Now do this put-the-text-back-together activity.
This is the text (if you need help).
Supersonic passenger planes could return to the skies before the end of this decade. Supersonic means faster than the speed of sound. The speed of sound is Mach 1, which is 1,234.8kph. The US carrier United Airlines has plans to buy 15 supersonic jets from a company called Boom Supersonic. The planes will fly up to 88 passengers in an all-business class service. They will fly at a top speed of Mach 1.7. This is 2,099kph. Most modern passenger jets have a cruising speed of just over 1,000kph. The new planes could greatly cut the time it takes to fly around the world. Passengers could fly from London to New York in under four hours. It currently takes around 7 1/2 hours to do that journey.
The jets ordered by United Airlines are called Overture. They will be the first supersonic jets to make commercial flights since Concorde stopped operating in 2003. Concorde was jointly operated by British Airways and Air France. The cost of Overture tickets will be roughly the same as regular business class tickets. The price of a Concorde ticket was over 20 times higher than economy class tickets, which meant only the super-rich could afford one. Boom's CEO said Overture will have much better fuel efficiency and profitability than Concorde. Flights will be net-zero carbon and will use sustainable aviation fuel. The cost of each Overture airplane is approximately $200 million. Boom already has around $6 billion in orders.
Comprehension questions- What do supersonic jets fly faster than?
- How many supersonic jets will United Airlines buy?
- What is the top speed of the new supersonic jet?
- What flies at a cruising speed of just over 1,000kph?
- How long does it currently take planes to fly from London to New York?
- What is the name of the new supersonic passenger planes?
- When did the airplane Concorde stop operating?
- How many times higher were Concorde tickets than economy class?
- What kind of fuel will the new airplane use?
- How much does one of the new airplanes cost?
Back to the supersonic jets lesson.
