The Reading / Listening - Fuel-Tankering - Level 1

A worker told newspapers about an airline creating extra CO2. The person is a whistleblower - someone who tells bad company secrets. The airlines use "fuel-tankering" to save money. This is when airplanes store extra fuel to fly somewhere and come back. It is bad for the environment and global warming. The airline saves money, but fuel-tankering creates lots of CO2 - as much each year as a large town does.

In a BBC documentary, the CEO of British Airways promised to look at this problem. He said fuel-tankering was "maybe the wrong thing to do". It saves very little money, but there is a big cost to the environment. A flight from London to Italy saves just $50 for an airline, but puts an extra 600kg of CO2 into the air. Greenpeace said airlines put profit before the planet. It said airlines will do anything to make more profit.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Fuel-Tankering - Level 0 Fuel-Tankering - Level 2   or  Fuel-Tankering - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/nov/11/ba-to-review-fuel-tankering-after-panorama-revelations
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-airways-carbon-dioxide-panorama-fuel-tankering-greenhouse-gas-flights-a9195701.html
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50365362


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. The person is a
  2. someone who tells bad company
  3. airplanes store extra
  4. fly somewhere and
  5. It is bad for the
  6. The airline saves
  7. fuel-tankering creates
  8. as much each year as
  1. money
  2. come back
  3. a large town
  4. fuel
  5. lots of CO2
  6. secrets
  7. environment
  8. whistleblower

Paragraph 2

  1. In a BBC
  2. the CEO of
  3. promised to look
  4. maybe the wrong
  5. It saves very
  6. there is a big cost
  7. airlines put profit before the
  8. airlines will do anything to make
  1. at this problem
  2. little money
  3. more profit
  4. documentary
  5. planet
  6. British Airways
  7. thing to do
  8. to the environment

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A worker told newspapers (1) ___________________ creating extra CO2. The person (2) ___________________ - someone who tells bad company secrets. The airlines use "fuel-tankering" to save money. This is when airplanes (3) ___________________ to fly somewhere (4) ___________________. It is bad for the environment and global warming. The (5) ___________________, but fuel-tankering creates lots of CO2 - as much each year as a (6) ___________________.

In a BBC documentary, the CEO of British Airways (7) ___________________ at this problem. He said fuel-tankering was "maybe the (8) ___________________ do". It saves very little money, but there is a (9) ___________________ the environment. A flight from London to Italy (10) ___________________ for an airline, but puts (11) ___________________ of CO2 into the air. Greenpeace said airlines put profit before the planet. It said airlines will do anything to (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AworkertoldnewspapersaboutanairlinecreatingextraCO2.Theperso
nisawhistleblower-someonewhotellsbadcompanysecrets.Theairlin
esuse"fuel-tankering"tosavemoney.Thisiswhenairplanesstoreext
rafueltoflysomewhereandcomeback.Itisbadfortheenvironmentandg
lobalwarming.Theairlinesavesmoney,butfuel-tankeringcreateslot
sofCO2-asmucheachyearasalargetowndoes.InaBBCdocumentar
y,theCEOofBritishAirwayspromisedtolookatthisproblem.Hesaidfuel
-tankeringwas"maybethewrongthingtodo".Itsavesverylittlemone
y,butthereisabigcosttotheenvironment.AflightfromLondontoItalysa
vesjust$50foranairline,butputsanextra600kgofCO2intotheair.Gree
npeacesaidairlinesputprofitbeforetheplanet.Itsaidairlineswilldoanyt
hingtomakemoreprofit.

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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