News English Lessons
FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Plane Crash
(11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)

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One Survivor Found In Air Crash

There was a tragedy in the Indian Ocean the other day. A Yemenia Airways plane crashed into the sea. It was going to the Comoros Islands from France. The passengers stopped in Yemen and changed planes. There was a miracle in the water. A 14-year-old girl survived. She was floating in the water for 13 hours. She couldn’t swim, but she hung on to something floating in the water. Her mother died in the accident. The girl’s father is both happy and sad. He lost his wife but thanks God his daughter was unharmed.

I think that 14-year-old is like a hero. Even though she could not swim, she survived in the water for over half a day. She also was not wearing a life jacket. I wonder what she thought about. She probably thought she would die. If that was me, I’d worry about sharks. I would wait and hope that a boat or helicopter came along. I can’t imagine what was going through her mind. She said she heard other voices, and then she heard nothing. I hope she will be OK from now. I don’t think she’ll be in a hurry to fly again.

PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	the other	a.	the water
2	floating in	b.	was unharmed
3.	she hung on	c.	the accident
4.	died in	d.	day
5.	He lost	e.	to something
6.	his daughter	f.	his wife

Paragraph 2

1.	over half	a.	through her mind
2	wearing a	b.	a day
3.	She probably thought	c.	a hurry
4.	what was going	d.	nothing
5.	and then she heard	e.	she would die
6.	be in	f.	life jacket

LISTENING GAP FILL

There ___________________ Indian Ocean the other day. A Yemenia Airways plane ___________________. It was going to the Comoros Islands from France. The passengers stopped in Yemen and changed planes. There ___________________ water. A 14-year-old girl survived. She was floating in the water for 13 hours. She couldn’t swim, ___________________ something floating in the water. Her mother ___________________. The girl’s father is both happy and sad. He lost his wife but thanks God his ___________________.

I think that 14-year-___________________. Even though she could not swim, she survived in the water ___________________. She also was not wearing a life jacket. I wonder what she thought about. She ___________________ would die. If that was me, I’d worry about sharks. I would wait and ___________________ helicopter came along. I can’t imagine what was going through her mind. She said she heard other voices, and ___________________. I hope she will be OK from now. I don’t think she’ll be ___________________.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

There was a (1) ____ in the Indian Ocean the other day. A Yemenia Airways plane crashed (2) ____ the sea. It was going to the Comoros Islands from France. The passengers stopped in Yemen and changed planes. There was a (3) ____ in the water. A 14-year-old girl survived. She was floating in the water for 13 hours. She couldn’t swim, but she (4) ____ on to something floating in the water. Her mother died in the accident. The girl’s father is both happy and sad. He (5) ____ his wife but thanks God his daughter was unharmed.

I think that 14-year-old is like a (6) ____. Even though she could not swim, she survived in the water for over half a day. She also was not wearing a (7) ____ jacket. I wonder what she thought about. She probably thought she would die. If that was me, I’d (8) ____ about sharks. I would wait and hope that a boat or helicopter came along. I can’t imagine what was going (9) ____ her mind. She said she heard other voices, and then she heard nothing. I hope she will be OK from now. I don’t think she’ll be (10) ____ a hurry to fly again.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	tragic	(b)	tragically	(c)	tragedy
2.	(a)	into	(b)	inside	(c)	on top
3.	(a)	miracles	(b)	miracle	(c)	miraculous
4.	(a)	hanging	(b)	hung	(c)	hangs
5.	(a)	lost	(b)	lose	(c)	losing
6.	(a)	heroism	(b)	heroic	(c)	hero
7.	(a)	lively	(b)	lifetime	(c)	life
8.	(a)	worry	(b)	worries	(c)	worrying
9.	(a)	though	(b)	through	(c)	thought
10.	(a)	in	(b)	on	(c)	at

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	a etrdayg in the Indian Ocean
2.	daserch into the sea
3.	a iaemclr in the water
4.	A 14-year-old girl esruvdiv
5.	Her mother died in the ancidcte
6.	his daughter was hermnuda
Paragraph 2
7.	like a eohr
8.	life jakect
9.	worry about krhsas
10.	I can’t iagimne
11.	then she heard gnhtnio
12.	in a hyrru

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	father is both happy and sad. He lost his wife but thanks God his daughter was unharmed.
( )	planes. There was a miracle in the water. A 14-year-old girl survived. She was floating in the water for
( )	sea. It was going to the Comoros Islands from France. The passengers stopped in Yemen and changed
( )	I think that 14-year-old is like a hero. Even though she could not swim, she survived in the water for over half
( 1 )	There was a tragedy in the Indian Ocean the other day. A Yemenia Airways plane crashed into the
( )	imagine what was going through her mind. She said she heard other voices, and then she heard
( )	nothing. I hope she will be OK from now. I don’t think she’ll be in a hurry to fly again.
( )	die. If that was me, I’d worry about sharks. I would wait and hope that a boat or helicopter came along. I can’t
( )	13 hours. She couldn’t swim, but she hung on to something floating in the water. Her mother died in the accident. The girl’s
( )	a day. She also was not wearing a life jacket. I wonder what she thought about. She probably thought she would

SCRAMBLED SENTENCES

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	in There the was Indian a Ocean tragedy.
2.	Yemenia the Airways sea plane crashed A into.
3.	water the in miracle a was There.
4.	the 13 She in for floating water hours was.
5.	in accident Her died the mother.
6.	think hero is year that like - 14 I a old -.
7.	a day She survived in the water for over half.
8.	she die She thought would probably.
9.	said heard voices She she other.
10.	in be she’ll think don’t I again fly to hurry a.

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about plane crashes for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

______________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about plane crashes. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about plane crashes. Include imaginary interviews with people who survived a plane crash. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to an airline boss. Ask him/her three questions about plane crashes. Give him/her three of your opinions on how to make airplanes safer. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.

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News English Lessons FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Plane Crash (11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)