Upper-Intermediate 3A WB

Read the text once.

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Why are we waiting?

The normal excuses for flight delays are bad weather, strikes, or technical faults, but sometimes problems are caused by more unexpected events. Below are some of the most unusual reasons for flight disruptions at the world’s airports.

Where’s the pilot?
In November 2011, an Air India flight had to be cancelled in southern India because there was no one to fly the plane. 1___The pilot who was supposed to fly the plane refused to do so because he had already completed his shift. The airline called someone to substitute for him, but the second pilot did not turn up. In the end, half of the passengers took a different Air India flight and the rest had to travel on a different airline.
Love is in the air
Last year, services were disrupted at New York’s JFK Airport by a group of lovesick turtles. It seems that the turtles wanted to get from the area where they had been feeding to their breeding grounds, so they had no other option but to cross the runway. 2_______Airport authorities say that this is not the first time that flights have been delayed by the turtles, but they can never predict exactly when the crossing will take place.
Passenger protest
In November 2010, Ryanair’s flight schedule was interrupted by a protest by the people on board. Most of them were French tourists who had been on holiday in Morocco. The flight had already been delayed for three hours before it left Fez, Morocco, and so everyone was looking forward to arriving at Paris, Beauvais Airport. 3_______When the plane landed, about 100 passengers demanded to be flown to Paris and refused to disembark. About four hours later, they were finally persuaded to leave the plane and board the coaches that would take them to Paris.
The great escape
In December 2009, a Continental Airlines flight was delayed in Houston, USA, because two animals had got out of their box in the hold. The animals were sea otters, a marine mammal with dense fur that lives in the North and East Pacific ocean. 4_______ Passengers had to wait 80 minutes for the sea otters to be caught before their plane could take off. Their flight was scheduled to leave for Columbus, Ohio, at 7.55 pm, but they did not take off until 9.15 pm

Question:

What did the four incidents have in common?

They all happened before the plane took off.
They all happened during the flight.
They all happened during the summer.
None of the above.

Read the text again and complete it with the missing sentences. There is one sentence you do not have to use.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why are we waiting?
The normal excuses for flight delays are bad weather, strikes, or technical faults, but sometimes problems are caused by more unexpected events. Below are some of the most unusual reasons for flight disruptions at the world’s airports.

Where’s the pilot?
In November 2011, an Air India flight had to be cancelled in southern India because there was no one to fly the plane. 1______The pilot who was supposed to fly the plane refused to do so because he had already completed his shift. The airline called someone to substitute for him, but the second pilot did not turn up. In the end, half of the passengers took a different Air India flight and the rest had to travel on a different airline.

Unfortunately, they did this incredibly slowly, and no planes could take off until they had completed their journey.
Somehow, the animals managed to open the box and jump out of the hold of the plane onto the runway.
The pilot spoke to the passengers, who were very angry, to try to calm them down.
The cancellation announcement was made when the 169 passengers were waiting to board at the gate.
However, there was thick fog at the time, and so the flight was diverted to Liege in Belgium, about 300 km away.

Read the text again and complete it with the missing sentences. There is one sentence you do not have to use.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why are we waiting?
The normal excuses for flight delays are bad weather, strikes, or technical faults, but sometimes problems are caused by more unexpected events. Below are some of the most unusual reasons for flight disruptions at the world’s airports.

Love is in the air
Last year, services were disrupted at New York’s JFK Airport by a group of lovesick turtles. It seems that the turtles wanted to get from the area where they had been feeding to their breeding grounds, so they had no other option but to cross the runway. 2_______Airport authorities say that this is not the first time that flights have been delayed by the turtles, but they can never predict exactly when the crossing will take place.

Unfortunately, they did this incredibly slowly, and no planes could take off until they had completed their journey.
Somehow, the animals managed to open the box and jump out of the hold of the plane onto the runway.
The pilot spoke to the passengers, who were very angry, to try to calm them down.
The cancellation announcement was made when the 169 passengers were waiting to board at the gate.
However, there was thick fog at the time, and so the flight was diverted to Liege in Belgium, about 300 km away.

Read the text again and complete it with the missing sentences. There is one sentence you do not have to use.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why are we waiting?
The normal excuses for flight delays are bad weather, strikes, or technical faults, but sometimes problems are caused by more unexpected events. Below are some of the most unusual reasons for flight disruptions at the world’s airports.

Passenger protest
In November 2010, Ryanair’s flight schedule was interrupted by a protest by the people on board. Most of them were French tourists who had been on holiday in Morocco. The flight had already been delayed for three hours before it left Fez, Morocco, and so everyone was looking forward to arriving at Paris, Beauvais Airport. 3_______When the plane landed, about 100 passengers demanded to be flown to Paris and refused to disembark. About four hours later, they were finally persuaded to leave the plane and board the coaches that would take them to Paris.

Unfortunately, they did this incredibly slowly, and no planes could take off until they had completed their journey.
Somehow, the animals managed to open the box and jump out of the hold of the plane onto the runway.
The pilot spoke to the passengers, who were very angry, to try to calm them down.
The cancellation announcement was made when the 169 passengers were waiting to board at the gate.
However, there was thick fog at the time, and so the flight was diverted to Liege in Belgium, about 300 km away.

Read the text again and complete it with the missing sentences. There is one sentence you do not have to use.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why are we waiting?
The normal excuses for flight delays are bad weather, strikes, or technical faults, but sometimes problems are caused by more unexpected events. Below are some of the most unusual reasons for flight disruptions at the world’s airports.

The great escape
In December 2009, a Continental Airlines flight was delayed in Houston, USA, because two animals had got out of their box in the hold. The animals were sea otters, a marine mammal with dense fur that lives in the North and East Pacific ocean. 4_______ Passengers had to wait 80 minutes for the sea otters to be caught before their plane could take off. Their flight was scheduled to leave for Columbus, Ohio, at 7.55 pm, but they did not take off until 9.15 pm

Unfortunately, they did this incredibly slowly, and no planes could take off until they had completed their journey.
Somehow, the animals managed to open the box and jump out of the hold of the plane onto the runway.
The pilot spoke to the passengers, who were very angry, to try to calm them down.
The cancellation announcement was made when the 169 passengers were waiting to board at the gate.
However, there was thick fog at the time, and so the flight was diverted to Liege in Belgium, about 300 km away.

Look at the highlighted words and phrases in the text and try to work out their meaning Then match them to definitions 1-7.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why are we waiting?

The normal excuses for flight delays are bad weather, strikes, or technical faults, but sometimes problems are caused by more unexpected events. Below are some of the most unusual reasons for flight disruptions at the world’s airports.

Where’s the pilot?
In November 2011, an Air India flight had to be cancelled in southern India because there was no one to fly the plane. 1___The pilot who was supposed to fly the plane refused to do so because he had already completed his shift. The airline called someone to substitute for him, but the second pilot did not turn up. In the end, half of the passengers took a different Air India flight and the rest had to travel on a different airline.
Love is in the air
Last year, services were disrupted at New York’s JFK Airport by a group of lovesick turtles. It seems that the turtles wanted to get from the area where they had been feeding to their breeding grounds, so they had no other option but to cross the runway. 2_______Airport authorities say that this is not the first time that flights have been delayed by the turtles, but they can never predict exactly when the crossing will take place.
Passenger protest
In November 2010, Ryanair’s flight schedule was interrupted by a protest by the people on board. Most of them were French tourists who had been on holiday in Morocco. The flight had already been delayed for three hours before it left Fez, Morocco, and so everyone was looking forward to arriving at Paris, Beauvais Airport. 3_______When the plane landed, about 100 passengers demanded to be flown to Paris and refused to disembark. About four hours later, they were finally persuaded to leave the plane and board the coaches that would take them to Paris.
The great escape
In December 2009, a Continental Airlines flight was delayed in Houston, USA, because two animals had got out of their box in the hold. The animals were sea otters, a marine mammal with dense fur that lives in the North and East Pacific ocean. 4_______ Passengers had to wait 80 minutes for the sea otters to be caught before their plane could take off. Their flight was scheduled to leave for Columbus, Ohio, at 7.55 pm, but they did not take off until 9.15 pm

Question:

arrive

Look at the highlighted words and phrases in the text and try to work out their meaning Then match them to definitions 1-7.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why are we waiting?

The normal excuses for flight delays are bad weather, strikes, or technical faults, but sometimes problems are caused by more unexpected events. Below are some of the most unusual reasons for flight disruptions at the world’s airports.

Where’s the pilot?
In November 2011, an Air India flight had to be cancelled in southern India because there was no one to fly the plane. 1___The pilot who was supposed to fly the plane refused to do so because he had already completed his shift. The airline called someone to substitute for him, but the second pilot did not turn up. In the end, half of the passengers took a different Air India flight and the rest had to travel on a different airline.
Love is in the air
Last year, services were disrupted at New York’s JFK Airport by a group of lovesick turtles. It seems that the turtles wanted to get from the area where they had been feeding to their breeding grounds, so they had no other option but to cross the runway. 2_______Airport authorities say that this is not the first time that flights have been delayed by the turtles, but they can never predict exactly when the crossing will take place.
Passenger protest
In November 2010, Ryanair’s flight schedule was interrupted by a protest by the people on board. Most of them were French tourists who had been on holiday in Morocco. The flight had already been delayed for three hours before it left Fez, Morocco, and so everyone was looking forward to arriving at Paris, Beauvais Airport. 3_______When the plane landed, about 100 passengers demanded to be flown to Paris and refused to disembark. About four hours later, they were finally persuaded to leave the plane and board the coaches that would take them to Paris.
The great escape
In December 2009, a Continental Airlines flight was delayed in Houston, USA, because two animals had got out of their box in the hold. The animals were sea otters, a marine mammal with dense fur that lives in the North and East Pacific ocean. 4_______ Passengers had to wait 80 minutes for the sea otters to be caught before their plane could take off. Their flight was scheduled to leave for Columbus, Ohio, at 7.55 pm, but they did not take off until 9.15 pm

Question:

the part of an aircraft where goods are stored

Look at the highlighted words and phrases in the text and try to work out their meaning Then match them to definitions 1-7.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why are we waiting?

The normal excuses for flight delays are bad weather, strikes, or technical faults, but sometimes problems are caused by more unexpected events. Below are some of the most unusual reasons for flight disruptions at the world’s airports.

Where’s the pilot?
In November 2011, an Air India flight had to be cancelled in southern India because there was no one to fly the plane. 1___The pilot who was supposed to fly the plane refused to do so because he had already completed his shift. The airline called someone to substitute for him, but the second pilot did not turn up. In the end, half of the passengers took a different Air India flight and the rest had to travel on a different airline.
Love is in the air
Last year, services were disrupted at New York’s JFK Airport by a group of lovesick turtles. It seems that the turtles wanted to get from the area where they had been feeding to their breeding grounds, so they had no other option but to cross the runway. 2_______Airport authorities say that this is not the first time that flights have been delayed by the turtles, but they can never predict exactly when the crossing will take place.
Passenger protest
In November 2010, Ryanair’s flight schedule was interrupted by a protest by the people on board. Most of them were French tourists who had been on holiday in Morocco. The flight had already been delayed for three hours before it left Fez, Morocco, and so everyone was looking forward to arriving at Paris, Beauvais Airport. 3_______When the plane landed, about 100 passengers demanded to be flown to Paris and refused to disembark. About four hours later, they were finally persuaded to leave the plane and board the coaches that would take them to Paris.
The great escape
In December 2009, a Continental Airlines flight was delayed in Houston, USA, because two animals had got out of their box in the hold. The animals were sea otters, a marine mammal with dense fur that lives in the North and East Pacific ocean. 4_______ Passengers had to wait 80 minutes for the sea otters to be caught before their plane could take off. Their flight was scheduled to leave for Columbus, Ohio, at 7.55 pm, but they did not take off until 9.15 pm

Question:

something that you can choose to do

Look at the highlighted words and phrases in the text and try to work out their meaning Then match them to definitions 1-7.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why are we waiting?

The normal excuses for flight delays are bad weather, strikes, or technical faults, but sometimes problems are caused by more unexpected events. Below are some of the most unusual reasons for flight disruptions at the world’s airports.

Where’s the pilot?
In November 2011, an Air India flight had to be cancelled in southern India because there was no one to fly the plane. 1___The pilot who was supposed to fly the plane refused to do so because he had already completed his shift. The airline called someone to substitute for him, but the second pilot did not turn up. In the end, half of the passengers took a different Air India flight and the rest had to travel on a different airline.
Love is in the air
Last year, services were disrupted at New York’s JFK Airport by a group of lovesick turtles. It seems that the turtles wanted to get from the area where they had been feeding to their breeding grounds, so they had no other option but to cross the runway. 2_______Airport authorities say that this is not the first time that flights have been delayed by the turtles, but they can never predict exactly when the crossing will take place.
Passenger protest
In November 2010, Ryanair’s flight schedule was interrupted by a protest by the people on board. Most of them were French tourists who had been on holiday in Morocco. The flight had already been delayed for three hours before it left Fez, Morocco, and so everyone was looking forward to arriving at Paris, Beauvais Airport. 3_______When the plane landed, about 100 passengers demanded to be flown to Paris and refused to disembark. About four hours later, they were finally persuaded to leave the plane and board the coaches that would take them to Paris.
The great escape
In December 2009, a Continental Airlines flight was delayed in Houston, USA, because two animals had got out of their box in the hold. The animals were sea otters, a marine mammal with dense fur that lives in the North and East Pacific ocean. 4_______ Passengers had to wait 80 minutes for the sea otters to be caught before their plane could take off. Their flight was scheduled to leave for Columbus, Ohio, at 7.55 pm, but they did not take off until 9.15 pm

Question:

incidents that make it difficult for something to continue in the normal way

Look at the highlighted words and phrases in the text and try to work out their meaning Then match them to definitions 1-7.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why are we waiting?

The normal excuses for flight delays are bad weather, strikes, or technical faults, but sometimes problems are caused by more unexpected events. Below are some of the most unusual reasons for flight disruptions at the world’s airports.

Where’s the pilot?
In November 2011, an Air India flight had to be cancelled in southern India because there was no one to fly the plane. 1___The pilot who was supposed to fly the plane refused to do so because he had already completed his shift. The airline called someone to substitute for him, but the second pilot did not turn up. In the end, half of the passengers took a different Air India flight and the rest had to travel on a different airline.
Love is in the air
Last year, services were disrupted at New York’s JFK Airport by a group of lovesick turtles. It seems that the turtles wanted to get from the area where they had been feeding to their breeding grounds, so they had no other option but to cross the runway. 2_______Airport authorities say that this is not the first time that flights have been delayed by the turtles, but they can never predict exactly when the crossing will take place.
Passenger protest
In November 2010, Ryanair’s flight schedule was interrupted by a protest by the people on board. Most of them were French tourists who had been on holiday in Morocco. The flight had already been delayed for three hours before it left Fez, Morocco, and so everyone was looking forward to arriving at Paris, Beauvais Airport. 3_______When the plane landed, about 100 passengers demanded to be flown to Paris and refused to disembark. About four hours later, they were finally persuaded to leave the plane and board the coaches that would take them to Paris.
The great escape
In December 2009, a Continental Airlines flight was delayed in Houston, USA, because two animals had got out of their box in the hold. The animals were sea otters, a marine mammal with dense fur that lives in the North and East Pacific ocean. 4_______ Passengers had to wait 80 minutes for the sea otters to be caught before their plane could take off. Their flight was scheduled to leave for Columbus, Ohio, at 7.55 pm, but they did not take off until 9.15 pm

Question:

arranged to be done at a particular time

Look at the highlighted words and phrases in the text and try to work out their meaning Then match them to definitions 1-7.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why are we waiting?

The normal excuses for flight delays are bad weather, strikes, or technical faults, but sometimes problems are caused by more unexpected events. Below are some of the most unusual reasons for flight disruptions at the world’s airports.

Where’s the pilot?
In November 2011, an Air India flight had to be cancelled in southern India because there was no one to fly the plane. 1___The pilot who was supposed to fly the plane refused to do so because he had already completed his shift. The airline called someone to substitute for him, but the second pilot did not turn up. In the end, half of the passengers took a different Air India flight and the rest had to travel on a different airline.
Love is in the air
Last year, services were disrupted at New York’s JFK Airport by a group of lovesick turtles. It seems that the turtles wanted to get from the area where they had been feeding to their breeding grounds, so they had no other option but to cross the runway. 2_______Airport authorities say that this is not the first time that flights have been delayed by the turtles, but they can never predict exactly when the crossing will take place.
Passenger protest
In November 2010, Ryanair’s flight schedule was interrupted by a protest by the people on board. Most of them were French tourists who had been on holiday in Morocco. The flight had already been delayed for three hours before it left Fez, Morocco, and so everyone was looking forward to arriving at Paris, Beauvais Airport. 3_______When the plane landed, about 100 passengers demanded to be flown to Paris and refused to disembark. About four hours later, they were finally persuaded to leave the plane and board the coaches that would take them to Paris.
The great escape
In December 2009, a Continental Airlines flight was delayed in Houston, USA, because two animals had got out of their box in the hold. The animals were sea otters, a marine mammal with dense fur that lives in the North and East Pacific ocean. 4_______ Passengers had to wait 80 minutes for the sea otters to be caught before their plane could take off. Their flight was scheduled to leave for Columbus, Ohio, at 7.55 pm, but they did not take off until 9.15 pm

Question:

a period of time worked by a group of workers who start work as another group finishes

Look at the highlighted words and phrases in the text and try to work out their meaning Then match them to definitions 1-7.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why are we waiting?

The normal excuses for flight delays are bad weather, strikes, or technical faults, but sometimes problems are caused by more unexpected events. Below are some of the most unusual reasons for flight disruptions at the world’s airports.

Where’s the pilot?
In November 2011, an Air India flight had to be cancelled in southern India because there was no one to fly the plane. 1___The pilot who was supposed to fly the plane refused to do so because he had already completed his shift. The airline called someone to substitute for him, but the second pilot did not turn up. In the end, half of the passengers took a different Air India flight and the rest had to travel on a different airline.
Love is in the air
Last year, services were disrupted at New York’s JFK Airport by a group of lovesick turtles. It seems that the turtles wanted to get from the area where they had been feeding to their breeding grounds, so they had no other option but to cross the runway. 2_______Airport authorities say that this is not the first time that flights have been delayed by the turtles, but they can never predict exactly when the crossing will take place.
Passenger protest
In November 2010, Ryanair’s flight schedule was interrupted by a protest by the people on board. Most of them were French tourists who had been on holiday in Morocco. The flight had already been delayed for three hours before it left Fez, Morocco, and so everyone was looking forward to arriving at Paris, Beauvais Airport. 3_______When the plane landed, about 100 passengers demanded to be flown to Paris and refused to disembark. About four hours later, they were finally persuaded to leave the plane and board the coaches that would take them to Paris.
The great escape
In December 2009, a Continental Airlines flight was delayed in Houston, USA, because two animals had got out of their box in the hold. The animals were sea otters, a marine mammal with dense fur that lives in the North and East Pacific ocean. 4_______ Passengers had to wait 80 minutes for the sea otters to be caught before their plane could take off. Their flight was scheduled to leave for Columbus, Ohio, at 7.55 pm, but they did not take off until 9.15 pm

Question:

get off an aircraft

Complete the text with suitable words.

The worst journey I ever had was when I flew to New York last year. I arrived at the terminal in plenty of time, but when I got to the desk, there was an enormous queue. By the time it was my turn, there were no seats left, so I had to sit in the middle of a row. I showed my ID card to the man at passport control and then I went to where I had my scissors confiscated. My was already boarding as soon as I arrived at the departure lounge, and I had to run to reach the gate in time. I sat next to a small child who screamed loudly when we , and didn’t stop screaming for the next two hours. The weather over the Atlantic was terrible and we experienced a lot of . I was so relieved when we finally landed in New York. The worst thing was that when I went to baggage reclaim to my luggage, I was told that my suitcase hadn’t arrived. I spent my first two days in New York with no clothes!

choose the correct answer.

1. I’ve never had such / such a bumpy flight – there was a lot of turbulence.

such
such a

choose the correct answer.

2. This is the first time we’ve had a so long / such a long delay at the airport.

a so long
such a long

choose the correct answer.

3. The terminal was so / such crowded that we couldn’t find a trolley for our cases.

so
such

choose the correct answer.

4. There was so much / s0 many traffic that we nearly missed our flight.

so much
so many

choose the correct answer.

5. There were so / such a lot of people at the airport because it was the first day of the summer holidays.

so
such

choose the correct verb form. choose if both are correct.

1. Jess was fed up because she had waited / had been waiting for three hours for her flight to board.

waited
had been waiting

choose the correct verb form. choose if both are correct.

2. I had been sitting / had sat in departures for 20 minutes when 1 realized my flight was already boarding.

had been sitting
had sat

choose the correct verb form. choose if both are correct.

3. After I had picked up / had been picking up my luggage, I took a taxi to my hotel.

had picked up
had been picking up

choose the correct verb form. choose if both are correct.

4. The kids were bored becuase we had stood / had been standing in line at check-in for over an hour.

had stood
had been standing

choose the correct verb form. choose if both are correct.

5. My flight arrived late because it hadn’t taken off / hadn’t been taking off on time.

hadn’t taken off
hadn’t been taking off

Complete the text with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

My parents had never flown (never fly) before, and so they were very nervous when we (arrive) at Heathrow Airport to take our flight to Rome. I (leave) them at the terminal building with instructions to get in the queue at the check-in desk while I (go) to park my car in the long-term car park. However, when I (get) to the check-in desk myself, they were nowhere in sight. I (look) for them everywhere until’t suddenly occurred to me that they (already / check in) and they (wait) for me in the departure lounge. This was a real problem because I (give) my passport to my mother, so I couldn’t check in. I immediately (call) my parents on their mobile. I was right; they (already / go) through to the departure lounge. They (wait) for me for nearly half an hour at the gate. Luckily, my mum managed to find an understanding member of staff who met me at the information desk with my passport!