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READING COMPREHENSION

READING COMPREHENSION  Follow the instructions and answer the questions

in English .

(Document 1) BRITISH INNOVATION IN TRANSPORT

General Comprehension :

 Nature: The text is an article 

 Read the text once and circle the 3 most repeated words in the text

invented / transport / Britain / world /popular

 Identify its topic (What about ?) :
The article deals with the most popular British inventions in transport.

 (Who? ) people mentioned in yellow

 Read and highlight
 (Where ?) place names in green
 (When ?) time expressions in blue
 (When ? ) numbers in red
 (What ?) means of transportation in orange

 Tick  the correct box : The text is informative 

Detailed Comprehension 

 List all the means of transport mentioned in the text.

 tractors / trains / the steam engine / the jet / aircraft /
cars / the Penny Farthing bicycle / bike / the hydrogen
fuel cell motorbike / motorbikes / vehicles / The Tube /
the subway train / spacecraft

 Which other examples of British innovation can you find in the text below? Quote them below.

 the steam engine

 the jet engine

 The Penny Farthing bicycle

 the pneumatic tyre

 the hydrogen fuel cell motorbike

 The subway train

 The idea of space travel

 With your teammates, create a Time Line with the names of the inventions, the inventors and the
dates as mentioned in the article.

the steam engine was developed by the Scotsman James Watt in 1765 .

The subway train was invented in 1865.

The Penny Farthing bicycle was invented in 1871 by James Starley .

the pneumatic tyre was invented in 1885.

the jet engine was invented by Frank Whittle in 1928.

In 2005, the hydrogen fuel cell motorbike was designed.

The idea of space travel was invented in 2009.

 Say what the numbers and dates refer to :

One billion  It refers to the number of passengers that take The Tube every year.

160  It refers to the number of underground railway systems in the world.

2013  It refers to the year when the first Virgin space Flights will take place.

 True or False ? : Tick the correct answer and justify your choice.

a- Britain has been driving the world forward . True  “ Throughout the years, British
inventors have made a significant contribution to transport” .

b- The steam engine was created after the industrial revolution. False  ” the steam engine was
a popular way of powering all kinds of machinery during the industrial revolution”.

c- This invention had an impact nationwide. False  “This had a huge impact on industry in
Britain and throughout the world”

d- Cars have always been people’s favourite means of transportation. False  “Before cars, cycling
was a preferred method of getting around”.

e- The Penny Farthing was named after two American coins . False  “It was named after the
‘penny’ (a large coin) and the ‘farthing’”

f- Pneumatic tyres are still popular today . True  “Since then, pneumatic tyres have become

ubiquitous and are now used on all modern bikes “

g- The hydrogen fuel cell motorbike is said to be responsible for global warming. False 
“the hydrogen fuel cell motorbike was designed to address this problem.”

f. True  False 
h- Hydrogen fuel vehicles are expected to be top-selling cars in the future . True 

“scientists predict that, in the future, all major car manufacturers will be mass-producing
hydrogen fuel vehicles”.
i- The London underground railway system is the oldest in the world. True  “ London was the
first city to have an underground railway system. “

j- According to the article, the first flights to space have already taken place . False  people
have already bought tickets for the British company Virgin space flights, which are
 LEARN NEW WORDS ? :

 Match to complete the expressions . Write a-h next to the numbers 1-8

1f to enable a. things
2d to addres b. something
3h to be likely c. in something
4b to replicate d. a problem or
an issue
5a to shrink e. to something
6g to improve f. People to do
something
7c a pioneer g. an idea
8e a contribution h. to do
something

 Infer the meaning of the following words thanks to the context .

 significant : important/ significatif  to enable : permettre

 to power : alimenter en électricité  a coin : une pièce de monnaie

 efficiency : efficacité  by aircraft : par avion

 to be named after : porter le nom de …  friendly : écologique

 spacecraft looks : des allures d’engin spacial / de vaisseau spacial

 affordable : abordable