Unit 5

Flying High
1 Read the clues. Unscramble the words. Then decode
the sentence and decide if it’s true or false.
1. ighwet Measured in pounds or kilos
1
2. degli Float in the air
8
3. sapwnnig Distance between wing tips
7
4. tghifl The action of flying
12

5. wololh Empty
4
6. leray Not late
9
7. oras Fly upward
3
8. tfuresea Characteristics
5
9. falp The movement of wings up
11
and down

10. itmiled Not great or high in size

10
or number

11. tatpadanio A change to improve life in

2
an environment

12. ytilibapac The ability to do something

13
13. vevole Develop and improve over time
6
Write the letters according to the numbers to answer this question: What is the only
mammal to fly?

         
11 13 11 2 1 3 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 10 10 11 8
  .
2 6 12 8 9

Is this statement true or false? 

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2 Complete the sentences with words from the box. Then decide if the sentences are
true or false based on the information on page 79 of your book.
adaptation  capability  evolved  features  hollow  limited  soar  weight  wingspan
T F
1. Animals haven’t always had the to fly.

2. Wings probably from body features

of insects’ aquatic ancestors.

3. Mammals had an earlier to flight than reptiles.

4. Bats developed to help them fly.

5. Mammals learnt to fly because of their light, wings.

6. The of the first reptiles was over 10 metres (32 feet).

7. The wind helped reptiles and stay up in the air.

8. Adaptations over millions of years meant that mammals became

lighter in .

3 Listen. Write the animal group and name of the animal being described. Complete the
information.  021
1. Animal group: insect   Name:

a. It can 150 times per second.

b. The of its flight mechanism are among the most complex in the world.

c. It is at controlling its flight.

2. Animal group:   Name:

a. It has the of flying across half a football field.

b. Its flight isn’t by flapping wings but by skin on its side.

c. The loose skin forms a cape and a safe landing.

3. Animal group:   Name:

a. It’s a myth that chickens aren’t capable of .

b. They can fly for a distance to escape predators.

c. F
 armers fatten up this bird. Its wings can’t support its body .
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 Gr ammar
Past perfect: Distinguishing the first of two actions in the past

Marco Polo described man-carrying kites. Marco Polo had already described
man-carrying kites by the time Fausto
Veranizio designed a parachute.

Fausto Veranizio designed a parachute Long before Veranizio designed his parachute
in 1595. Da Vinci drew a sketch of a in 1595, Da Vinci had drawn
parachute in 1485. a sketch of one.

We use the past perfect tense (had/hadn’t + past participle) to talk about a completed action
that happened before another action in the past.

We can use certain time expressions with the past perfect, such as long before, before,
by the time and until that time.

1 Complete the sentences. Pay attention to which activity happened first.

1. By the time the Chinese (experiment) with kites 2,500 years
ago, animal flight (exist) for millions of years.

2. Long before the Chinese (start) flying kites, early humans

(try) to imitate birds.

3. The Chinese (use) kites for measuring and signalling before

people (try) to use them for transportation.

4. Although originally the Chinese (design) kites for military

uses, they later (use) them for fun and entertainment.

5. Before paper (make) kites cheaper, the Chinese royal family

(fly) silk kites.

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2 Listen to the ancient Greek myth. Number the events in order.  022

a. He and his son were imprisoned in a tower. f. The sea is named after Daedalus’s son.

b. His son flew too close to the sun. g. Daedalus designed wings.

c. Daedalus was exiled to Crete. h. Daedalus designed a labyrinth.

d. He had a son and named him Icarus. i. Icarus fell into the sea.
1 e. Daedalus committed a crime. j. They escaped.

3 Listen again. Complete the sentences. Use the past perfect

forms of the verbs from the box.  023
allow  ascend  commit  design  forget  jump   observe

1. Daedalus was exiled to Crete because

he a crime.

2. He a labyrinth so King Minos could imprison the Minotaur.

3. Although Daedalus and his son had been imprisoned in a tower, wings
them to escape.

4. Before they took flight, they out of the tower.

5. Icarus fell into the sea because he his father’s words

and he too close to the sun.

4 Complete the story. Circle the correct word and write the verbs in the past perfect tense.

Daedalus was a (1) skilled / stable architect who (2) (design)

many great works. He was imprisoned with his son in a tower for showing his
(3) drawings / weight and (4) forces / features of a labyrinth. From the tower, Daedalus
observed how birds were adapted to (5) weight / flight with the help of wings. Daedalus
and his son (6) (fly) like birds and escaped. Daedalus warned his
son not to (7) descend / ascend too close to the sea or to (8) ascend / descend too close to
the sun. However, Icarus powered himself towards the sun by (9) supporting / flapping
his wings. The wings weren’t (10) stable / skilled because the wax melted and the
(11) force / weight of gravity gradually pulled him down. Poor Icarus! Things might have
been different if his father (12) (design) a
(13) wingspan / parachute instead!
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 1 Listen and read. As you read, notice how aerial vehicles have evolved.  024

Reach for the

Remote Control

Even before 1903, when the Wright Brothers’ dream of human flight had
finally come true, remotely controlled aircraft were being tested mainly by the
military. For example, during the American Civil War (1861–1865), the military
used unmanned (no pilot) hot-air balloons to carry bombs. This wasn’t successful
partly because of weather conditions. Later, in 1883, the first photo from the air
was taken using a kite, a camera and a very long piece of string.
People have been piloting planes for over 100 years, so it makes sense that
flight is now evolving into machines that don’t need pilots, such as Unmanned
Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones. These machines with no pilots are becoming
more and more popular.
UAVs mainly come in three sizes. There are large vehicles that might one
day carry passengers without pilots and medium-sized ones that are very
similar to those used by the military. Then there are much smaller ones, such as
quadcopters, that can fit in the palm of your hand.
Many people are nervous about the idea of a plane without a human. But
there are already driverless trains between airport terminals and robo-trains in
the subways of many cities. We’re slowly adapting to automation.
Medium-sized UAVs, or drones, are very useful. They act like cameras in the
sky. They’re used for observing wildlife, monitoring protected areas and mapping
ecosystems and farmland.
Advances in technology mean that smaller drones have greater capabilities.
Quadcopters have four rotors that allow them to ascend, descend and do many
different movements. People are only now beginning to realise their full potential.
They can be sent into disaster areas or damaged buildings to look for people who
are injured or trapped. They can search for chemical leaks, or check pollution
levels and they can also be used in new construction.
UAVs have been described as flying smartphones. Maybe one day we’ll see
them everywhere, like pigeons in a city!

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2 Write. Answer the questions.
1. How is this article different from the article on page 89 of your book?

2. What is a remotely controlled aircraft?

3. What was the first remotely controlled aircraft used for?

4. Are UAVs now used more in the military or in everyday life?

5. Why are some people nervous about the future of airlines?

6. How can UAVs help the environment?

7. How do you think a quadcopter might be useful in a damaged building?

3 On the timeline, show the evolution of the UAV before and after the Wright Brothers’
first flight.
1903

Wright Brothers’
first flight

4 Write. Imagine that you had your own drone. How would you use it?

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 Gr ammar
Past perfect continuous: Describing the first of two actions in the past

Animals had been gliding long before they learnt to fly.

Before they designed a powered plane, the Wright Brothers had been designing gliders.
He had been controlling the plane with a remote control before it crashed.

We use the past perfect continuous (had/hadn’t + been + past participle) to describe a
continuous action (something that had been happening), before another action in the past.

1 Listen. Complete the sentences using the past perfect continuous.  025
1. Before Ryan was seven, he
pictures of how birds fly.

2. Before modern-day flight existed, Leonardo da Vinci

on the same topic.

3. Before Ryan became inspired by the capabilities of new technologies, he

how dinosaurs may have moved.

4. Eight years before his research into the colour of the Archaeopteryx feather, Ryan
in a band called Icarus.

5. While Ryan a tattoo, the tattoo artist identified

the Archaeopteryx feather.

2 Answer the questions about yourself. Use the past perfect continuous.
1. Before this school year, how long had you been going to your school?

2. Before you started this year, how many years had you been studying English?

3. Before you started this activity, how long had you been sitting at your desk?

4. Before you started this activity, what had you been doing?

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3 Read the letter of complaint. Underline words connected to flight. Then answer the questions.

Is my neighbour allowed to fly his UAV over my garden?

Yesterday, I was watching a documentary for a school assignment when I noticed something flying
by the window. I thought it was my neighbour’s football.
And then, when I went to the kitchen to get some water, I heard an engine and saw something soaring
over the fence. It was a remote-controlled quadcopter! It descended quickly and I saw the ‘pilot’ as it
landed in my neighbour’s garden. I went out and he explained that he is allergic to cats and, for months,
had been trying to scare a cat away. He’d tried putting hot pepper on the grass and plastic forks in the
flowerbeds, but nothing worked!
The day before, he’d been using the quadcopter at
work to take aerial photos of traffic. That’s when he
got the idea of using it to scare the cat away.
As I returned to my assignment, I heard the
quadcopter take off again. I saw the cat come out of
a flowerbed and jump over the fence into my garden.
The UAV followed from above. Can my neighbour keep
doing this?
Jonas

1. What had Jonas been doing when he saw something outside the window?

2. What had he been doing when he heard the sound of an engine?

3. What had his neighbour been doing for months?

4. How had his neighbour been using the quadcopter before flying it above Jonas’s garden?

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 Writing
When we write a classification essay, we first introduce the topic (e.g., restaurant) in an
introductory paragraph. Then, we divide the topic into categories (fast-food, vegetarian,
seafood and so on). Each category gets its own paragraph. In each paragraph, we describe
the shared characteristics that make up the category. Finally, we include a conclusion in which
we bring the categories back together again to talk about the main topic.

1 Organise.
1. Your task is to describe two types of animal flight. Look back at the descriptions of
flight in different animals in Unit 5 of your book. If you prefer, do some research on the
Internet to find other examples. Choose two animals and make notes about their flight
characteristics in the table.

Animal 1 Animal 2

2. Plan your writing. You’ll need an introductory paragraph. Here you will state which
two animals you are going to describe. Include your topic sentence in the introductory
paragraph. Write your topic sentence here:

You’ll need one body paragraph describing the flight of one animal and a second body
paragraph describing the flight of the second animal. Support your description with facts.

Finally, you’ll need a concluding paragraph. You’ll need to make a statement about the
two animals you’ve chosen and about the topic in general.

2 Write.
1. Go to page 89 in your book. Re-read the model.
2. Write your first draft. Check for organisation, content, punctuation, capitalisation
and spelling.
3. Check your final draft. Share it with your teacher and classmates.

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Now I can ...
• talk about the evolution of flying animals and machines. o Yes, I can!
o I think I can.
How did flight evolve in animals?
o I need more practice.

How did flying machines evolve?

• use the past perfect to distinguish the first of two actions in the past. o Yes, I can!
o I think I can.
Rewrite the sentences to show which action came first. o I need more practice.
Dinosaurs became extinct. Birds became skilled fliers.

Fausto Veranizio designed a man-carrying parachute in 1595. George Cayley designed the
first stable glider to carry a human.

• use the past perfect continuous to describe the first of two o Yes, I can!
actions in the past. o I think I can.
o I need more practice.
Write two sentences using the past perfect continuous. Use the words in the box.

drive  drone  rain  slippery

• write a classification essay to describe two types of animal flight. o Yes, I can!
o I think I can.
How is flight in bats different from flight in birds? o I need more practice.

you decide  Choose an activity. Go to page 94.

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