Recording 143, page 190
Exercise 2a Read the text.
Red phone boxes
The red phone box is one of Britain’s most cherished symbols.
In the past, you could see the large red telephone boxes on every British street and outside post offices and pubs everywhere in Britain.
It was introduced in 1925. When British Telecom tried to replace them with new phone booths, the public protested.
However, now there are only a few of the red telephone boxes. They have become ‘historic monuments’. The new glass and steel phone boxes are not so elegant.
People love the old ones. Now we might see them again because people are buying them and finding new uses for them.
You can buy the basic box, the ‘library’ box, the ‘shower’ box, the ‘aquarium’, and ‘a drinks cabinet’.
Can you think of some other uses for an old phone box? How about a bird cage, a refrigerator, a coffee machine, a washing machine, a sauna…?