READING ASSIGNMENT 1

Name: Nguyen Thanh Trung

Class: 19E04

PASSAGE 1
Social Networks
Business applications
Social networks connect people at low cost; this can be beneficial for entrepreneurs and
small businesses looking to expand their contact base. These networks often act as a
customer relationship management tool for companies selling products and services.
Companies can also use social networks for advertising in the form of banners and text ads.
Since businesses operate globally, social networks can make it easier to keep in touch with
contacts around the world.

Medical applications
Social networks are beginning to be adopted by healthcare professionals as a means to
manage institutional knowledge, disseminate peer to peer knowledge and to highlight
individual physicians and institutions. The advantage of using a dedicated medical social
networking site is that all the members are screened against the state licensing board list of
practitioners. The role of social networks is especially of interest to pharmaceutical
companies who spend approximately "32 percent of their marketing dollars" attempting to
influence the opinion leaders of social networks.

Languages, nationalities and academia

Various social networking sites have sprung up catering to different languages and
countries. The popular site Facebook has been cloned for various countries and languages
and some specializing in connecting students and faculty.
Social networks for social good
Several websites are beginning to tap into the power of the social networking model for
social good. Such models may be highly successful for connecting otherwise fragmented
industries and small organizations without the resources to reach a broader audience with
interested and passionate users. Users benefit by interacting with a like-minded community
and finding a channel for their energy and giving.

Business model
Few social networks currently charge money for membership. In part, this may be because
social networking is a relatively new service, and the value of using them has not been
firmly established in customers' minds. Companies such as MySpace and Facebook sell
online advertising on their site. Hence, they are seeking large memberships, and charging
for membership would be counter-productive. Some believe that the deeper information
that the sites have on each user will allow much better targeted advertising than any other
site can currently provide. Sites are also seeking other ways to make money, such as by
creating an online marketplace or by selling professional information and social
connections to businesses.

Privacy issues
On large social networking services, there have been growing concerns about users giving
out too much personal information and the threat of sexual predators. Users of these
services need to be aware of data theft or viruses. However, large services, such as
MySpace, often work with law enforcement to try to prevent such incidents. In addition,
there is a perceived privacy threat in relation to placing too much personal information in
the hands of large corporations or governmental bodies, allowing a profile to be produced
on an individual's behavior on which decisions, detrimental to an individual, may be taken.

Investigations
Social network services are increasingly being used in legal and criminal investigations.
Information posted on sites such as MySpace and Facebook, has been used by police,
probation, and university officials to prosecute users of said sites. In some situations,
content posted on MySpace has been used in court.

SOURCE:
https://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_reading.htm
SUMMARY
Social Networks
Practical applications of social networks
- Business: Expand contact (eg: manage customers, advertise)
- Medical: Manage knowledge (eg: institutional knowledge, individual
knowledge)
Social benefits of social networks
- Available in different languages
- For industries and organizations: stay connected and reach broader audience
- For individual users: interact with those of similar interests
The business model of social networks
- Little/no charge for individual users
- Making profits through large-scale advertising or selling connections
Privacy issues with social networks
- Personal information theft
- Use of information posted on social networks for legal purposes
PASSAGE 2

Fashion The World Over

Today, dedicated followers of fashion look to cities such as New York City, London, Paris
and Milan for their inspiration and to buy the latest trends. The fashion scene changes with
every season and in many countries, this means that there are four collections – one each
for spring, summer, autumn and winter. The concept of fashion trends developed in the
14th century in Europe, but what about fashion in the rest of the world?

Early Western travellers going to the East noted that fashion and styles changed slowly in
countries such as Persia, India, China and Japan. However, this was not always the case as
there was also evidence uncovered during the dynasty of Ming China of rapidly changing
fashions in Chinese clothing. History shows us that changes in costume often took place at
times of ecconomic or social change, which occurred in ancient Rome and the medieval
Arabian Peninsula. Then a long period without major changes would follow.

At this time, most weaving, embroidery, cutting and stitching was hand-crafted by skilled
craftsmen and seamstresses. Many textiles originated in countries such as China, where
exquisite silks were produced and Turkey with its rich history of embroidery and clothing
styles influenced by Central Asia and the Far East. Until the mid-nineteenth century, in
Europe and America most clothing was therefore custom made by skilled dressmakers and
tailors. This meant that following fashion trends was clearly an expensive past-time.

In the twentieth century, mechanised production of textiles and the introduction of the
sewing machine dramatically changed the way fashionable garments were produced. It led
the development of haute couture and, much later, affordable branded clothing which was
the offshoot of haute couture. Mass production meant that clothing became much cheaper
and more widely available, yet at the same time was easily adapted to meet the designers’
demands. As economies grew and people became more affluent, more people could afford
to buy designer clothing across the world.

To sum up, fashion is closely interlinked with the history of the world. Periods of rapid
change and movement of people influenced the textiles and styles that people chose to
wear. Nowadays, people are still extremely conscious about the way they dress for various
occasions. Adolescents and young adults feel very strongly about the brands they wear,
whether it is for college, partying or sportswear. Their parents feel the same about their
own designer labels. There are designer or boutique brands all over the world. In many
Asian countries, local designers can charge a small fortune for exclusive bridal wear,
wedding attire and other formal wear.

SOURCE:
https://www.trinitycollege.com/resource/?id=6682
SUMMARY
Fashion The World Over

Fashion changes rapidly in times of economic and social change.

Eg: Ancient Rome, medieval Arabian Peninsula

Until the 19th century, clothes could only be handmade so very

expensive.
Eg: weaving, embroidery, cutting, stitching

In the 20th century, clothes could be made cheaply by machines

and thus became more affordable.
- Sewing machines
- “Haute couture”

Increased wealth enabled people across the globe to purchase

branded clothing.

Fashion develops with the history of the world.

People of all ages are fashion-conscious (ocassions, brands).