A Week Without My Phone
Nadia gives her smartphone to her mom for a week and keeps a diary of a missed bus, quiet evenings and one very lonely Friday.
- B1 level
- 448 words
- about 4 min
- 5 questions
Monday: Last night my phone told me something : I spend almost six hours a day on it! So I've decided to try an . For one week, I'm going to live without my smartphone. Before bed, I turned it off and gave it to Mom. She laughed and said, "You'll want it back by Wednesday." This morning I woke up late and missed the bus, because my was on my phone.
Tuesday: Yesterday I bought an alarm clock so that I could wake up on time. School was harder today. Between lessons, everyone was looking at their screens, and I kept into my pocket for a phone that wasn't there. I wanted to visit my friend Jonas, but I couldn't text him. So I walked to his house and on the door. His mother looked surprised. "Nobody does that anymore, Nadia," she said with a smile.
Wednesday: Mom was wrong. I still haven't asked for my phone back. However, I got lost while I was walking to my guitar lesson. I always use the map on my phone, so I've never really learned the streets of my town. In the end, I asked an old man at a bus stop for , and he walked with me to the right street.
Thursday: Something strange is happening. I usually look at my phone in bed until midnight, but this week I've gone to sleep before eleven every night. Tonight I finished a that I started in the summer. Although I still miss my phone, I'm starting to enjoy these quiet evenings.
Friday: Today was the worst day so far. My friends went to see a movie tonight. They made the plan in our , and nobody remembered to tell me. When I called Mei from my brother's phone, she said sorry . "We forgot you weren't ," she explained. I understood, but I still felt and a little angry.
Saturday: I spent the whole afternoon drawing in the park. I haven't done that since I was twelve. Nobody needed an answer from me, and there were no messages to check.
Sunday: Mom gave my phone back today. There were 143 new messages, but most of them weren't important. So, what have I learned? I'm not going to throw my phone away. I need it for maps and for making plans with friends. But from now on, it's going to sleep in the kitchen, not next to my bed. This week was harder than I thought, but it was also calmer. Maybe I don't have to choose between my phone and a quiet life. I think I can have a little of both.
Key words in this text
These words are highlighted in the text; tap one there to see its meaning in context.
- shockingadjective
very surprising, in a bad way
- experimentnoun
a test that you try to see what will happen
- alarmnoun
a sound that wakes you up at a time you choose
- reachingverb
moving your hand toward something to touch or take it
- knockedverb
hit a door with your hand so that people inside can hear you
- directionsnoun
information about how to get to a place
- novelnoun
a long book that tells a story
- group chatnoun
a conversation on the phone where several friends send messages to each other
- lonelyadjective
sad because you feel alone or left out
- onlineadjective
connected to the internet
- immediatelyadverb
at once, without waiting
Check your understanding
5 questions about "A Week Without My Phone". Each answer is explained with the part of the text that shows it.
Grammar you can see in this text
More reading practice
All B1 reading texts · Reading practice A1 to C2
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