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Intermediate

Reading Comprehension Texts

 

HIGH-FLYERS

  Airline pilots have high social status and earn a great deal of money. Air hostesses have an uncertain status and earn little. For those recently qualified, the basic pay is as little as $300 a month. This is little to balance against the possibility of a hijack or a disaster. So why do they do it?

I went to see Diane Humphreys, who is responsible for all Dan-Air=s cabin staff based at Manchester airport.

One reason why air hostesses don=t get over-anxious about flying may be that they=re so busy, before, during and after a flight.

AOn a Monday morning, a hostess might have an early morning flight, perhaps at 7 a.m. She has to check in 1.5 hours before the flight. That might mean leaving home at 4 a.m. Before the flight hostesses have to prepare the cabin and toilets and make sure that the food and drinks are aboard. Dan-Air don=t do long-distance flights and so there are no overnight stopovers. There=s a 45 minute turn-around interval, when the hostesses have to prepare the plane for the return flight. Depending on where you=re flying, this can make it a 12-hour day.@

ADuring the flight you=ve got no time to relax -the safety instructions have to be demonstrated and the food and drinks served. So one day you might have an early morning flight, the next an afternoon flight, the day after you might be on relief duty and have to be ready to work if someone else becomes ill or there is an emergency.@

 

Comprehension.

1. Read the text and answer these questions in your own words. (1 point each)

1.1. What are the main differences between pilots and air hostesses?

                                               

1.2. What do air hostesses have to do before and during the flights?

                                               

2. Say whether the following statements are true or false. (0.5 each)

2.1. The money hostesses get doesn=t seem to justify the risk they take.

2.2. Dan-Air hostesses often have to spend the night away from home.

2.3. After the plane has landed, air hostesses can relax until their next flight.

2.4. For every two days that the air hostesses work, they get a day=s holiday.

 

Grammar. (0.2 each)

3. Complete the following using can, may, ought to, need, dare, used to.

3.1. You____________________ go to bed earlier.

3.2. I ____________________ not tell him I have had an accident with the car.

3.3. You ____________________ all go out to play when you have finished this exercise.

3.4. ____________________ I help you?

3.5. You ____________________ do it if you try hard enough.

3.6. He ____________________ play the piano very well.

3.7. I ____________________ be going to a party on Saturday.

3.8. I ____________________ see a cobweb on the lamp.

3.9. ____________________ you very happy.

3.10. They ____________________ have plenty of money to have two cars.

 

Vocabulary.

4. Find a word in the text to complete each of the following sentences. (0.5 each)

4.1. The ____________________ was organised by three dangerous terrorists.

4.2. The marathon is the greatest test of any ____________________ runner.

 

Summary.

5. Summarize paragraph 4 (On a Monday morning... a 12-hour day) in no more than 30 words. (1 point)

Composition.

6. Is there a job that you would especially like to do? Write about it in 80 words. (2 points)