英语博客：Get the setting right.

　　It was only this evening, after a busy day, that I realised that my phone had not rung all day. That is unusual. I checked my messages, and there were twelve! How come I hadn't heard the phone ring? I checked the setting, and it said 'silent'.  "Oh, great!" I said to myself as I scrolled² through the numbers that had called me. There was one particular one that had tried calling me eight times. Thankfully, it wasn't an emergency. It was the automated³ telephone system for the substitute teachers. It had called me all those times to offer me a morning job for tomorrow. I have already subbed in that class, which happens to be where one of my sons is. It would have been a perfect job, but it just so happens that I have two appointments in the morning, so I can't make it. I'm lucky, though, to have the teacher request me. Young students like to have a familiar face, instead of a different sub each time. The trouble with my phone is that it's an old design which has buttons on the outside. When I put the phone in my handbag, which I do often during the day, sometimes the buttons get pushed. The settings get changed without me even knowing anything about it. So, sometimes a call will come in, and my handbag will start vibrating, or music will play that I don't recognize. I never know what to expect from my phone. I should probably upgrade to a decent model that doesn't change its settings so easily. Come to think of it, my husband has an old Blackberry that he used to use. It has been sitting around, gathering⁴ dust because he has upgraded and no longer needs it. I actually think I understand why I have stuck with my little, old phone. It's because it is cheap, beaten-up, and not important. If I lose it, it's no great loss. However, if I were to lose a Blackberry, I would probably feel bad about losing something expensive. So, for now, I'll just have to double-check my settings, and put up with my comfortable old model.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to scroll¹, it just so happens, decent, come to think of it.
1. You scroll on a phone or a computer when you go up and down the page using the side bar or the cursor.
2. It's your birthday today? It just so happens that I have a present for you.
3. Those shoes look worn out and yucky; why don't you buy yourself some decent ones?
4. He hasn't called me this month. Come to think of it, he's never called me!

1 scroll   

n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡

参考例句：

• As I opened the scroll,a panorama of the Yellow River unfolded.我打开卷轴时，黄河的景象展现在眼前。
• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements.他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。

2 scrolled   

adj.具有涡卷装饰的v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的过去式和过去分词 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕

参考例句：

• Wherever the drop target can possibly be scrolled offscreen, the program needs to auto-scroll. 无论拖放的目标对象是否在屏幕之外，程序都需要自动滚动。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• If It'still is then you've not scrolled up enough lines. 如果还在说明你向上滚动的行数不够。 来自互联网

3 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。