The Reading / Listening - Being Asleep - Level 4

Two pilots fell asleep while flying a Boeing 737 from Khartoum, Sudan to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. The plane was at an altitude of 37,000 feet. It was due to begin its descent to Addis Ababa's airport. Air traffic controllers said their radar showed the plane had overshot its destination. The pilots woke up after the autopilot disconnected and the alarm sounded. They turned around and landed the plane safely. No one on board was hurt.

The airline said: "We…received a report which indicates the Ethiopian flight…temporarily lost communication with air traffic control." It said the pilots "have been removed from operation pending further investigation". It added: "Appropriate corrective action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation. Safety…will continue to be our first priority." An aviation analyst said pilot fatigue was one of the biggest threats to air safety.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Being Asleep - Level 5 or  Being Asleep - Level 6

Sources
  • https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/19/ethiopian-airlines-pilots-fall-asleep-mid-flight-and-pass-airport-17209873/
  • https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/pilots-reported-to-fall-asleep-ethiopian-airlines/index.html
  • https://nypost.com/2022/08/19/pilots-on-ethiopian-airlines-flight-fall-asleep-miss-landing/


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. fell asleep while
  2. at an altitude
  3. It was due to begin
  4. Air traffic
  5. the plane had overshot its
  6. after the autopilot
  7. landed the plane
  8. No one on
  1. its descent
  2. safely
  3. destination
  4. board was hurt
  5. controllers
  6. flying a Boeing 737
  7. disconnected
  8. of 37,000 feet

Paragraph 2

  1. lost communication with
  2. pending further
  3. Appropriate corrective
  4. based on the outcome
  5. continue to be our first
  6. An aviation
  7. pilot
  8. one of the biggest threats
  1. analyst
  2. action
  3. air traffic control
  4. to air safety
  5. investigation
  6. fatigue
  7. priority
  8. of the investigation

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Two pilots fell (1) ___________________ a Boeing 737 from Khartoum, Sudan to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. The plane was (2) ___________________ of 37,000 feet. It was due to begin its descent to Addis Ababa's airport. Air traffic controllers (3) ___________________ showed the plane had overshot its destination. The (4) ___________________ after the autopilot disconnected and (5) ___________________. They turned around and landed the plane safely. No one on (6) ___________________.

The airline said: "We...received a (7) ___________________ the Ethiopian flight...temporarily lost communication with (8) ___________________." It said the pilots "have been removed from (9) ___________________ investigation". It added: "Appropriate corrective action will be taken based (10) ___________________ of the investigation. Safety...will continue to be (11) ___________________." An aviation analyst said pilot fatigue was one of the (12) ___________________ air safety.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TwopilotsfellasleepwhileflyingaBoeing737fromKhartoum,SudantoA
ddisAbabainEthiopia.Theplanewasatanaltitudeof37,000feet.Itwasd
uetobeginitsdescenttoAddisAbaba'sairport.Airtrafficcontrollerssaidt
heirradarshowedtheplanehadovershotitsdestination.Thepilotswoke
upaftertheautopilotdisconnectedandthealarmsounded.Theyturned
aroundandlandedtheplanesafely.Nooneonboardwashurt.Theairline
said:"We...receivedareportwhichindicatestheEthiopianflight...temp
orarilylostcommunicationwithairtrafficcontrol."Itsaidthepilots"have
beenremovedfromoperationpendingfurtherinvestigation".Itadded:
"Appropriatecorrectiveactionwillbetakenbasedontheoutcomeofthei
nvestigation.Safety...willcontinuetobeourfirstpriority."Anaviationa
nalystsaidpilotfatiguewasoneofthebiggestthreatstoairsafety.

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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