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When I heard that Spotlight <\/em>was turning 40, I started thinking about what my life was like 40 years ago. I was married and living in Munich. We had two sons, aged four and two, lots of friends, a cozy apartment, and a steady income. We felt like we had it all. There were, of course, things we did not have. But that was because they didn\u2019t even exist. I\u2019m talking about things such as (A) handies<\/strong>, computers, or the internet, which we now take for (B) given<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

In the 1980s, as a young journalist and translator, I spent countless hours in the library researching topics. I had shelves of German\u2013English dictionaries and other reference books at home, but they didn\u2019t always have the information I needed. I was once asked to write about the top ten art collectors in Germany. Today, that would entail a simple Google search. But back then, I had to search library archives for newspaper and magazine articles that might provide clues. Most of the information was on microfilm, which I then read on a special viewer in the library. I also spent hours phoning auction houses and gallerists. In short, the research was extremely time-consuming.
\n
\nCalls to an editor in the U.S. were expensive because we paid by the minute. And when I was ready to start writing, I did it on a(n) (C) writing machine<\/strong>. I then either faxed or mailed the pages to an editor, depending on how quickly they needed the article. Compare that to today, when documents can be sent back and forth instantaneously by e-mail.
\n
\nSpeaking of phone calls, in the summer of 1981, I found myself stranded at Frankfurt airport with my two young children. Our flight to the U.S. had been canceled, and we were told we\u2019d have to wait several days to get another flight. Today, I can simply book another flight online. But in 1981, I had to call the (D) journey bureau<\/strong> that had booked the flight. That meant going to the post office at the airport, registering the call, and waiting in line. As I waited, I started talking with a guy who was also in line. It turned out that he worked for Pan Am and was able to get us on a Pan Am flight later that day. We\u2019d arrive at a different airport, so I called my parents, who were meeting us, and they looked for a(n) (E) card<\/strong> that showed how to drive to that airport.
\n
\nToday, a smartphone can take care of everything! I can do my research on it, book a flight, get directions, send e-mails and messages, and call anywhere in the world. Then I can sit back and listen to tunes or watch a movie to relax. So, when people talk about \u201cthe good old days,\u201d I have to say that, in many ways, they weren\u2019t all that good!<\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Unbenannt: Text"},"subContentId":"bba20c0d-465a-4659-a53c-c4b6851a7a3d"},"useSeparator":"auto"},{"content":{"params":{"media":{"disableImageZooming":false},"text":"

When Ginger wrote the text above, she was thinking about her time in Germany. So much so that she got a couple of things wrong. Replace the five words and phrases in bold with the correct English words and phrases.<\/p>\n","overallFeedback":[{"from":0,"to":100}],"showSolutions":"L\u00f6sung anzeigen","tryAgain":"Wiederholen","checkAnswer":"\u00dcberpr\u00fcfen","notFilledOut":"Bitte f\u00fcllen Sie alle L\u00fccken aus, um die L\u00f6sung ansehen zu k\u00f6nnen","answerIsCorrect":"':ans' ist korrekt","answerIsWrong":"':ans' ist falsch","answeredCorrectly":"Korrekt beantwortet","answeredIncorrectly":"Falsch beantwortet","solutionLabel":"Korrekte Antwort:","inputLabel":"L\u00fccke @num von @total","inputHasTipLabel":"Tipp verf\u00fcgbar","tipLabel":"Tipp","behaviour":{"enableRetry":true,"enableSolutionsButton":true,"enableCheckButton":true,"autoCheck":false,"caseSensitive":false,"showSolutionsRequiresInput":false,"separateLines":false,"confirmCheckDialog":false,"confirmRetryDialog":false,"acceptSpellingErrors":false},"scoreBarLabel":"Sie haben :num von :total Punkten erreicht.","confirmCheck":{"header":"Beenden?","body":"Ganz sicher beenden?","cancelLabel":"Abbrechen","confirmLabel":"Beenden"},"confirmRetry":{"header":"Wiederholen?","body":"Ganz sicher wiederholen?","cancelLabel":"Abbrechen","confirmLabel":"Best\u00e4tigen"},"questions":["

A. c*ell* p*hone*
\nB. g*ranted*
\nC. t*ypewriter*
\nD. t*ravel* a*gency*
\nE. m*ap*<\/p>\n"]},"library":"H5P.Blanks 1.12","metadata":{"contentType":"Fill in the Blanks","license":"U","title":"The German influence"},"subContentId":"c18687b4-318d-4661-8c0b-67ac26cf9678"},"useSeparator":"auto"}]}

1. The German influence

1. The German influence

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