• What do you think of the way the violinist reacted to being interrupted? How do you think the person whose phone rang felt?
• How do you normally react when somebody interrupts you? Does this depend on what you’re doing at the time?
• Apart from people’s phones ringing, what other annoying situations can you experience in a concert or at the cinema?
• In which situations should you put your phone in silent mode? Do you always remember to do this?
• Do you ever start using your phone when you are talking to other people?
• Do you think students should be allowed to use their phones in class?
  
• Do you always answer your phone when it rings or do you sometimes just let your phone ring and ignore the call?
• How often do you turn on your phone to see if somebody has contacted you? Do you look at messages as soon as you receive notifications?
• Talk about a sound that you find particularly irritating.
• Is noise pollution (traffic, road works, people shouting in the street etc) a serious problem? What effects can it have on people? Is it a problem where you live?

One of the sounds I really can’t stand is somebody bouncing a football along the street. It’s not that I find football particularly annoying, it’s just that the sound of a football hitting the ground brings back really bad memories. About 5 years ago I lived in a third-floor flat in an area of Barcelona called Gràcia. Next to my building there was a small square, if you can call it a square. There used to be an old building there, but it was in such bad condition that the city council decided to knock it down and turn the empty space into a square. Apart from the typical benches and street lights, the design of the new square also included a strange metallic structure which unfortunately was attached to the side of my building. I think it was supposed to be some sort of public art, but it started rusting almost immediately and I think it looked absolutely awful. Being one of the world’s most densely-populated cities, Barcelona isn’t known for its parks and open spaces. Really there’s nowhere for kids to kick a ball around, so the majority just have to make do with their local square. So, at 5 o’clock every evening my square turned into the Nou Camp, Barcelona football club’s world-famous stadium, as dozens of kids from all over the neighbourhood headed for the area. I could hear them approaching, bouncing their footballs as they walked down the street. For the next two hours it was screaming, shouting and swearing non-stop. When I moved into the flat although it really got on my nerves I suppose I could deal with it, but after a few months it began driving me round the bend. Sometimes I used to lean out of the window and tell the kids off, but they never took any notice of me. But worst of all was when they kicked the ball against the rusty artwork on the side of my building ... BOOOOM! ... The noise was absolutely deafening. But it wasn’t just noise. Every time the ball hit the wall the metallic stucture vibrated violently and sent shockwaves through the building. It was like being in an earthquake, I swear. Anyway, fortunately I didn’t go mad and I live in a quieter area now. But whenever I hear the sound of a bouncing football I’m transported back in time to the “noise hell” of my flat in Gràcia. I suppose I’ll never manage to forget it.