I'll be the first to admit: I have a dumb
phone. It's a Samsung that came free with my phone 1.______ two years ago: the full
keyboard 2._________ are sticky, and the emoticons are crooked . Above all, my oldest brother, an
architect and Apple product enthusiast, decries 3._______my phone's interface is
positively primitive. And although he has converted everyone else in my family 4._______ team iPhone (including my father who recently learned how to text), I have
yet to buy 5.______ the "iPhone, therefore I am" philosophy, even as a
21-year-old college student. Undoubtedly, smart phones are incredible tools,
yet I contend 6.________ not having a smart phone has actually enriched my life in
five notable ways
1. I talk more and text less.
Because my phone makes it difficult to compose text messages that don't cause me to appear borderline illiterate, I find myself reviving the lost 7. _______ of conversation, not just in person but also over the phone. I am always shocked that my friends would rather spend hours coordinating plans through innumerable text messages than have a five-minute conversation over the phone. On the other hand, tools like Apple's FaceTime and Skype are becoming increasingly popular. However, I find that I end up looking at myself more during these video chats than at the person to whom I am supposed to be talking. And while it would be ridiculous to preen 8.________ like a parrot in a mirror while conversing face-to-face, it is commonly accepted over video chat. And even worse than that, if you want to look into someone's eyes as you engage over Skype, you actually have to look two inches above their face 9._________ an unblinking camera. In our fascination with the latest features of communication technology, we have severed the most intimate connections that 10.__________ conversations meaningful.
Because my phone makes it difficult to compose text messages that don't cause me to appear borderline illiterate, I find myself reviving the lost 7. _______ of conversation, not just in person but also over the phone. I am always shocked that my friends would rather spend hours coordinating plans through innumerable text messages than have a five-minute conversation over the phone. On the other hand, tools like Apple's FaceTime and Skype are becoming increasingly popular. However, I find that I end up looking at myself more during these video chats than at the person to whom I am supposed to be talking. And while it would be ridiculous to preen 8.________ like a parrot in a mirror while conversing face-to-face, it is commonly accepted over video chat. And even worse than that, if you want to look into someone's eyes as you engage over Skype, you actually have to look two inches above their face 9._________ an unblinking camera. In our fascination with the latest features of communication technology, we have severed the most intimate connections that 10.__________ conversations meaningful.
KEY
1. plan
Dumb: stupid. E.g. That was a pretty dumb thing to do.
2. buttons
Sticky: made of or covered in a substance that sticks to things that touch it. E.g. sticky fingers covered in jam.
Sticky: made of or covered in a substance that sticks to things that touch it. E.g. sticky fingers covered in jam.
Crooked: /ˈkrʊkɪd/ not in a straight line; bent or twisted. E.g. a crooked nose/smile. A village of crooked streets.
3. that
Decry somebody/something (as something) /dɪˈkraɪ/ (formal) to strongly criticize somebody/something, especially publicly. Condemn. E.g. The measures were decried as useless.
Decry somebody/something (as something) /dɪˈkraɪ/ (formal) to strongly criticize somebody/something, especially publicly. Condemn. E.g. The measures were decried as useless.
Positively: used to emphasize the truth of a statement. Sp. verdaderamente. E.g. Some diets may be positively dangerous.
4. to
Convert: to change or make somebody change their religion or beliefs. E.g. She was soon converted to the socialist cause.
5. into
Buy into something: to believe something, especially an idea that many other people believe in. E.g. She had never bought into the idea that to be attractive you have to be thin.
6. that
Contend that… (formal) to say that something is true, especially in an argument. Maintain. E.g. I would contend that the minister's thinking is flawed (with mistakes) on this point.
7. art
8. yourself
Preen (yourself) 1. to spend a lot of time making yourself look attractive and then admiring your appearance. Sp. acicalarse. E.g. Will you stop preening yourself in front of the mirror? 2. Preen (itself) (of a bird) to clean itself or make its feathers smooth with its beak. Sp. arreglarse las plumas con el pico.
Preen (yourself) 1. to spend a lot of time making yourself look attractive and then admiring your appearance. Sp. acicalarse. E.g. Will you stop preening yourself in front of the mirror? 2. Preen (itself) (of a bird) to clean itself or make its feathers smooth with its beak. Sp. arreglarse las plumas con el pico.
9. into
Unblinking: if somebody has an unblinking stare or looks with unblinking eyes, they look very steadily at something and do not blink.
10. make
Sever: /ˈsevə(r) / sever something to completely end a relationship or all communication with somebody. E.g. The two countries have severed all diplomatic links. She has severed all contact with her family.
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