## Step 2 - Reading

#### Me and my mobile

Je gaat een tekst lezen over het mobiele-telefoongebruik in Engeland.

- Lees de tekst en maak opdracht 1.
- Lees de tekst nog een keer en maak opdracht 2.

#### Opdracht 1

Deze opdracht doe je eerst alleen, en daarna bespreek je de antwoorden in je groep.

- De woorden hieronder zijn vertalingen van woorden uit de tekst.

Zoek de Engelse woorden in de tekst.

- omgangsregels
- last van iets hebben
- ze kunnen niet tegen
- werd van kracht
- betrapt op gebruik
- een bon/boete
- automobilisten vervolgen
- de wet overtreden
- de ergste overtreders

Me and my mobile Police in Britain have been cracking down on drivers who use mobile phones (known in America as a cell phone). But while talking and driving is not allowed, it seems you can talk while doing anything else, anywhere, any time. It often seems that everyone in Britain has a mobile phone. We use them as alarm clocks, calculators, to help with exam revision, to pay city congestion charges (money to allow you to drive in the centre of London), to send photos of ourselves on holiday with our new 4G phone - and even to talk with other people. And that's where the problems can start. Firstly when do you use them? The etiquette of using mobiles is changing. Originally people turned away when speaking with someone. Now they'll just talk about anything from work to romance to when they'll be home -at the top of their voices - without anyone minding. Or not minding much. Or - OK - being too polite to say they can't stand the fact that person sitting next to them on the train is talking about last night's party while they're trying to read the paper. Secondly, when do you not use them? In Britain, the answer to that is simple. You don't use a mobile phone - except with a fixed hands free set - while you're driving. A new law came into force at the end of 2003. Anyone caught using a hand-held mobile while driving risks a fixed penalty of £30 or a fine of up to £1,000 if convicted plus three points on their licence (each traffic offence, such as speeding, not stopping at a red light, means you lose some points from your driving licence. You can't lose too many or you will be banned from driving). However, not everyone takes note of the law and the police have been prosecuting drivers for breaking it. The worst offenders are people living in South West Scotland. BBC transport correspondent Tom Symonds says that over 800 have been caught in Strathclyde compared to just 17 in Suffolk. (It's not clear whether that means that Scots have more friends or are just worse drivers!) Finally, do try not to lose your mobile. It's not the phone itself which matters - it's easy enough to replace a handset. But your SIM card is another matter. It has all your contacts stored on it. And without your contacts list (people whose phone numbers you have stored on your SIM card )- well, who could you phone?