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Reading Worksheet

Before the Phone

B1 Used To: Comparing Past and Present Technology and Society 25 minutes
Before You Read

Discuss these questions with a partner before you read.

  • How many times a day do you look at your phone? Do you think that is too much?
  • What is the most useful thing your phone does for you? What would you do without it?
  • Ask someone older than you: what did they do when they were bored before smartphones existed?
  • Do you think life was better or worse before smartphones? Give one reason.
Key Vocabulary
Word Definition Example
navigate (v.) to find your way to a place People used to navigate using paper maps.
commute (n./v.) the regular journey to and from work People used to read on the commute.
develop (v.) to process film to produce photographs We used to wait for photos to be developed.
instant (adj.) happening immediately Nobody used to expect instant answers.
arrangement (n.) a plan that you make with someone People used to make arrangements and keep them.
perspective (n.) a particular way of thinking about something Different generations have different perspectives on smartphones.
Reading Text
Magazine Article ~295 words

Before the Phone

It is hard to imagine daily life without a smartphone. But for anyone born before the year 2000, life used to be very different. So what exactly did people used to do before the phone was always in their pocket?

Getting from one place to another used to require preparation. People used to carry paper maps in their cars or bags. Families used to stop at petrol stations to ask for directions. If you were visiting a new city, you used to study your route the night before. Nobody used to expect an instant answer to the question, 'Where am I?'

Waiting used to feel different too. On the daily commute, people used to read books, newspapers, or simply look out of the window. Children used to play outside after school or invent their own games. We used to be comfortable with boredom and silence in a way that feels unfamiliar today.

Photography used to be more deliberate. People used to take a limited number of photos because each one cost money to develop. We used to wait weeks to collect our pictures from the shop, and there was always excitement — and sometimes disappointment — when we finally saw them. We didn't use to share every meal or every moment with hundreds of people online.

Social connection also used to work differently. People used to write letters and postcards to stay in touch with friends abroad. If you arranged to meet someone at a certain time and place, you used to simply be there — there was no way to cancel at the last minute.

"I don't want to go back," says 58-year-old teacher Patricia. "But I do miss the slower pace." Her student, 19-year-old Leon, disagrees: "I can't imagine life without my phone. It connects me to everything and everyone I care about." Two perspectives — neither entirely wrong.

Notice the Grammar

Look back at the article. Find five sentences that use 'used to'. Write them below. Then discuss with a partner: what do all these sentences describe — the past or the present? Why does the article use 'used to' rather than the past simple?

1 Reading for Gist

Answer these questions in a few words.

  1. What is the main topic of this article?
  2. Does the article say that smartphones are bad? Explain.
  3. What two different perspectives are given at the end of the article?
2 Reading for Detail

Answer these questions. Write short answers.

  1. Before smartphones, what did people use to do when they needed directions?
  2. What did people use to do on the daily commute?
  3. Why did people use to take fewer photographs?
  4. How does the article describe the experience of collecting developed photos?  a) Boring and time-consuming. b) Both exciting and sometimes disappointing. c) Cheaper than digital photography today. 
  5. How old is Patricia, and what does she say about life before smartphones?
3 True, False, or Not Given

Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given). Use only information from the article.

  1. Before smartphones, people used to study their route the night before visiting a new city.
  2. People used to enjoy waiting and being bored in the same way they do today.
  3. Leon thinks his generation uses smartphones too much.
  4. People used to write letters to stay in touch with friends who lived abroad.
  5. Developed photographs used to take months to collect from the shop.
4 Vocabulary in Context

Answer these questions about words and phrases in the article.

  1. In paragraph 4, what does 'deliberate' most likely mean?  a) fast and automatic b) careful and considered c) expensive and difficult 
  2. In paragraph 5, the article says there was 'no way to cancel at the last minute'. What does 'at the last minute' mean?
  3. Find a word in paragraph 3 that means 'something you think of or create yourself without help'. Write it here. 
  4. The article mentions a 'slower pace'. What does 'pace' mean here? Write your own definition.
5 Grammar in Context

Complete these activities. Go back to the article.

  1. Find five 'used to' sentences from the article. Write them here.
    a)  b)  c)  d)  e) 
  2. Find one example of 'didn't use to' in the article. What does it mean in context?
  3. Which sentence is grammatically incorrect?  a) People used to write letters. b) People used to writing letters. c) People didn't use to have smartphones. 
  4. Rewrite these sentences using 'used to' or 'didn't use to': (a) 'In the past, people carried paper maps.' (b) 'In the past, people didn't share photos instantly.' (c) 'In the past, children played outside more.'
  5. Choose ONE area of daily life (music, travel, shopping, or communication). Write 3 sentences about how it has changed. Use 'used to' for the past.
Personal Response — Discuss with a partner

Discuss these questions with a partner. Then share one idea with the class.

  1. Patricia says she misses 'the slower pace'. Do you understand what she means? Is there anything about modern life that feels too fast?
  2. Leon says his phone 'connects him to everything and everyone he cares about'. Do you agree that smartphones bring people together, or do they sometimes keep people apart?
  3. If you had to give up one feature of your smartphone for a month, which would you choose? How would your daily life change?

Answer Key

Before the Phone — B1 — Used To: Comparing Past and Present

Exercise 1 — Reading for Gist

  1. How daily life has changed since smartphones became common / what life used to be like before smartphones.
  2. No. It presents different perspectives — it says life was simpler in some ways and more inconvenient in others, but does not say smartphones are bad.
  3. Patricia (58) misses the slower pace of the past; Leon (19) cannot imagine life without his phone and values being connected.

Exercise 2 — Reading for Detail

  1. They used to carry paper maps, or stop at petrol stations to ask for directions.
  2. They used to read books or newspapers, or look out of the window.
  3. Because each photo cost money to develop / film cameras had a limited number of shots.
  4. b)
  5. She is 58. She says she doesn't want to go back, but she misses the slower pace.

Exercise 3 — True, False, or Not Given

  1. T — Para. 2: 'If you were visiting a new city, you used to study your route the night before.'
  2. F — Para. 3: people used to be comfortable with silence and boredom 'in a way that feels unfamiliar today' — implying this has changed.
  3. NG — Leon says he can't imagine life without his phone and values the connection it gives him. He does not say it is too much.
  4. T — Para. 5: 'People used to write letters and postcards to stay in touch with friends abroad.'
  5. F — Para. 4: the article says 'weeks', not months.

Exercise 4 — Vocabulary in Context

  1. b)
  2. Very close to the arranged time / just before something is supposed to happen.
  3. invent
  4. The speed at which things happen or life moves / how quickly or slowly daily life moves.

Exercise 5 — Grammar in Context

  1. Any five 'used to' sentences from the article. For example: 'People used to carry paper maps.' / 'Families used to stop at petrol stations to ask for directions.' / 'People used to read books, newspapers, or simply look out of the window.' / 'Children used to play outside after school.' / 'People used to take a limited number of photos.' / 'People used to write letters and postcards.' / 'you used to simply be there.'
  2. 'We didn't use to share every meal or every moment with hundreds of people online.' — It means that in the past, people did not post their photos or personal moments publicly. This is a habit that did not exist before smartphones.
  3. b)
  4. (a) People used to carry paper maps. (b) People didn't use to share photos instantly. (c) Children used to play outside more.
  5. Answers will vary. Answers will vary. Check: used to + infinitive (not -ing). Encourage comparison with the present.

Notice the Grammar — suggested answers

Accept any five correct examples from the article that use the target grammar. Students should be able to explain why the grammar is used in each case.

Personal Response

Answers will vary. This section is for spoken discussion or short written response. There are no single correct answers.