81. According to the passage, "a virtual cloud" refers to ____.

1. a hardware that consumers use on a daily basis
2. a kind of cloud that is used as a metaphor for computers
3. a network through which consumers can get access to the Internet
4. a general term for phones, laptops and other devices

82. Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, Gmail or the Kindle are ____.

1. applications that get consumers connected to the Internet
2. softwares of Amazon, Google, Hewlett-Packard, or Microsoft
3. companies that offer computing services to consumers, business and the government
4. cellular phone companies and telecommunications providers

83. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

1. Consumers will pay for their access to computer software and Internet services.
2. Information providers will pay the bill for consumers' access to Internet services.
3. Access to computer software and services will not be free in the future.
4. Software and other applications will be unlikely to be found in the cloud.

84. As new types of consumer applications develop, ____.

1. free online workplace will include Word, Excel and PowerPoint
2. Amazon and Microsoft will offer free online services
3. cloud computing services will be free in the future
4. consumers will no longer need to maintain their operating system on their PC

85. What is the word "race" in the last paragraph concerned with?

1. Who will control the future of cloud computing.
2. Who will make the biggest profits out of cloud computing.
3. Who will control the production of smaller, less-costly devices.
4. Who will become the owner of cloud platforms.

(Reference keys.)