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For thousands of years, humans dreamed of flying but early attempts using feathers were unsuccessful. In the early 1900s, gliders and powered planes allowed humans to fully realize flight. The Wright brothers' first powered flight in 1903 was just 12 seconds but led to important technological developments like jet engines and supersonic flight. None of these achievements would have been possible without the efforts of early aviation pioneers.

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105 views

2

For thousands of years, humans dreamed of flying but early attempts using feathers were unsuccessful. In the early 1900s, gliders and powered planes allowed humans to fully realize flight. The Wright brothers' first powered flight in 1903 was just 12 seconds but led to important technological developments like jet engines and supersonic flight. None of these achievements would have been possible without the efforts of early aviation pioneers.

Uploaded by

KIET DO
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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A.

For thousands of years, humans have looked at the skies and dreamed of
flying. Early attempts to fly, using wings made from feathers, were
unsuccessful and in many cases ended in disaster. The uses of hot air and
light gases eventually allowed humans to reach for the skies, but it was not
until the early 1900s that gliders and then powered planes fully realized
man’s dream to fly.
B. One of the earliest tales of man’s passion for flight comes from Greek
mythology. According to legend, an inventor named Daedalus and his son
Icarus escaped from a prison on the island of Crete by making wings of wax
and feathers. Daedalus was successful in returning home, but Icarus flew too
near to the sun, the wax on his wings melted, the feathers came out and he
fell to his death in the sea.
C. Around 400 BC, the first kites were created by the Chinese, who used them
for religious ceremonies and also for the testing of weather conditions. In
many ways, this early invention paved the way for the instruction of
balloons and gliders many years later.
D. Perhaps the most important early aviation pioneer was the artist and inventor
Leonardo da Vinci, who in the 1480s produced over one hundred sketches to
illustrate how humans might be able to fly. These included a drawing of a
flying machine called an Ornithopter. Although never created, the design for
da Vinci’s machine included many concepts that were later incorporated into
the modern – day helicopter.
E. The first successful air passenger were not actually humans at all. In 1783,
the Montgoflier brothers sent a duck, a sheep and a rooster up in their new
invention. The balloon climbed to a height of 6,000 feet and traveled more
than a mile. This was soon followed by the first manned flight, which took
place in Paris on 21st November 1783.
F. Although hot air balloons enabled people to fly freely in the air, they did not
allow much control over direction. The man who first proposed an effective
alternative to the balloon was George Cayley (1773 – 1857), who designed
many different versions of gliders, including biplanes and gliders with tails.
Cayley understood two important principles of flight: firstly, he was aware
that air flow over the wings was crucial for producing flight, and therefore
wing shape was an important factor; he also knew that any long flight would
need an additional, essential ingredient – power.
G. In the early 1900s, two American brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright,
began to create their own version of the glider. Using the results of research
carried out by Cayley and other pioneers, as well as their own experiments
using wind tunnels, the brothers finally came up with a design for an engine
– driven propeller system that would pull an airplane forward and create
enough lift for it to fly. On 17th December 1903, at Kitty Hawk in North
Carolina, the first heavier- than – air flight took place, when Orville piloted
the world’s first airplane, The Flyer. The flight covered 20 feet and lasted 12
seconds.
H. This first powered flight led to several important technological
developments during the twentieth century, including the invention of jet
engine, larger passenger planes and supersonic flight. Just over a century
after the Wright Brothers’ flight, a new milestone was set on 21st June 2002,
when a rocket plane called SpaceShipOne flew to the edge of space and
returned safely to Earth. None of these achievements, however, would have
been possible without the efforts of the early pioneers who dared to believe
that one day man’s dream to fly would become a reality.

Express tip List of headings


Remember to look for i The first powered flight
synonyms, paraphrases
ii Pushing the limits of technology
and other related words in
the headings. For iii The first international flight
example, ‘farm’ in
heading ix refers to iv Planes without engines
‘duck, sheep and a v How a hot air balloon works
rooster’
vi Birdmen

vii The genius who saw the future

viii The first man – made things to fly

ix The flying farm

x The long history of fly

1. Paragraph A ………….
2. Paragraph B…………..
3. Paragraph C…………..
4. Paragraph D…………..
5. Paragraph E……………
6. Paragraph F……………
7. Paragraph G…………..
8. Paragraph H…………..

Multiple – choice questions

A. You can use your map to help you quickly find the answer to multiple –
choice questions. Look at this example
9 According to Greek legend, Icarus never got home because
A he was exhausted and fell into the sea.
B the wings became too hot and he crashed
C he sun burnt him
D he was recaptured and taken to prison

Questions 10 - 12

Choose the correct letter A – D


10 The Chinese were very good at
A. weather balloons.
B. sketches of flying machines.
C. gliders.
D. kites.

11 Which modern flying machines is based on a 500 – year – old design?


A. helicopter
B. plane
C. hot air balloon
D. kite

12 The first powered flight was performed by

A. Leonardo da Vinci
B. The Montgolfier brothers
C. George Cayley
D. Orville Wright

Questions 13 – 14

Choose TWO letters A – E

According to the information in the passage, which TWO factors did George
Cayley realize would be necessary for a long flight?

List of factors
A Planes should be light

B Effective steering would make


balloons more efficient 13………………
C Planes required an engine
14……………..
D Tails enabled biplanes to travel
further

E There should be airflow over the


wings of a plane

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