The Reading / Listening - Smartphone Repairs - Level 4

Many people feel helpless when their smartphone breaks. Phone makers try to stop consumers from repairing phones themselves. A new company called Fairphone has made a self-repairable mobile phone. It is "the world's first ethical smartphone". It has four basic aims. These are to use raw materials from non-conflict mining areas; and to make a product that was recyclable, durable and repairable.

The Fairphone website outlines the company's philosophy. It wants to get "a massive industry to take responsibility for its impact on the world, by establishing a viable market for ethical electronics". It wants better conditions for tech company workers. It also wants the electronics industry to reduce its waste and greenhouse gas emissions. The plastic used in the Fairphone is 40-per-cent recycled, and the minerals are ethically sourced.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Smartphone Repairs - Level 5 or  Smartphone Repairs - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60374806
  • https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/theredbulletin/bas-van-abel-fairphone-smartphone-ethical
  • https://www.fairphone.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Impact-Report-2020-Fairphone.pdf


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Many people feel
  2. stop consumers from
  3. the world's first ethical
  4. It has four basic
  5. raw
  6. non-conflict
  7. make a product that was
  8. durable
  1. materials
  2. recyclable
  3. helpless
  4. and repairable
  5. aims
  6. repairing phones
  7. mining areas
  8. smartphone

Paragraph 2

  1. outlines the company's
  2. get a massive industry to
  3. its impact
  4. establishing a viable
  5. better conditions for tech
  6. It also wants the electronics industry
  7. greenhouse gas
  8. the minerals are ethically
  1. to reduce its waste
  2. market
  3. sourced
  4. philosophy
  5. on the world
  6. emissions
  7. company workers
  8. take responsibility

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Many people (1) ___________________ their smartphone breaks. Phone makers try to (2) ___________________ repairing phones themselves. A (3) ___________________ Fairphone has made a self-repairable mobile phone. It is "the world's first ethical smartphone". It has (4) ___________________. These are to use raw materials from non-(5) ___________________; and to make a product that was recyclable, (6) ___________________.

The Fairphone website (7) ___________________ philosophy. It wants to get "a massive industry to take responsibility for (8) ___________________ the world, by establishing a viable market (9) ___________________". It wants better conditions for tech company workers. It also wants the electronics industry to (10) ___________________ and greenhouse gas emissions. The (11) ___________________ the Fairphone is 40-per-cent recycled, and the (12) ___________________ sourced.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Manypeoplefeelhelplesswhentheirsmartphonebreaks.Phonemakers
trytostopconsumersfromrepairingphonesthemselves.Anewcompan
ycalledFairphonehasmadeaself-repairablemobilephone.Itis"thewor
ld'sfirstethicalsmartphone".Ithasfourbasicaims.Thesearetouseraw
materialsfromnon-conflictminingareas;andtomakeaproductthatw
asrecyclable,durableandrepairable.TheFairphonewebsiteoutlinesth
ecompany'sphilosophy.Itwantstoget"amassiveindustrytotakerespo
nsibilityforitsimpactontheworld,byestablishingaviablemarketforethi
calelectronics".Itwantsbetterconditionsfortechcompanyworkers.Ita
lsowantstheelectronicsindustrytoreduceitswasteandgreenhousega
semissions.TheplasticusedintheFairphoneis40-per-centrecycled,an
dthemineralsareethicallysourced.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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