Complete each gap using a word from the box. You can use each option ONLY ONCE.
cut off – dial – landline – mobile phone – put through – ring – ringtone – signal – smartphone – voicemail
As a child, growing up in the 1950s, my family didn't own a telephone, and if we wanted to make a call, we had to use the public phone box in our village. This was not uncommon back then. In fact, I knew very few people who actually had one in their home.
When I was 12 years old, my parents finally decided that it was time to get a phone. Of course, it was a , connected to the wall by a large wire, and it had a very large receiver that you had to hold to your ear. Phones were very different back then, and if you wanted to someone, you had to put your finger into a circle with 10 holes in it and the number yourself. Having a phone at home made life easier for the whole family, as it meant we were able to talk to relatives who lived far away. However, things were still very basic, and to make a call overseas, you had to be by an operator. The sound was not always clear, and you often got in the middle of a call.
When I was 50 years old, I bought my first . Having a portable phone made my life easier because suddenly people could contact me anywhere. Ten years later, my son convinced me to get a , and though I didn't feel the need for a phone with the functions of a computer, I soon started to appreciate all the amazing things it could do.
I now have my favourite song as my , which makes me smile every time somebody calls me, and I am able to listen to messages on whenever I miss a call.
Like many people nowadays, I'm probably too dependent on my phone. I check my messages at least 20 times a day, and panic if I go anywhere remote where there is no . In fact, I've become so accustomed to carrying it around that I'm not sure I could live without it.