1.Work in pairs and guess the meanings of the highlighted words. Check with your teacher or consult a dictionary.
2. Read the text. Find answers to the questions from the text.
1. Who are the Wright brothers?
2. What did they invent?
3. What did they make?
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were two American brothers, inventors, and aviation pioneers, who are generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane. They made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft on December 17, 1903, four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
VOCABULARY
1.The words in the chart are appeared in the text. Try to find the other parts of speech.
Verb |
Noun |
Adjective |
invent |
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building |
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controlled |
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success |
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sustain |
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2. Skim the text and find information about the following items:
1.The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, …………..,
2. The Wright brothers were …………who are generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane.
3.They made the first controlled, sustained……..
SPEAKING
Work in pairs and tell what do these pictures mean for you?
READING
1. Read the text. Work in pairs and guess the meanings of the highlighted words and word phrases.
2. Scan the text and label the paragraphs into correct order and try to remember the dates.
The human flight, New ideas, New achievements in Aviation, Wright Brothers success, French people’s achievements, Commercial usage of aircraft, New Era -New challenges. |
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7.……………………………………..
A BRIEF HISTORY OF AVIATION
1. The history of aviation has extended over more than two thousand years, from the earliest forms of aviation, kites and attempts at tower jumping, to supersonic, and hypersonic flight by powered, heavier-than-air jets.
The first scientific principles of human flight appeared in the 14-th century. The problem was studied by the great scientist Leonardo de Vinci. He observed the flight of birds, studied the air and its currents and designed a flying machine the wings of which were operated by a man. In one of the first investigations in aerodynamics, Leonardo da Vinci invented the airscrew and parachute in the 16th century. The artist also had visions and drew diagrams of a helicopter, glider.
Gliders are small winged aircraft designed similar to airplanes but with notable differences. The wings longer and slimmer than those of an airplane. A glider is generally used for recreational or sporting purposes. People use it for gliding or sky sailing. Some of these vessels have engines but others do not have.
A helicopter is an aircraft whose flight is made possible by rotors on top of the vessel. It does not require a runway or much space to take off and land. This is because it has ability to move vertically. Another advantage of helicopter is they can hover. One disadvantage, however, is this type of aircraft is generally not suitable for long distance.
2.The Montgolfiers, two French brothers, succeeded in 1783 in creating the first true apparatus to “fly” when they created a linen, fire powered balloon that floated along for more than five miles.
The first an airplane with an engine were developed in 1843 by William S. Henderson, although the plane was not actually capable of flying.
3. A heavier-than-air design, called the glider, first made flight a reality. While the glider had been invented in 1804 by a British inventor, George Cayley, the first glider pilot was Otto Lilienthal. Fueled by his efforts and success, other inventors continued to improve on Lilienthal’s design.
In 1848, John Stringfellow created a small, steam powered model plane that was capable of “brief flight.” Then in the 1890s, again using a small steam power craft, an American scientist, Samuel P. Langley, attempted a piloted flight. However, after two failed attempts, the project was terminated. It was during the early 1900s when the actual turning point for aviation occurred and two determined brothers from Dayton, Ohio struggled to make their dream of flight a reality.
4.Orville and Wilbur Wright disregarded several failed attempts to fly. Using a common glider airframe, they created the Kitty Hawk Flyer, named after the area on the Outer Banks of North Carolina where they tested their airplanes. And while their first attempt at flight failed, they were successful on December 17, 1903, when the first powered flight lasted 12 seconds. The Wright Brothers went on to chronicle approximately 1,000 flights during a four-year period on the sand dunes of North Carolina. As a result, the Wright Brothers ushered in a new era of flight
and the “air age” was born.
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5.In 1848, John Stringfellow created a small, steam powered model plane that was capable of “brief flight.” Then in the 1890s, again using a small steam power craft, an American scientist, Samuel P. Langley, attempted a piloted flight. However, after two failed attempts, the project was terminated. It was during the early 1900s when the actual turning point for aviation occurred and two determined brothers from Dayton, Ohio struggled to make their dream of flight a reality.
6. As World War I approached, warplane production rose and improvements in aerodynamics, aircraft construction and motor power increased.
In 1927 the first non-stop, continent-to-continent flight was made by Charles Lindbergh .He flew from New Jersey to Paris in 33 hours generating strong support for aviation. Americans were no longer afraid to fly and the number of passengers dramatically increased as did private investments into the aviation industry.
7. Aviation has enabled us to view and experience our world from amazing and advancing perspectives. It has even given rise to space travel and the exploration of stars and plants that could only be seen through telescopes a few decades ago. And now, time will tell what new, exciting progress will evolve as the sky is no longer the limit and distant galaxies may be a goal within our lifetimes.