47. 가벼운 대화를 시작하다.

As he waited at the bus stop, he struck up a conversation with a woman standing next to him.

Monitoring Employees’ Use of SNS during Work Hours

The use of social networking sites (SNS) has become anindispensable part of people’s everyday lives. The uncontrolled use of such websites has also crept into the professional world. The extent of damage SNS can cause bothered some companies. Some employers think that allowing employees to freely use SNS during work hours can bring detriments to the company. To prevent problems, some companies want to monitor their employees’ use of SNS during office hours – a directive that met a lot of negative feedback, especially from employees.

Companies that wish to monitor their employees’ use of SNS during office hours will do it to limit time that is spent on such activity. They do not want employees to just use SNS instead of finishing work-related tasks. If the employees are aware that they are being monitored, they will be conscious about using SNS. 

Moreover, it is a way to ensure that employees are being responsible with the use of SNS while they are officially under the care of their companies. Since anyone can post almost anything on their personal accounts, anything negative done by an employee on SNS during work hours may negatively reflect or affect the company he or she works for and the other members of that company’s workforce.

Companies that want to monitor their employees’ use of SNS during office hours also claim that they are concerned about its collectiveand long-term effects. The time lost, money spent for resources used such as electricity consumption and the computers, and the possible damage that employees could do to the image of the companies they work for would add up to cause major losses for the companies. 

On the other hand, those who oppose this directive say that monitoring the use of SNS during office hours is a violation of the employees’ privacy. SNS accounts contain personal information that does not have anything to do with any company’s operations.

Naysayers also say that there is no definite way for companies to fully monitor their employees’ use of SNS as these sites can also be accessed through personal devices like smartphones and tablets. Those who are against companies monitoring their employees’ use of SNS during work hours suggest that it would be better for companies to just implement a total ban on such websites on company-owned computers or gadgets. They can block all SNS so that employees cannot access them while they are at work. This way, they do not need to lurk on employees’ personal accounts and they would not need to worry about the other negative effects of allowing employees to use SNS during work hours.

46. 그 다음은 말 안 해도 알겠지/그 다음 얘기는 아는 대로다.

A : I thought you had a day off on Thursday.

B : The office had a rush job no one else could do it, so you can fill in the blanks.

Two young guys built the first Apple Computer in a garage and the rest is history.

Penalizing Loathing Statements on the Internet

One of the opposition parties in Korea called the New Politics Alliance for Democracy is propelling a legislation which will penalize people who post loathing statements on the Internet. Loathing comments in this context are statements with certain words that reflect condemnation of specific groups that have a specific political ideology or people from a specific region. 

People who have a positive attitude towards such legislation argue that the split in political ideologies and regionalism in Korea should be eradicated. Korea has a strong inclination for discriminating people that have a different political stance and people from different regions. In order to achieve social justice, such tendency should be eliminated. 

In addition, proponents assert that it will hinder the spread of targeting neutral individuals. Some people can be dubbed wrong even if they do not have a specific political position. There will be less victims if the legislation is passed, limiting the phenomenon of calling people certain terms. 

They also insist that some aversive comments given are based on different nationalities, genders and races which are inherent and unchangeable. It should be regulated so that people will not be called a certain way especially with names that are based on factors dictated at birth. People should not be judged based on aspects that are inborn. 

On the other hand, opponents believe that it suppresses freedom of expression. Whether they have good intentions or not, those expressions allow people to freely speak out their opinions and communicate with others. Passing the law would mean there would be limitations to what people can say or post on different Internet websites. 

Also, new words that are different in structure but have the same meaning can be created, making it harder to monitor loathing comments. People will come up with a new combination of words to avoid getting a penalty. As newly-coined words appear easily these days, the same thing can happen if the legislation gets passed. 

Lastly, the extent of punishment that will be imposed by the legislation is very vague. There can be conflicting opinions on deciding which words should be categorized as loathing or not. There needs to be a clear standard on the penalty that will be given to people who use provocative terms. 

There will be a significant change in Internet communities if the legislation will be passed. Not only will the legislation itself matter but the implementation of the law will also be essential. There needs to be enough consideration before making it a concrete law.

45. (상황을) 대변해주고 있다.

She could not express the high hopes she had for her daughter, but her actions spoke volumes.

She did not interrupt her father while he was talking to her, but the look on her face spoke volumes.

How did YouTube Affect the Entertainment Industry?

Interviewee’s Answer: 
The entertainment industry has gotten bigger over the century; from print to radio, radio to television, and television to cinemas. Everybody probably thought it would stop there. The growth of the entertainment industry has taken a different direction since the invention of the Internet. In fact, the Internet is not only an alternative to television and other sorts of entertainment. The Internet is their extension. Without the Internet, the entertainment industry would not flourish as much as it has been doing. 

YouTube, specifically, has been a huge venue that allowed the entertainment industry to spread. It is one of the most popular go-to websites. Movie trailers, drama teasers, cooking shows, music videos, news, replays, advertisements, and many more can be uploaded by registered users for free. Media corporations like CBS, the BBC, Vevo, and Hulu have even partnered with YouTube to promote their shows. On the other hand, registered and unregistered users can access videos without spending a dime. 

Many musicians, comedians, and actors who rose to fame have also used YouTube to be discovered. Realizing the fierce competition in the show business, some took matters into their own hands by promoting themselves on YouTube. They posted videos of themselves while singing, dancing, acting, and so on. As a matter of fact, some famous artists today rose to fame by either starting out as YouTube sensations or through the assistance of YouTube. 

Some of the comedians and artists who got rich and famous, are Justin Bieber, Kate Upton, Charice Pempengco, and Park Jae-sang, also known as Psy. His music video of the famous song Gangnam Style exceeded one billion views on YouTube, and Psy subsequently got recognized by the media as “King of YouTube.” 

YouTube is not just an extension of television. In its own way, it has become a different world of entertainment in itself where it has its own channels and celebrities, from singers and musicians to home cooks and chefs. Although some of these celebrities are not famous on television, they gain popularity through followers. Their online popularity makes them superstars through their direct interaction with their followers and subscribers across the globe. 

This is only one of the many uses of YouTube today. For me, YouTube has created a positive transformation that allowed many talented individuals to have their shot at becoming recognized without conformity to the mainstream show business.

44. (할말, 일을) 나중에 하지.

A : I love to hear about it, but I've got to go.

B : Don't worry, it'll keep.

Dinner will keep. I have to catch the evening news.

Should the trend on making movie adaptations of books continue? Why do you say so?

Many people who may have not read the “Harry Potter” series, the “Twilight” saga and “The Lord of the Rings” books rush to the theaters to watch the premier of the movie adaptations of these famous novels. As for me, I see to it that I have read the book before watching the movie adaptation and whenever I watch such films, I end up saying, “The book is better.” I have many reasons for saying so, and these reasons may also explain why I think the trend on making movie adaptations of books should stop.

Books and films both provide visual stimuli but in different forms. Books present stories through words. They allow the readers to create their own mental picture of the plot, characters, and how the whole story will play out. However, for movies, the whole picture is already presented to the viewer. Actors are chosen to play different roles, dialogues are delivered, and the scenery may have been set according to a director’s desires. A person who reads the book after watching the movie will most likely imagine scenes and actors from the movie, which means he or she has been robbed of the opportunity to create his or her own imagination of what transpires in the book.

I have nothing against movies. In fact, watching movies is among my favorite pastimes. However, using previously published text as a basis for a film’s storyline is the one that I am not in favor of. It is like movie producers just recycle best-selling books that already earned a lot of money from the public and make more money out of them. What’s worse is that full-length films do not feature every single detail mentioned in the book. They only show tidbits of the book so basically, movie adaptations are just like summaries orsynopses of the real publication.

Ultimately, I think movie adaptations of books are only made for money. It may be true that great amounts of artistry, efforts, and investments are put into the production of these films but, the main motive behind everything is profit. I think this is very unfair to authors, publishers, and readers because it is natural that movies will be favored over books, especially with the fast-paced lifestyles that people have these days. After the movie adaptations are released, who else would be willing to read the books? With all these said, I think books should remain as books and movies should have their own original storylines.

43. (글, 말이) 주제를 벗어나다.

He tends to go off on a tangent in conversations and to bore everyone with his personal philosophy.

A Gluten-free Diet

Different kinds of bread and pasta noodles have always been among the bestselling products in a supermarket. However, the recent increase in the popularity of a “gluten-free diet”made foodentrepreneurs rethink the types of products they put on their stalls. Some consumers shy away from wheat-based products thinking that they can cause health problems. Experts took upon this new fad and studied the reason behind it.

Research shows that wheat-based products can indeed cause certain health problems but the extent of the effects is not the same for every individual.

There is a condition called celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder where an individual cannot tolerate all wheat-based products. The gluten component found in wheat damages the small intestines of a person with celiac disease. Ingestion of wheat-based products can cause serious problems and even death.

For people who are not diagnosed with celiac disease, the gluten content of wheat may cause the inflammation of the intestines, irritable bowel syndrome and neuropathy. It can also be addictive hence causing certain people to constantly crave for bagels and donuts. Addiction to gluten can then cause weight gain, diabetes and certain heart problems.

These factors are probably the reason why many are going on a gluten-free diet. Even ordinary people who do not have celiac disease choose not to buy wheat-based products because of its gluten content. A gluten-free diet is believed to improve the functions of the digestive system, lowers cholesterol levels and limits weight gain. Experts say that choosing not to eat wheat based products is not necessarily healthy but it encourages a person to consume more fruits and vegetables.

In Korea, locals are becoming more conscious about the bad effects of wheat so more gluten-free products are made available in the market. Bread and pasta are not among the staple food of Asian countries like Korea so it is easy for locals to stay away from the bad effects of wheat.

In America and other western countries however, wheat plays a major role in their food industry so going on a gluten-free diet in those areas can be more complicated. Wheat is composed of different components. It has vitamins and minerals that are essential to the body but it also has gluten that brings more harm than good. Totally eliminating wheat in the diet has its benefits but it can also affect the body negatively.

Since wheat is an ingredient used in a lot of food products commonly eaten by people in their everyday lives, it may be difficult to totally remove wheat and its byproducts from the diet.Nutritionists then suggest that it is always best, like in any other type of food, to have wheat-based products in reasonable amounts.