The Reading / Listening - Supersonic Jets - Level 0

There could be supersonic passenger planes in eight years. Supersonic means flying faster than the speed of sound. The business class planes will have a top speed of 2,100kph. Most modern planes fly at around 1,000kph. The new planes will almost cut in half the flying time from London to New York.

The new airplanes will be the first supersonic jets to fly passengers since 2003. The cost of the tickets will be about the same as today's business class. Supersonic travel 20 years ago cost over 20 times more than economy class tickets. Only the super-rich could fly. The new planes will use less fuel. They will also be net-zero carbon.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Supersonic Jets - Level 1,  Supersonic Jets - Level 2   or  Supersonic Jets - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.yahoo.com/news/united-placed-3-billion-order-121600471.html
  • https://www.autoevolution.com/news/supersonic-boom-overture-is-set-to-become-the-world-s-fastest-airliner-162499.html
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57361193
  • https://boomsupersonic.com/overture


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. supersonic passenger
  2. flying faster than the speed
  3. business
  4. have a top speed
  5. Most modern planes fly at
  6. cut in
  7. the flying
  8. from London
  1. to New York
  2. time
  3. half
  4. around 1,000kph
  5. planes
  6. class planes
  7. of sound
  8. of 2,100kph

Paragraph 2

  1. the first supersonic jets to fly
  2. the same as today's
  3. Supersonic travel
  4. cost over 20
  5. economy class
  6. Only the super-rich
  7. The new planes will use less
  8. net-
  1. could fly
  2. 20 years ago
  3. fuel
  4. business class
  5. zero carbon
  6. tickets
  7. passengers
  8. times more

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

There could be supersonic passenger (1) ___________________ years. Supersonic means (2) ___________________ the speed of sound. The (3) ___________________ will have a top speed of 2,100kph. Most modern planes (4) ___________________ 1,000kph. The new planes (5) ___________________ in half the (6) ___________________ London to New York.

The new airplanes will (7) ___________________ supersonic jets to fly passengers since 2003. (8) ___________________ the tickets will be about (9) ___________________ today's business class. Supersonic travel 20 years (10) ___________________ 20 times more than (11) ___________________. Only the super-rich could fly. The new planes will (12) ___________________. They will also be net-zero carbon.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Therecouldbesupersonicpassengerplanesineightyears.Supersonic
meansflyingfasterthanthespeedofsound.Thebusinessclassplane
swillhaveatopspeedof2,100kph.Mostmodernplanesflyataround1,00
0kph.ThenewplaneswillalmostcutinhalftheflyingtimefromLondonto
NewYork.Thenewairplaneswillbethefirstsupersonicjetstoflypasseng
erssince2003.Thecostoftheticketswillbeaboutthesameastoday'sbus
inessclass.Supersonictravel20yearsagocostover20timesmorethane
conomyclasstickets.Onlythesuper-richcouldfly.Thenewplaneswillu
selessfuel.Theywillalsobenet-zerocarbon.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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