Read the passage. Choose the best answer, A, B, C, or D.

Where we work
Many people around the world work in offices, and many companies have offices around the world.
Sometimes the people who need to work together live a long way from each other. This is one reason
for the growing popularity of ‘virtual offices’. Virtual offices aren’t in a building – they are online.
Colleagues communicate using email, and use Skype for meetings. Some virtual offices rent a real
address for business mail, or a room when meeting important customers, but usually there is no actual
office building.

The advantages of virtual offices are that it is cheaper for companies (they use less energy), staff can
live where they want, and companies are free to employ the best people from around the world.

There are some disadvantages though. The technology needed for a virtual office can be expensive.
Sometimes this technology doesn’t work well, which can cause communication problems. Also,
colleagues in virtual offices only talk about business, so there’s no social side of work. One reason
people like working in an office is that they get to meet other people.

The way we live and work is changing all the time. Perhaps soon people won’t go to the office, but
will work online instead.

Questions
1. What is the writer’s main aim?
A. To describe virtual offices.
B. To describe working at home.
C. To describe the advantages of virtual offices.
D. To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of virtual offices.

2. What does the writer think about how people will work in the future?
A. More people will go to offices to work.
B. More people will work outside.
C. More people will work using the Internet.
D. More people will work in other countries.

3. Virtual offices are popular because ____________ .

A. sometimes people don’t want to work in an office
B. offices are expensive
C. travel is expensive
D. people who work together sometimes live in different countries

4. In virtual offices, people use the Internet for ____________ .

A. sending email and having meetings
B. meeting important customers
C. chatting to friends
D. sending business mail

5. Companies that use virtual offices ____________ .

A. always have meetings in offices
B. sometimes have meetings in offices
C. never have meetings in offices
D. always rent an office

6. Virtual offices can be cheaper for companies because ____________ .

A. they use more technology
B. they use less electricity
C. they have less furniture
D. they are very small
7. Staff who work in virtual offices ____________ .
A. can choose to live where they want
B. have to live near each other
C. have to live near an office
D. often live in the same country

8. Companies that have virtual offices can employ ____________ .

A. the best people from one country
B. the best people who live near their office
C. the best staff from around the country
D. the best staff from around the world

9. The technology needed for virtual offices is ____________ .

A. cheap and works well
B. cheap, but sometimes doesn’t work well
C. expensive, and sometimes doesn’t work well
D. expensive, and always works well

10. People like real offices because ____________ .

A. they can always talk about business
B. they can meet other people
C. they are good for communication
D. they are usually in cities.

Write 120–150 words with the title, What if we hadn’t invented the internet?

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