## Telephones

Discuss with a classmate
Do you remember your first (mobile) phone?
What did it look like?
What features (=eigenschappen/functies) did it have?
You are going to read a text about phones.
After that you are going to answer the following questions.

- What does the writer mean with 'Telephones are a major part of our lives these days'?
- How did the writer experience phone calls when he/she was young?
- What kind of phone was the writer's phone when he/she was young?
- How does the writer think phones are different 'today' from phones in the past?

Now read the text and do the exercise.

Telephones are a major part of our lives these days. When I was growing up, I perhaps used the phone once a week. It was almost a big event when it rang. Everyone rushed into the living room to find out who was calling. Of course, it was an old-style phone – the size of a football. And you had to leave it on the table because it was plugged into the wall. Today, however, is a totally different matter. Everyone has a phone. Some people I know have several. They change them every six months when the latest models come out. Today’s phones aren’t really phones. They are like personal entertainment devices that have a phone. I’m waiting for the watch phone. I’m sure it’ll be here soon.