Smart

John loved technology. It was all he ever talked about. He was always excited to try the latest gadgets, and whenever a new phone, watch, or computer came out, he had to be the first to have it. For John, technology made life easier and certainly more exciting.

The house could do many things. The front door opened when it saw his face. The lights came on when he said, “Lights on.” The coffee machine made coffee when he said, “Good morning.” Even the fridge told him when he needed more milk.

At first, John was very happy. He told his friends, “This house is amazing. I don’t need keys, I don’t need to write shopping lists, and I don’t even need to think about many things. The house does it all.”

But one evening, after work, something went wrong. There was a big storm. The wind was strong, and the rain was heavy. Suddenly, the whole street lost electricity. The smart home went dark and quiet.

John stood at the front door. “Open,” he said. But the door stayed closed. He tried again, louder: “Open!” Nothing happened. The door only worked with electricity. John had no key.

He waited, but the power did not come back. He was wet and cold outside. “Why didn’t I keep a key?” he thought.

When the power finally returned, John ran inside. But the problems continued. The fridge was warm, and the food inside was bad. He wanted to make tea, but the electric kettle did not start. The system was not working so he could not even boil water.

John went to take a shower, but the hot water was cold because the machine needed electricity. He tried to open the windows for fresh air, but they were locked by the smart system too.

That night, John sat in the living room, tired and hungry. Without the smart system, the house felt useless. He remembered his old apartment with a normal key, a simple kettle, and windows he could open by hand. Life there was harder in some ways, but at least it always worked.

The next day, John asked a worker to add a normal lock to the door. He also bought a small gas stove and a candle. His friends were surprised.

“You love technology,” one of them said. “Why are you going back to old things?”

John smiled. “Living in a smart home is great,” he said. “But when there is no electricity, the house cannot help me. I’ve learnt that doing things the old way is sometimes safer and more reliable. A key and a simple stove will not stop working in a storm.”

From that day on, John continued to enjoy his smart home, but he also held on to some traditional habits too. He now realised that while technology can be incredibly useful, it also has some disadvantages.

📒 Key vocabulary

• gadgets – small, useful machines or tools
• electricity – power that gives energy to lights and machines
• kettle – a pot for boiling water
• system – a group of machines or parts that work together
• locked (lock, locked, locked) – close with a key or other system so it cannot be opened
• useless – not helpful; something that cannot do what you need
• stove – a machine used for cooking food or boiling water
• candle – a stick of wax that gives light when it burns
• traditional – old and simple, not modern or new
• disadvantages – negative points, things that cause problems

🤔 Comprehension quiz

How much of this story did you understand? Test yourself with this easyEnglish quiz!