Read
the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. roaming (n.) [rohm-ing] – the use of mobile phone outside the country where it is registered
1. roaming (n.) [rohm-ing] – the use of mobile phone outside the country where it is registered
Example: Businessmen need roaming services when they travel abroad.
2. maximum (n.) [mak-suh-muhm] – the
highest possible amount
Example: Employees
cannot spend beyond the maximum
budget.
3. unreasonable
(adj.) [uhn-ree-zuh-nuh-buhl, -reez-nuh-] - not
practical; not appropriate
Example: Paying more for poor service is unreasonable.
4. rip off (idiom) [rip-awf, -of] – to
steal from or cheat
Example: The store rips off customers by charging more than the usual price of
products.
5. notification (n.) [noh-tuh-fi-key-shuhn] – a
written or printed message that gives official information to someone
Example: The secretary posted notifications of the general meeting in
every department.
Article
Read the text below.
According to new rules set by the
European Parliament, mobile phone companies across Europe must lower the
prices of roaming services by July
this year.
The rules limit the maximum price companies can charge
for some services. The charge for calls will be lowered from the current 30
pence to 24 pence (¥31) per minute. A text message, on the other hand, will
cost 7.5p, down from the current price of 9p.
Likewise, data downloading and
Internet browsing, which currently has no maximum rate, will be limited to
59p per megabyte.
Parliament’s decision is a solution
to the unreasonable roaming
charges that are said to rip off
EU customers. Many of those who travel outside the EU are surprised to see
their bills accumulating thousands of pounds in roaming fees.
To prevent bill shock, a notification through text message or
e-mail will be sent to customers who have already reached £41 or 50 euros
worth of data downloads.
However, the European Parliament is
aiming to lower the prices even further. It plans
to keep lowering prices, so that by
July 2014, it can reach target prices of 15p for making calls, 16p for each
megabyte of data downloaded and 6p for sending a text message.
Also by July 2014, EU customers
travelling within Europe will be allowed to choose and sign up for a separate
roaming service from another network without having to change their current
number.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
How
did the Internet change the way people use their phones?
·
Can
you cite one way of using mobile phones responsibly?
Discussion B
·
How
can people control phone bills effectively?
·
Would
you say customers alone are responsible for their high phone bills? Please
explain further.
