STORY: THE COST OF CONVENIENCE

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon when Lina sat in her favorite café, scrolling endlessly through her phone while waiting for her coffee. She noticed that almost every table around her was occupied by people doing the same—faces glowing under the blue light of their screens, barely engaging with one another. A group of teenagers were laughing, but instead of talking, they were showing each other videos. At another table, an elderly man sat alone, glancing occasionally at his phone as if hoping someone would call.

Lina sighed and thought, “Is this what social life has become? We’re together, but completely disconnected.”

A few minutes later, her friend Jonas arrived, smiling warmly. They greeted each other with a hug and sat down. But within moments, Jonas’s phone buzzed, and he instinctively picked it up to reply. Lina waited patiently at first, but when it happened again, she couldn’t help but speak up.

“Jonas,” she began cautiously, “don’t you think technology is isolating us instead of connecting us? Look around—people are physically close but emotionally distant. We’re losing the art of conversation.”

Jonas looked up, surprised. “I see your point,” he replied, putting his phone down. “But I think it’s unfair to blame technology. It’s not the device—it’s how we use it. For me, technology means accessibility. I can stay in touch with my family abroad every day. Without my phone, I’d feel truly isolated.”

Lina nodded thoughtfully. “That’s true,” she admitted. “But don’t you think people have become emotionally lazy? Instead of expressing real feelings, they send emojis. Instead of listening, they scroll. We’re communicating more but understanding less.”

Jonas smiled, trying to find balance. “Maybe. But technology has also given a voice to those who were once silent. People can share their ideas, tell their stories, and find communities that understand them. It’s a double-edged sword—we gain connection but risk losing authenticity.”

Lina stirred her coffee and stared out the window. “You’re right—it’s both a blessing and a burden. We’ve built a world that values speed over depth, convenience over connection. Sometimes I feel like we’re trading genuine experiences for instant comfort. Convenience has a cost. We’ve made life faster, but not necessarily better.”

Jonas leaned back, reflecting on her words. “Maybe what we need isn’t less technology,” he said finally, “but more awareness. We should control it, not let it control us.”

They sat in silence for a moment, watching the world outside—the people rushing past, phones in hand, barely noticing each other. Around them, the café buzzed with conversation, keyboard clicks, and the soft hum of machines—a modern symphony of connection and disconnection.

 

New Vocabulary
Word/Phrase	Meaning
isolating	making someone feel alone or separated
barely engaging	hardly interacting or communicating
cautiously	carefully; trying not to offend or take risks
accessibility	the ability to be reached, entered, or used easily
emotionally lazy	unwilling to put effort into emotional connection
double-edged sword	something that has both positive and negative effects
authenticity	the quality of being genuine or real
reflection / reflecting	deep thought or careful consideration
awareness	knowledge or understanding of a situation
convenience	the state of being easy or suitable to use or do

 

 

Word Families
Base Word	Noun	Verb	Adjective	Adverb
isolate	isolation	isolate	isolated	—
engage	engagement	engage	engaging	engagingly
caution	caution	caution	cautious	cautiously
access	access, accessibility	access	accessible	accessibly
emotion	emotion	—	emotional	emotionally
lazy	laziness	—	lazy	lazily
reflect	reflection	reflect	reflective	reflectively
aware	awareness	—	aware	—
convene / convenience	convenience	convene	convenient	conveniently
authentic	authenticity	—	authentic	authentically
communicate	communication	communicate	communicative	communicatively
connect	connection	connect	connected	connectively
blame	blame	blame	blameless	blamelessly
thought	thought	think	thoughtful	thoughtfully

Exercise 1 – True or False

Read the statements below and decide whether they are True (T) or False (F) according to the story.

1.      Lina was at a busy café reading a book while waiting for her coffee. ☐

2.      Many people in the café were focused on their phones instead of talking. ☐

3.      The elderly man was chatting happily with the people around him. ☐

4.      Lina believes technology is making people more connected emotionally. ☐

5.      Jonas argues that technology can also help people stay in touch. ☐

6.      Lina thinks that people have become emotionally lazy because of technology. ☐

7.      Jonas completely disagrees with Lina and refuses to listen to her. ☐

8.      Both Lina and Jonas agree that technology is a double-edged sword. ☐

9.      At the end, they decide to stop using their phones completely. ☐

10.  The story ends with Lina and Jonas reflecting on modern social life. ☐

 

Exercise 2 – Vocabulary Matching

Match each word or phrase from the story with its correct meaning.

A – Vocabulary		B – Meaning
1. isolating	a. careful; trying not to offend or take risks
2. barely engaging	b. something with both positive and negative effects
3. cautiously	c. honest, real, or genuine
4. accessibility	d. lack of emotional effort or connection
5. emotionally lazy	e. easy to reach or connect with
6. double-edged sword	f. causing someone to feel alone or separated
7. authenticity	g. serious thinking or consideration
8. reflection	h. hardly interacting or communicating
9. awareness	i. understanding or consciousness of something
10. convenience	j. the quality of being easy, useful, or practical

 

Exercise 3 – Fill in the Blanks

Complete each sentence with the correct word from the box.
Use each word only once.

 Word Box

isolating – cautiously – accessibility – reflection – authenticity – convenience – awareness – emotionally lazy – double-edged sword – engaging

1. Lina spoke __________ because she didn’t want to sound too critical of Jonas’s opinion.
2. Spending too much time online can be __________, especially for people who feel lonely.
3. Social media gives everyone a voice, but it’s a __________ — it connects and divides at the same time.
4. The teacher encouraged students to write a short __________ on how technology affects their daily lives.
5. Some people value __________ over real connection, choosing what’s fast instead of what’s meaningful.
6. True friendships require __________; without honesty, relationships feel fake.
7. Improved internet __________ has helped people in remote areas study and work online.
8. Many young people are becoming __________, using emojis instead of expressing real emotions.
9. Lina’s __________ conversation style made Jonas feel comfortable discussing sensitive topics.
10. Developing __________ of how we use technology can help us find a healthy balance.

 

Exercise 4 – Circle the Correct Answer

Read each question carefully and circle the correct answer (A, B, C, or D).

1. What was Lina doing while waiting for her coffee?
   A. Reading a book
   B. Talking to a friend
   C. Scrolling through her phone
   D. Writing in her notebook

2. What did Lina notice about the people in the café?
   A. They were talking loudly
   B. Most of them were looking at their phones
   C. Everyone was reading newspapers
   D. They were playing music

3. How did Lina feel about the situation?
   A. She was excited to see so many people
   B. She was frustrated and thoughtful
   C. She didn’t care
   D. She felt very happy

4. What does Jonas believe about technology?
   A. It is completely bad for people
   B. It should be banned
   C. It helps people stay connected
   D. It destroys all relationships

5. According to Lina, people have become __________ because of technology.
   A. emotionally lazy
   B. more confident
   C. happier
   D. more social

6. What does the phrase “double-edged sword” mean in the story?
   A. Something dangerous
   B. Something that has both good and bad sides
   C. Something useless
   D. A very old object

7. What does Jonas suggest people need in the end?
   A. To delete all their social media
   B. To stop using technology completely
   C. To have more awareness and control
   D. To ignore modern life

8. How does the story end?
   A. They argue and leave the café
   B. They sit in silence and reflect
   C. Lina leaves angrily
   D. Jonas starts using his phone again

ANSWER KEYS

Answer Key of True or False
No.	Answer	Explanation
1	F	Lina was scrolling on her phone, not reading a book.
2	T	The café was full of people using their phones.
3	F	The elderly man was sitting alone, looking at his phone sadly.
4	F	She believes technology is isolating people.
5	T	Jonas says technology helps him stay in touch with family.
6	T	Lina says people are “emotionally lazy.”
7	F	He listens and offers another point of view.
8	T	Both agree that it has pros and cons.
9	F	They don’t stop using phones, they reflect on awareness.
10	T	The story ends with them reflecting in silence.

Answer Key of Cross Matching
No.	Answer
1	f
2	h
3	a
4	e
5	d
6	b
7	c
8	g
9	i
10	j

 

Answer Key of Fill in the Blanks
No.	Answer
1	Cautiously
2	Isolating
3	Double-edged sword
4	Reflection
5	Convenience
6	Authenticity
7	Accessibility
8	Emotionally lazy
9	Engaging
10	Awareness

 

Answer Key of Circle
No.	Correct Answer
1	C
2	B
3	B
4	C
5	A
6	B
7	C
8	B

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