Voice over Week four.

Jessica I spent the last week preparing for the test. It was going to be live interview with the Minister of Education. There would be three professional reporters and me, all asking him questions. I’d done lots of research so although I was so nervous. I felt well prepared.

Jessica Minister, many people think that the real reason why there aren’t enough teachers is because their salaries are so low. Are you proposing to increase teacher’s salaries?

Minister Well, let’s not forget that salaries are much higher today than they were under the previous government.

Jessica Yes, but you haven’t answered my question. Are you going to increase them?

Minister Well, we’re planning to spend a lot more money on education in the next two years.

Jessica Is that a yes or no?

Minister There are no immediate plans to increase teacher’s salaries.

Jessica So it’s a no then. Thank you Minister.

Jessica When it was all over came the worst part. I had to wait while the judges decided which of us they thought wasn’t aprofessional reporter.

Adam The judges gave their verdict-and incredibly none of the three realized that Jessica wasn’t professional! She did very very well.

Who knows, maybe one day soon you’ll be seeing her on TV… and this time she’ll be a real reporter, not pretending!

Jessica It was great experience and I was pleased how I did, but actually I wouldn’t like to change jobs. I’m much happier working in the library.

T.17

“The Fairies”

Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters. The elder was often mistaken for her mother, so like her was she both in nature and in looks. Both of them were so disagreeable and arrogant that no one could live with them. The younger girl, who was a true likeness of her father in the gentleness and sweetness of her disposition, was also one of the most beautiful girls imaginable. The mother doted on the elder daughter naturally enough, since she resembled her so closely; and she disliked the younger one just as intensely. She made her eat all her meals in the kitchen and work from morning till night. One of the poor child’s many duties was to go twice a day and draw water from a spring a good half mile away, bringing it back in a large pitcher.

One day when she was at the spring an old woman came up and begged for a drink. “Why, certainly, good mother,” said the beautiful girl. Rinsing the pitcher, she drew some water from the cleanest part of the spring and handed it to her, lifting up the pitcher so that she might drink more easily. “You are so beautiful,” she said, when she had finished drinking, “and so polite, that I am determined to bestow a gift upon you. I grant you,” the fairy continued, “that with every word you speak, a flower or a precious stone shall fall from your mouth.” Now this old woman was a fairy, who had taken the form of a poor peasant woman to see just how far the girl’s good nature would go.

When the beautiful girl arrived at home, her mother scolded her for staying so long at the spring. “I beg your pardon, mother,” said the poor child, “for having taken so long,” and as she spoke these words, two roses, two pearls, and two large diamonds fell from her mouth. “What am I seeing?” cried her mother. “I do believe that I saw pearls and diamonds dropping out of your mouth? What have you been doing, my daughter?” (This was the first time she had ever called her daughter.) The poor child related what had happened, scattering countless diamonds as she spoke. “Indeed!” cried her mother. “I must send my own daughter there. Come here, Fanchon. Look what comes out of your sister’s mouth whenever she speaks! Wouldn’t you like to be able to do the same thing? All you have to do is to go and draw some water at the spring, and when a poor woman asks you for a drink, give it to her very nicely.” “You want to see me going to the spring?” replied the ill-mannered girl. “I am telling you that you are to go,” replied the mother, “and this very instant!”

Very sulkily the girl went out taking with her the best silver flask in the house. No sooner had she reached the spring than she saw a magnificently dressed lady, who came out of the woods towards her and asked for a drink. This was the same fairy who had appeared to her sister, but she was now disguised as a princess in order to see how far this girl’s bad manners would go. “Do you think I have come here just to get you a drink?” she said the rude girl arrogantly. “Do you think I brought a silver flask here just to give madam a drink? Yes, that’s just what I think! Have a drink, if you must!” “You are not very polite,” replied the fairy, showing no anger. “Very well! In return for your lack of courtesy I grant that for every word you speak a snake or a toad shall drop out of your mouth.” As soon as her mother saw her returning she cried out, “Well, daughter!” “Well, mother?” replied the rude girl. As she spoke two vipers and two toads fell from her mouth. “Heavens!” cried the mother. “What do I see? Her sister is the cause of this. She will pay for it!” Off she ran to beat her, but the poor child ran off and escaped into the woods nearby.

The king’s son met her on his way home from hunting, and noticing how beautiful she was, he asked her what she was doing there all alone, and why she was crying. “Alas, sir, my mother has driven me from home.” As she spoke the king’s son saw five or six pearls and as many diamonds fall from her mouth. He begged her to tell him how this came about, and she told him the whole story. The king’s son fell in love with her, and considering that such a gift as had been bestowed upon her was worth more than any dowry that he might receive from someone else, he took her to his father’s royal palace, where he married her.

As for her sister, she made herself so hateful that her own mother drove her out of the house. No one would take in the miserable girl, so at last she went into a corner of the woods and died.

T.18

As I mentioned, there’s a huge range of wildlife in the highlands, but for those visiting the area there are some basic ground rules that are essential if we are to protect it. Firstly, you should make every effort not to disturb birds and animals, and one way of doing this is to blend in with your surroundings, for instance by avoiding brightly- colored garments such as orange anoraks. To see wildlife clearly, it’s best to use binoculars, keeping your distance. This is particularly important during the breeding season. Wherever possible, use a hide so that they are less likely to detect your presence. Surprising though it may seem, visitors are advised to use their cars where no purpose-built hides are available, as people are apparently less likely to startle animals if they stay inside their vehicles. You may even find that creatures come up close to where you’re parked, in which case until they’ve gone before you move off. It should really go without saying that’s essential to be as quiet as possible, though sadly some people need reminding of this. Oh, and one other thing: wild animals and pets don’t mix, so please leave your dog at home, or at least somewhere he or she can’t chase the wildlife or damage their habitat.

T.19

Listen to a competition on a radio program. With a partner, try to write down heroes and icons

It’s 12.00 noon and so it’s time for today’s competition. Today the topic is “Heroes and icons”. As usual, the rules are very simple. I’m going to give you eight clues and you have to identify the people. If you know all the answers send them to me straightaway by email. The first person who sends me the correct answers wins a prize. Today’s prize is two plane tickets to … the big Apple, New York!

OK, let’s get started with those clues. I’ll say each one twice only. And remember, I always give you the first letter or letters of the word I’m looking for. Today they are all people’s names.

Let’s start with an easy one. Two letters, B and G. It’s a man who’s probably the richest man in the world, the founder of Microsoft. That’s BG, the man who started Microsoft.

Number 2. Two letters again, J and P, although this isn’t the name he was born with. A man whose humanity made him an icon for millions of people all over the world. This religious leader was born in Poland but he died in Rome in 2005.

Number 3. Begins with M, just one word. It’s the name of a woman who has had a lot of different jobs. She’s been an actress, she’s even written children’s books, but she’s most famous as a singer. One word beginning with M.

And number 4. This time it’s a man, and the letters are G and A, though many people just know him by his surname. He’s an Italian designer whose clothes are considered among the most elegant in the world, and whose name is also on perfume bottles everywhere, G and A, for an Italian fashion designer.

On to number 5. Two letters, J and O. It’s the name of a famous American woman, whose first husband was a Greek millionaire. Although she died in 1994, she’s still admired for her style all over the world. Two letters, J and O.

And number 6. It’s a woman. Again and the letters are M and N. She’s the woman who changed the shape of woman’s tennis, and is possibly the greatest female player of all time. She was born in Prague but later became a US citizen. M and N for the greatest ever woman tennis player.

Number 7 is an American actor. He was born in Kentucky in 1961 and he is often called the most attractive male actor in Hollywood today. He first became famous in a TV hospital drama in which he played the part of a doctor. His first name begins with G and his surname with C. So that’s a Hollywood actor, G and C.

And finally number 8. Two letters. M and C. She was born in Greece and died in Paris, and she is the woman whose voice familiar to lovers of opera all over the world. Nicknamed ‘La Divina’ her life was tragic, but her voice will never be forgotten. VC, la Divina.

So, if you think you’ve got the eight correct answers, email them to me now at this address, Guessthenamas@BT.com. And the first person with the correct answers will win those two tickets to New York.

Time for some music.

T. 20

M: Well, I'm not normally a nervous person, so I felt pretty relaxed about the whole thing. And I've always got on well with people, so I didn't expect there to be a problem. But things started going wrong from the moment I turned up. I was wearing jeans and a shirt, but the restaurant was a really elegant place. Her mum was in a silk dress and her dad in a smart suit. I was really fed up with Annie that she hadn't warned me it was a formal dinner. Anyway, I tried to make conversation but I kept getting confused when anyone asked me a question. Then I told a couple of jokes and no one laughed. The silence was awful. Annie said her parents didn't mind, but it was a relief when the evening was over.

D: Mark and Annie had been going out together for about six months. She never talked about him much so we had no idea of what to expect. To be honest, we hadn't been very keen on most of her boyfriends, so my husband and I were rather worried about the dinner. It was difficult when he first arrived because we were wearing smart clothes but he was in jeans. He was obviously embarrassed. I think Annie had forgotten to tell him that we were meeting in a formal restaurant. Anyway, we all had a drink and relaxed a little. He seemed rather nervous and told one or two awful jokes, but all in all it was a good evening. In fact, we were pleased that Annie had found someone nice.

A: Well, my parents have never liked any of my boyfriends so I was pretty stressed about the whole evening. Usually, my dad gets in a bad mood about something and so no one can enjoy themselves. Anyway, I felt really guilty when Mark walked in because I hadn't warned him about what to wear. He looked annoyed with me at first but then he calmed down a bit. Mark chatted with my parents but he didn't talk too much or try to impress them. I thought everything went well, even Mark's very old jokes! I was in a good mood just to see my parents spending time with my boyfriend.

T. 21

Well, my sister was expecting her first child and – er - she was living on a Scottish isle, the island of Mull… just off the west coast, and – er – the plan was that she would – er – travel to a friend`s house on the mainland – er – there`s ferry of course – er - a week before the baby was due. That was the plan but – er – of course babies don`t always… and – er – anyway, two weeks before the baby was due, she was at home and the baby started coming early so my sister had to be taken off the island by lifeboat, not by ferry. You see, it was really early in the morning and the ferry hadn`t started running. Erm – but even the lifeboat didn`t make it in time to actually get her to he mainland. Er – you can imagine it`s quite a small space to give birth in. She said it was kind of like lying in the aisle of an aeroplane or something, that`s about all the space that you`ve got! Fortunately the lifeboat crew were marvelous, - er – they`re nearly all volunteers who – who man the lifeboats. You have like the captain of the boat and four crew members, and -er – in this case, a midwife from the hospital – and another midwife who was just passing, just… on her way home, in fact.

So, in this small space there were all these people standing around as she was giving birth – oh, and of course her husband. Nick was there too – so it was quite crowded! My sister was just pleased that there were no complications and that she managed to get through it. And what was really nice, on the lifeboat, - erm – the crew had a bottle of champagne which I think they were saving for a special occasion and they did actually open it and – er – drink the health of the new baby. And then they also engraved her name and date of birth on the lifeboat`s bell so that it`s always remembered!

The lifeboatmen were encouraging my sister to name the baby after the lifeboat, `cos lifeboats always have a name – and this one was called Mora Edith Macdonald. And so they wanted my sister to call the baby Mora – but she`d already got a name planned. But she did use Mora as a middle name. So my niece has the name Hazel Beth Mora Banner, - er – she has two middle names. One of the lifeboatmen joked – he said it was a good job she didn`t give birth on the ferry because she`d have had to call the baby Caledonian McBrayne – that`s the name of the ferry company. Actually the story – erm – it was featured in the local newspapers after the birth – erm – so there was a photo, somebody had a camera on the boat and took photos straight away. O the story appeared with that photo in all the local papers.

T.22

Claire Well, it wouldn't be electric light because I love candles. And I could live without a washing machine for a week – I often do when I'm on holiday. I think I would miss a fridge though I'd hate not to have cold drinks, and it would mean having to go shopping every day for food or it would go off. So a fridge would be one thing, and then probably my laptop. It has a battery, but I could only use it for three hours or so without charging it. So I wouldn't be able to do much work.

Andy Er well, it depends. I'd quite miss the TV, but I suppose I could live without it for a week if I had to. And, er, what else - oh no, my mobile. I wouldn't be able to charge it. I couldn't live without my mobile. I mean that's how I keep in touch with all my friends. And my MP3 player. I need my music. Yes, definitely those two.

Julia I think for me it would have to be first and foremost the dishwasher. Because with a family and so much washing up, I would just be over the sink for ever. It would be a nightmare for me to have no dishwasher and I've got so used to it. So that would be the first thing. And the second thing, probably again because of having a family, a young family, would be an iron, because there's so much ironing and if I had to go without that, everyone would look terrible. Nobody would look smart. So those would be my two things.

Tyler Well, I suppose the first thing I'd miss most would be my mobile phone, because I couldn't charge it up, so I couldn't use it, and I'd get very upset about that. There are some people's numbers that are only stored in the phone. I haven't got them written down, and I wouldn't be able to get in touch with those people. So mobile phone. And the other thing I'd miss would be, electricity, em if the electricity had gone, would be the lights, at this time of year especially, when the days are short, the mornings are dark, early afternoon, late afternoon's dark too. I'd miss lights as well. So mobile phone and lights.

T. 23

Finally, I’d like to say something about the flourishing arts scene here. This is centered mainly on the Lakeside Theatre and includes a full programme of music, theatre and visual arts. As far as visual arts are concerned, the University Gallery has exhibitions throughout the year. The work of local, national, and international artists is regularly on display as well as exhibitions featuring contemporary architects and designers. The University also has a permanent collection of Modern Eastern European art on display. As well as the conventional theatre productions, put on by visiting professional companies and student groups, there is a Workshop Studio which stages more experimental drama. And finally music. Concerts catering for a variety of musical tastes include performances by visiting groups as well as home-grown talent: the university has its own jazz band and choir. As with the other groups I referred to earlier, you are eligible to join these, but of course you will be required to go for an audition. So there you have it. Obviously, I haven’t covered everything in this short introduction, but I hope I’ve given you a flavor of what’s on offer here.

T.24

Speaker. Our first model has an informal but stylish outfit.He’s wearing an attractive plain, brown leather jacket and a light cotton T shirt. It’s long sleeved I think. I particularly like those casual baggy black jeans. The next model is wearing a shiny grey nylon jacket with matching trousers. She’s also got a large spotty scarf around her neck- a touch of humour from the designer, I feel –and a spotty long sleeved blouse. And on her feet are simple but stylish black leather shoes. A very elegant outfit, in my opinion. Now we have a more unusual outfit. She’s wearing a red stripy top and a long dark wool coat. Below that a short stripy skirt and black leather high- heeled shoes. It’s a very strange look- I’m not sure I like it, and I doubt it will catch on!

T.25.1

1. Artist	Now, could you move your right arm a little. No, a little to the left…to the left…to the left…That’s your right	4. Dresser	I just love this silk!
Girl	Sorry, I thought you mean your left.	Actress	Yes. it smells wonderful, doesn't it? You don't think the colour makes me look …dull?
Artist	No. Now, try not to look so bored	Dresser	Not at all! You look exquisite. Shall I help you with the Laces?
Girl	But I am bored. I’ve been here for hours	Actress	yes. thank you. Oooh, not too tight.
Artist	I’m sorry, but these things take time. It isn’t a sketch, it’s an oil painting	Dresser	Sorry!
Girl	And I’m cold. Can't you turn the heating up?	Actress	And have you seen my shoes?
Artist	I can't work when I'm hot,	Dresser	Yes, they're here.
Girl	Honestly! I don't know why I do this.	Actress	I wish I didn't have to run onto the stage at the start of the scene? These shoes aren’t made for running
Artist	You need the money.	Dresser	I know, but they took superb.
Girl	I know that You don’t have to remind me.	Actress	Really?
Artist	And remember to smile! Your bad moods are ruining this portrait.	Dresser	Yes!
Girl	it's all right for you, You've got a nice warm smock.	Actress	Thank you, you're a darling, Now „, Where's my script? I need to practise my lines.
2. SH1	Back a bit, back a bit Now lift!	5. Technic	One. two, one, two... one, one, one, one...
SH2	Ooh, this is heavy! What is It?	Sound	OK, that’s fine, Can you test the mikes on the drum kit?
SH1	The Houses of Parliament.	Technic	Sure. Hang on, All the lights have gone off. I can’tseeanything.
SH2	Well, it weighs a tonne. They should have it on wheels	Lighting	Sorry, just changing some of the lights. I need to keep them off for a minute.
SH1	I know. I said that but the set designer wouldn't listen.	Sound	Can you find the drums anyway?
SH2	I'm going to have a word with the director.	Technic	I’lltry.
SH1	He won't listen either. They never do.	Technic	Foundthem!
3. Soprano	So. then you walk to the chair and sit down.	6
Tenor	That's right And I sing my aria	Cond	Now, the first time we hear the melody, I want you to play if softly, as if it were a memory of a dream. Doyou understand ? As quietly as you possibly can.
Soprano	And that's when I come and sit on your knee.	Drummer	Sorry! I droppedit.
Tenor	Yes, actually, maybe we could try it with you sitting on the table.	Cond	Violins - more expressive, please, More romantic.Trumpets - pianissimo. Remember that the violins have the melody. All right, let’s try it again from the beginning.
Soprano	If you prefer	7. Choreog	And then it’s step, step, turn - jump.
Tenor	It's a little hard to sing with you on my knee.	Dancer	Step, step, turn which way do I turn? To the left, or to the right?
Soprano	If you say so	choreog	To the right But keep looking straight ahead the whole time, look straight at the audience. So your body turns, but your head stays still.
Tenor	Hard to breathe,	Dancer	All right. Can we try it again?
Soprano		choreog	Step. Step. Turn!
Tenor	So, let’s try from the beginning of the scene again, Please! Music!	Dancer	Argh! I forgot! I turned to the left. Sorry, sorry, sorry, let's do it again, Sorry I'm being so slow today!

T.25.2

1. There is a towel on the floor. Pick it up

2. I hate this music. Switch it off

3. Your jacket’s on the chair. Put it away

4. You don’t need a coat. Take it off

5. I can’t hear the TV. Turn it up

6. Coffee is bad for you. Give it up

T. 26

I was in a taxi in Greece, in Athens, and I was going into the centre to do some shopping and the taxi driver started chatting to me. He asked me where I was from. When I said I was English, he started getting really aggressive. He said that he didn't like the English and that all English people were football hooligans. He went on and on - he just wouldn't stop. I got really annoyed. I mean I thought, 'Why do I have to listen to all of this'. So I asked him to stop the taxi and let me get out. Luckily, he stopped and I got out - and of course, I didn't pay him anything.

2.This happened to me recently when I was travelling around France on business. I was really tired because I'd been working and travelling all day. Anyway, when I got to the hotel in Toulouse - it was the evening -1 checked in and the receptionist gave me the key to my room. So I went up to my room and opened the door, but it was a complete mess! The bed wasn't made, there were dirty towels on the floor and the bathroom was filthy. I went downstairs and told the receptionist and he said that I would have to wait for half an hour while they prepared the room. But I was exhausted and needed to rest, so I told him to give me another room straightaway. Luckily he did.

3.This happened to me last week. I went to a restaurant in London with my family to celebrate my dad's birthday. Anyway, my dad ordered ravioli and when his dish arrived he saw that it had a long, black hair in it. So he asked the waitress to take it back and bring him another one. She brought him another plate of ravioli and it was fine, and we finished our meal. But when my dad asked for the bill, he saw that they had charged us for the ravioli. He didn't think that was right. He thought the ravioli should be free because he had found a hair in it. So he asked the waitress to take it off the bill. She went away and spoke to the manager, and he came and apologized and he took the ravioli off the bill.

T.27

A: Did you see that thing in the paper about Shaynee Wilson?

B: No. What was that?

A: Well,you remember she got married last September, right?

B: Yeah, I think so. It's hard to keep up.

A: Well, she's just got divorced! Apparently, she found out that her husband was having an affair with another Hollywood actress.

B: Cod, that didn't last long, did it? So did he get much of her money?

2 С: Did you see that thing on TV about the mobile phone factory closing down?

D: No. What was that?

C: Oh, one of the biggest factories in the country is closing down, which means about five thousand people will be made redundant.

D: That's bad news, isn't it?

C: Yeah. It must mean the economy is starting to slow down.

D: What's the employment situation like in that area? Do you think people will be able to find new jobs?

3 E: Did you see that thing on TV about the murder last night?

F: Yeah. It was shocking, wasn't it? Stabbed fifteen times and left to die in the street.

E: I know.The victim was only 16 as well. And apparently they think his attackers might've been even younger.

F: Oh, it's depressing, isn't it? Do you know if they've arrested anyone for it yet?

4 C: Did you see in the paper that Sven Larstrom passed away? His funeral is next Saturday.

H: No, I didn't. Who is he? I don't think I've heard of him.

G: Sven Larstrom. He was a really great Swedish director. He made some of my favourite films. Haven't you ever seen Oranges in August?

H: No, never.

G: Or Anna and Maja and Jens?

H: No. Sorry. So how did he die?

5 I: Hey. Did you see that we've finally signed Geraldinho?

J: No, I missed that. Who is he again?

I: Oh, he's a Brazilian midfielder. He's supposed to be great.

J: Yeah? How much did you have to pay for him?

I: Thirty-three million euros! It's a new club record.

J: Yeah? That's a lot for a player I've never heard off. Has he played for the national team yet?

T.28

1 I don’t agree at all. I think it’s much easier. Today you can text, you can e-mail, you can chat online on Messenger and things like that. I’m still in touch with some friends who I met on holiday last year even though they live miles away.

2 Actually, I think it’s probably true. Because I know a lot of men who are still friends with people they went to primary school with, but I don’t know many women who are. For example, my brother has a friend called Tim who he’s known since they were three years old. But I think the reason why is because men’s friendships are less intense, sort of less intimate then women’s friendships. As men only ever talk about sport or superficial things, it doesn’t matter if they’ve completely changed and don’t have much in common any more – they can still talk about football.

3 You definitely shouldn’t. I mean that’s the quickest way to lose friendship. If you don’t like friend’s girlfriend, you should just keep quiet. You have to wait until they break up, and of course then you can say how awful you thought she was and your friend will agree and think you’re being supportive. But if you say anything bad while they are still madly in love, it is a disaster. I know because it happened to me once with a friend of mine. I said something negative about his girlfriend. And now we’re not friends any more.

T 29

Presenter Hello and welcome to our review of the week’s TV. With me today the television critic Michael Stein… Michael, what did you think was the best programme of the week?

Michael Well I’ve chosen the last programme in the channel 4 series That’ll Teach ‘Em. I must say I found the whole series absolutely fascinating. For those of you who didn’t see it, what the programme did was to take a group of 30 16-years – old children and send them – as an experiment – to a boarding school for one month. But it wasn’t a modern boarding school, it was 1950s boarding school. They recreated exactly the same conditions as in the 1950s –the same food, the same discipline, the same exams. The idea was to compere education today with education in the 1950s.

Presenter I bet it was a shock for today’s schoolchildren.

Michael Well it, was of course. It wasn’t just the classes-it was the whole atmosphere – I mean they had to wear the uniform from the 50s horrible uncomfortable clothes – they hated them and they weren’t allowed to leave the school once for the whole month, or watch TV, or use mobiles. And they had to have cold showers every morning and go for cross country runs!

Presenter what was the worst thing for them?

Michael The food definitely! Most of them hated it. They said it was cold and tasteless. And girls didn’t like cold showers much either...

Presenter What about the classes?

Michael Well of course the biggest difference for the kids the discipline. It was silence all the time during the lesson-only the teacher spoke. And anyone who misbehaved had to go to the headmaster and was either caned –hit on the hand –or had to stay behind after class and do extra work. And of course they couldn’t use computers or calculators, but curiously the kids didn’t really mind that, and in fact most of them found the lessons interesting than their normal lessons. They had to work very hard though.

Presenter So what happened in the end? Did they pass the 1950s exams?

Michael No I think the kids failed because exams in the 1950s were very different. The children in the programme will probably do very well in their own exams. On the other hand,1950s children would probably find today’s exams very difficult.

Presenter How did the kids themselves feel about the experiment?

Michael They were really positive. In general they had a good time and they all felt they learnt a lot. I think it made them appreciate their own lifestyle more. Some of them actually said it was the best month of their lives. It was an interesting experiment and the programme was really well made. I very much enjoying watching it.

T.30

Reading or writing text messages while you are walking is dangerous. A new study says it is more dangerous than texting while driving. The study is from the University of Buffalo in the USA. Researchers found that there are more injuries per kilometer to texting pedestrians than there are to texting motorists. Their report says walking is not as easy as we think it is. We need to focus on many things at the same time to walk safely in a straight line. The research team said that people forget how to walk properly, so dangerous things happen to them. They bump into walls and other people, walk into cars, fall over things in the street, and even fall into holes or down stairs. A University professor said walking is a complex action. He said there are several reasons why texting stops people from walking properly. One reason is that they cannot see the path ahead of them. Another is that they are focused on their fingers on their mobile phone keyboard instead of their feet on the street. A final reason is that their minds are somewhere else and not on thinking, about walking from A to B safely. The professor said over 6,000 people visited his hospital last year because they were injured while texting. He said the worst cases are head injuries. When a pedestrian is tossed into the air after being hit by a car, he/she has nothing to protect the head, and the damage can be serious.