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12 MINS • A2 READING Tech History Series • SMS Origins

📟 The First Text Message

Read about the first text message and the two words it said.

📋

How to use this lesson

For Teachers

Set a 12-minute timer for students to read the text and solve all 8 questions.

After the questions, check the answers together with the Evidence lines.

For Students

Read the short passage carefully before jumping to the tasks below.

Complete the 8 questions in order from easiest to most detailed.

Useful sentence to copy: "You should charge your phone at night, and you shouldn't use it in bed."

Reading Passage (91 words) Level A2

A vintage 1990s Orbitel 901 chunky mobile handset sitting next to a beige CRT desktop computer in an engineering office,

An illustration of an early mobile phone next to a computer.

On 3 December 1992, the first text message was sent. Neil Papworth, an engineer, says he sent it. At that time, mobile phones did not have keyboards. Because of this, Neil typed the message on a computer. He was working on a system for the company Vodafone. The system sent text messages. Neil sent the message to Richard Jarvis, a director at Vodafone. The message arrived on a phone called the Orbitel 901. What did the message say? It said two words: 'Merry Christmas'. It was a short and simple greeting.

💬 "Merry Christmas" - the two words in the first text message.

💡 Hard Words to Know

noun engineer

engineer

A person who makes or fixes machines or computer systems.

noun director

director

An important boss in a company.

noun keyboard

keyboard

The keys you press to type letters and numbers.

Practice Time: 8 Questions

Read each question carefully and find evidence directly in the text.

Graded Tasks

1 True or False

The first text message in history was sent on 3 December 1992.

____ True ____ False

2 True or False

Mobile phones in 1992 already had keyboards to type text messages directly.

____ True ____ False

3 Multiple Choice

What did Neil Papworth use to type the message?

____ a. A typewriter ____ b. A mobile phone ____ c. A computer ____ d. A tablet

4 Multiple Choice

What were the exact words of the world's first text message?

____ a. "Hello World" ____ b. "Merry Christmas" ____ c. "Happy New Year" ____ d. "Can you hear me?"

5 Matching

Match each historical item or person with its correct role:

Item / Person

Engineer

The Phone

Phone Company

Vodafone Director

Neil Papworth

____ Engineer ____ The Phone ____ Phone Company ____ Vodafone Director

Richard Jarvis

____ Engineer ____ The Phone ____ Phone Company ____ Vodafone Director

Orbitel 901

____ Engineer ____ The Phone ____ Phone Company ____ Vodafone Director

Vodafone

____ Engineer ____ The Phone ____ Phone Company ____ Vodafone Director

6 Multiple Choice

Who received the world's first text message?

____ a. Neil Papworth ____ b. Richard Jarvis ____ c. A school teacher ____ d. Neil's brother

7 Short Answer

Neil worked on a message system for a company. What was the name of the company?

Type the single company name below:

____ (Type your answer...)

8 Short Answer

Which exact mobile phone model received the first text message?

Type the full model name (brand and number):

____ (Type your answer...)

Reading: The First Text Message

📟 The First Text Message

How to use this lesson

For Teachers

For Students

💡 Hard Words to Know

engineer

director

keyboard

Practice Time: 8 Questions

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