The Reading / Listening - COMAC Airline - Level 1

The first Chinese-made airplane with passengers flew from Shanghai to Beijing on Sunday. The C919 plane was made by a company called COMAC. China's president called the C919 a "triumph of Chinese innovation". Newspapers called it "a symbol of skill and national pride". A passenger said: "The flight was extremely smooth and comfortable". He said he would remember it "for some time to come".

COMAC hopes to compete with companies like Boeing and Airbus. It started developing the C919 in 2008. In September 2022, it was passed to fly commercially in China. COMAC plans to build 150 planes each year for the next five years. It has orders for more than 1,000 C919s from Chinese airlines. It hopes to get international orders. COMAC said its airplane was an "important milestone" for China.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    COMAC Airline - Level 0 COMAC Airline - Level 2   or  COMAC Airline - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-28/china-jet-to-rival-airbus-boeing-makes-first-commercial-flight
  • https://english.news.cn/20230528/69edc8d64183415eb491c3d191a3621f/c.html
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/5/28/chinas-first-home-built-passenger-jet-makes-inaugural-flight


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. The first Chinese-
  2. passengers flew
  3. a triumph of Chinese
  4. a symbol
  5. national
  6. The flight was extremely
  7. He said he
  8. for some time
  1. smooth
  2. to come
  3. pride
  4. from Shanghai
  5. of skill
  6. made airplane
  7. innovation
  8. would remember it

Paragraph 2

  1. compete with companies
  2. It started developing
  3. It started developing
  4. fly
  5. each year for the
  6. It has orders for
  7. It hopes to get international
  8. an important milestone
  1. for China
  2. next five years
  3. the C919
  4. more than 1,000 C919s
  5. orders
  6. like Boeing
  7. commercially
  8. the C919 in 2008

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The first Chinese-made (1) ___________________ flew from Shanghai to Beijing on Sunday. The C919 (2) ___________________ by a company called COMAC. China's president called the C919 (3) ___________________ Chinese innovation". Newspapers called it (4) ___________________ skill and national pride. A passenger said: "(5) ___________________ extremely smooth and comfortable". He said he would remember it "for some (6) ___________________".

COMAC (7) ___________________ with companies like Boeing and Airbus. (8) ___________________ the C919 in 2008. In September 2022, (9) ___________________ to fly commercially in China. COMAC (10) ___________________ 150 planes each year for the next five years. It has (11) ___________________ than 1,000 C919s from Chinese airlines. It hopes to get international orders. COMAC said its airplane (12) ___________________ milestone" for China.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ThefirstChinese-madeairplanewithpassengersflewfromShanghait
oBeijingonSunday.TheC919planewasmadebyacompanycalledCOM
AC.China'spresidentcalledtheC919a"triumphofChineseinnovation".
Newspaperscalledit"asymbolofskillandnationalpride".Apassengersa
id:"Theflightwasextremelysmoothandcomfortable".Hesaidhewould
rememberit"forsometimetocome".COMAChopestocompetewithcom
panieslikeBoeingandAirbus.ItstarteddevelopingtheC919in2008.InS
eptember2022,itwaspassedtoflycommerciallyinChina.COMACplans
tobuild150planeseachyearforthenextfiveyears.Ithasordersformore
than1,000C919sfromChineseairlines.Ithopestogetinternationalord
ers.COMACsaiditsairplanewasan"importantmilestone"forChina.

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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