ACADEMIC LISTENING TEST PRACTICE
AIR TRAVEL - AIRBUS A380
AIR TRAVEL - AIRBUS A380
For Students Preparing for Academic Tests / IELTS and TOEFL
Listen as you read the script.
Playing Time: 2 minutes 20 seconds
Here’s a riddle for you: What do the towns of Sedona in the state of Arizona, and Traverse City in Michigan and Bozeman in Montana all have in common? Answer: Each of these American towns has a population of less than 100 people. Also, the total population of all these three towns (less than 300) is actually less than the number of people that just one Airbus A380 can carry: 525 people. This is because the Airbus A380 is the largest passenger plane in the world.
The 525 people that an Airbus can carry includes first class and business class (which take a lot of space in the airplane) - in addition to economy class. However, if there were only economy class seats, then the airbus could carry an amazing 853 passengers. It can do this because there is both a ‘downstairs’ and an ‘upstairs’ on the plane, and also because the plane is very wide. The main cabin deck of the Airbus, for example, is more than 21 feet wide, while that of the older Boeing 747 is only 19 feet. That’s a difference of about ten percent. You might think that a plane this big couldn’t fly very fast, but, if you did, you would be wrong. It can fly at about 900 km per hour, which is close to the speed of sound. It can also fly very long distances non-stop. For example, it can fly the 14,200 km from Dubai to New Zealand without landing even once! When you are a passenger on a flight like this, perhaps your only major concern might be jet lag.
Since April 27, 2005 (when the Airbus made its first flight) more than 200 of these planes have been made. The airline companies that have bought most of these aircraft are, Emirates Airlines (UAE), Singapore Airlines (Singapore) and Lufthansa (Germany). There are plans to make and sell more than 100 additional planes. If you are thinking of buying one of them, you can contact the French company that makes them. All you need is US$432.6 million. But hurry! Due to the high cost of manufacturing just one plane, production of the A380 will stop in 2021.
The 525 people that an Airbus can carry includes first class and business class (which take a lot of space in the airplane) - in addition to economy class. However, if there were only economy class seats, then the airbus could carry an amazing 853 passengers. It can do this because there is both a ‘downstairs’ and an ‘upstairs’ on the plane, and also because the plane is very wide. The main cabin deck of the Airbus, for example, is more than 21 feet wide, while that of the older Boeing 747 is only 19 feet. That’s a difference of about ten percent. You might think that a plane this big couldn’t fly very fast, but, if you did, you would be wrong. It can fly at about 900 km per hour, which is close to the speed of sound. It can also fly very long distances non-stop. For example, it can fly the 14,200 km from Dubai to New Zealand without landing even once! When you are a passenger on a flight like this, perhaps your only major concern might be jet lag.
Since April 27, 2005 (when the Airbus made its first flight) more than 200 of these planes have been made. The airline companies that have bought most of these aircraft are, Emirates Airlines (UAE), Singapore Airlines (Singapore) and Lufthansa (Germany). There are plans to make and sell more than 100 additional planes. If you are thinking of buying one of them, you can contact the French company that makes them. All you need is US$432.6 million. But hurry! Due to the high cost of manufacturing just one plane, production of the A380 will stop in 2021.
Note: For more cool ESL resources about air travel, visit my All Things Topics site.
