Daris English Centre

Mahamud Sir
Name: Class: Date:

Read Text B and answer Question 3 on the question paper

Text B: Mobile Phones
1. One of the most obvious results of our exciting technological age has been the invention of the mobile phone.
Many people – even children as young as seven or eight – have one. But are mobile phones necessarily beneficial
to society?
2. Mobiles can be seen as a way for young people to keep in touch with their parents if they are out with friends
and, as newspapers make increasing reports of violence, particularly in inner city areas, this must be an
advantage. If students are on a school outing and have to be met by parents on their return to school, they can
phone at short notice from, say, the bus to give details of exact timings. Mobiles encourage friendships and some
students speak to their friends several times a day. Parents may be happy that their children are not using the
house telephone and incurring charges which they, as parents, have to meet – an issue which, in the past, was
often a source of family conflict. Most young people have ‘pay as you go’ mobiles, and this encourages budgeting,
surely a useful skill to have in later life.
3. Because a mobile is the personal property of its owner, direct contact can be made, and there is less risk of
disturbing an entire household engaged in some family activity, such as having dinner. Another obvious advantage
is that people can be contacted wherever they are, clearly a benefit if a friend or spouse wishes to communicate
that he is stuck in traffic, or that the train is running late. In situations where it is impossible for either the caller or
the recipient to speak, mobiles can be used to send short text messages, which are both convenient and relatively
cheap. Many mobiles are also able to take photographs; this multi-tasking means that there is no need to
purchase a camera, and thus a saving is made. Sophisticated mobiles even allow their owners to send and receive
e-mails, thus providing an alternative means of communication. Small businesses flourish because of mobile
phones. A plumber, for example, can receive bookings for future work while he is working on another job; there is
no need to sit at home waiting for phone calls or to employ a secretary in an office.
4. However, there are downsides to mobile phones. People are discouraged from planning ahead. It is a rather
pathetic sight to see a wife phoning from the supermarket to ask her husband what he would like for dinner.
People might also stop making simple decisions for themselves with, say, a teenager phoning his mother to ask if
he may take a drink out of the fridge. Then there is the general disturbance which can be caused: there is nothing
worse than people on public transport conducting loud and animated conversations on their mobiles with scant
regard for their fellow passengers. Some countries, for example France, have tackled this problem by insisting that
mobiles are switched off on trains; all countries should follow this example. Unfortunately, owning a mobile
phone prevents some people from concentrating on the present moment. Picture the scene: a young couple are
dining in a fine restaurant but, instead of being absorbed in each other’s company, each of them is speaking to
someone else via a mobile phone.
5. In schools, there can be regrettable competition among students to have the most up-to date mobile. Some
students are distracted into texting friends in class, which clearly hinders their education. In cases where mobiles
are confiscated because of such misuse, there are security issues for teachers – who is responsible for this
expensive equipment once it has been confiscated? And, of course, teachers complain vociferously about text
message spelling and grammar which, they say, encourage sloppy use of language: ‘CU’ is enough to raise the
blood pressure of an English teacher to dangerous levels. Furthermore, they complain that mobile phones, along
with e-mails, have destroyed the art of letter writing. Parents complain that their children contact their friends –
with whom they have been all day in school – several times during the evening via text or call instead of doing
their homework. ‘What do they have to talk about?’ is the perceived mystery.
6. Is the mobile phone a blessing or a curse? Perhaps there is no clear cut answer to this and, as with many issues,
moderation is essential.

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 Section B

Read Text B, Mobile Phone, in the insert and answer Question 3.

Question 3

(a). Summarise, the advantages and disadvantages of mobile phone, according to Text B.

You must use continuous writing (not note form)

Use your own words where appropriate

Avoid copying long sections of the text.

Your summary should be no more than 150 words.

Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 10 marks for the quality of your writing.

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(b). Imagine you are David Beckham, the writer of the review.

You are interviewed by a local newspaper about your review on Mobile Phone.

Give your answer to the interviewer’s question, using information from the text.

Interviewer’s question: Majority of the people think that due to mobile phone students are being distracted from
their studies.

What is your opinion and why?

David Beckham’s answer:

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