Londoners lose 10,000 mobile phones a month in taxis

Londoners lose 10,000 mobile phones a month in taxis
Londoners lose an average of 10,000 mobile phones in the back of taxis every month, with Christmas the worst time. Mobile phones and laptops are regularly left in the back of cabs.
A further 1,000 other portable technologies like laptops or iPods are also left in black cabs each month, according to a survey of cab drivers in the capital.
Steve McMenara, a spokesman for TAXI, the magazine of the Licensed Taxi Driver Association, said: "It’s a known fact that this is the worst time of year for forgetting 'property' in the back of cabs, but especially mobile phones and laptops as they slip onto the floor or get forgotten on the seats as passengers rush onto their next destination with their hands full.
"More people travel into London to buy their Christmas presents during this period who are not regular cab users, they hop a cab to get back to their train stations – and it’s always about an hour later we get a panicked call on their mobile phones asking for them to be returned."
The survey was carried out on behalf of a security firm, Credant Technologies. Sean Glynn, vice-president, told The Register: "We carry out our taxi survey regularly and it’s clear that none of us are infallible, especially at this busy time of year, when it’s all too easy to forget things when you’re travelling.”
"It used to be small items like brollies and briefcases stuffed of boring office papers. Now it’s laptops, smartphones and thumb drives, all chock-full of valuable information to an identity thief."

Question 1 Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text:
a) The fact that people carry many things makes losing things a lot easier.
b) People do not try to recover the lost items.
c) This is the first time the survey has been made.
d) People have always forgotten items in cabs.

Question 2 Answer these questions in your own words:
a) Why is Christmas the time when people forget more things in taxis?
b) Why are phones and laptops easier to lose?

Question 3 Find a word or phrase in the text that means the same as:
a) Hurry up. par 3. b) catch. par 4. c) full. par 6.

Question 4 Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning
a) Other portable technologies like laptops or iPods are also left in black cabs each month.
People……………………………………………………………………..
b) Steve McMenara said: "It’s a known fact that this is the worst time of year for forgetting 'property' in the back of cabs.
Steve McMenara said that ……………………………………………………………………..
c) London visitors don’t use cabs regularly, that’s why they forget their gadgets.
If London visitors..............................................

Question 5 Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

"Once you have lost something, you will never get it back". Do you agree?

Self-Access Group. CEP Santander



KEY

Question 1
1. TRUE ………… as passengers rush onto their next destination with their hands full.
2. FALSE……… and it’s always about an hour later we get a panicked call on their mobile phones asking for them to be returned."
3. FALSE ….."We carry out our taxi survey regularly
4. TRUE…."It used to be small items like brollies and briefcases stuffed full of boring office papers.
Question 2
1. More people travel into London to buy their Christmas presents during this period who are not regular cab users, passengers rush onto their next destination with their hands full.
Over the Christmas period, people who do not usually travel by taxi come into London to do their Christmas shopping and then continue their trip with lots of bags.
2. These objects fall onto the floor or remain on the car seat when their owners leave the taxi..
Question 3
a) rush
b) hop
c) stuffed
Question 4
1. People leave other portable technologies like laptops or iPods in black cabs each month.
2. Steve McMenara said that it was a known fact that that was the worst time of year for forgetting 'property' in the back of cabs.
3. If London visitors used cabs regularly they wouldn’t forget their gadgets.