Pre-reading questions:
- How often do you change your smartphone? Why?
- What smartphone brand do you like the most? Why?
A 2016 report was released by Kantar Worldpanel. It shows that Americans and Europeans hold onto their phones longer. Before upgrading to a new phone, people in America hold onto their phones for an average of 22.7 months while Europeans do for 21.6 months.
It is an entirely different situation in China. The Chinese change their phones faster for an average of 20.2 months. Smartphone markets in China change constantly. There are also cheaper phones available from companies like Oppo and Vivo, which are very popular in the country.
Vocabulary:
release – to allow to be known, issued or done
average – a number expressing the central or typical value in a set of data
upgrade – to change or improve quality
constantly – regularly; steadily
Comprehension Questions:
- What’s Kantar Worldpanel’s 2016 report about?
- How long in average do Americans hold onto their phones? Europeans?
- How long do the Chinese hold onto their phones before upgrading to a new one?
- Why do people in China upgrade phones faster?
- What smartphone companies are very popular in China?
Express Your Opinion:
- For you, when should a person upgrade his/her smartphone to a new one?
- What for you are the most important features of a smartphone?
- Why do you think some people change their phones very often? Discuss.
- Which company do you think is the best smartphone manufacturer? Explain.
- What do you think are the best and worst things about smartphones? Discuss.