl, Kathleen communicates with NY152. This is the avatar for Joe Fox (Tom Hanks). Joe _(e)_ to the Fox family who runs a chain of “mega” bookstores, Fox Books, Kathleen, on the other hand, runs the independent bookstore, The Shop Around The Corner, that her mother ran before her. The central _(f)_ of the film revolves around the _(g)_ of Kathleen and Joe to interact well in _(h)_ while they are business competitors in the “real world”.

Exercise 5. Now answer the following questions:

a) What does Frank Navasky do?

b) What’s Kathleen’s favourite hobby?

c) Explain the meaning of the word avatar?

d) Who is Joe Fox?

e) Are Joe and Kathleen on the same business? Which?

f) What’s the difference between their relationship online and their relationship in the “real world”?

g) How do you think the story ends?

Exercise 6. What do teenagers really think of Email? Study the chart and express your thought about the future of emailing.

Exercise 7. Match the acronyms with the corresponding word/expression.