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The Wright brothers and the first powered flight

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Read an excerpt from a VOA Learning English report about the Wright brothers' first powered flights and what happened in the years that followed.

Wilbur and Orville Wright: The First Airplane

By the autumn of 1903, Wilbur and Orville had designed and built an airplane powered by a gasoline engine. The plane had wings 12 meters across. It weighed about 340 kilograms, including the pilot.

On December 17th, 1903, they made the world's first flight in a machine that was heavier than air and powered by an engine. Orville flew the plane 36 meters. He was in the air for 12 seconds. The two brothers made three more flights that day.

Four other men watched the Wright brothers' first flights. One of the men took pictures. Few newspapers, however, noted the event.

It was almost five years before the Wright brothers became famous. In 1908, Wilbur went to France. He gave demonstration flights at heights of 90 meters. A French company agreed to begin making the Wright brothers' flying machine.

Orville made successful flights in the United States at the time Wilbur was in France. The United States War Department agreed to buy a Wright brothers' plane. Wilbur and Orville suddenly became world heroes. But the brothers were not seeking fame. They returned to Dayton where they continued to improve their airplanes. They taught many others how to fly.

Wilbur Wright died of typhoid fever in 1912. Orville Wright continued designing and inventing until he died many years later, in 1948.

Today, the Wright brothers' first airplane is in the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Visitors to the museum can look at the Wright brothers' small plane. Then they can walk to another area and see space vehicles and a rock collected from the moon. The world has changed a lot since Wilbur and Orville Wright began the modern age of flight over one hundred years ago.

Understand the text

Read the text. Choose the correct answer.

What was special about the flight on December 17th, 1903?
- a) It was the first flight of a balloon filled with gas.
- b) It was the first flight of a machine that was heavier than air and had an engine.
- c) It was the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
How long did Orville stay in the air on the first flight?
- a) Three minutes
- b) 36 seconds
- c) 12 seconds
The first flights received a lot of attention in the newspapers.
- a) True
- b) False
How long did it take for the brothers to become famous?
- a) Almost five years
- b) A few days
- c) More than twenty years
What happened in France in 1908?
- a) Orville taught French pilots to fly.
- b) Wilbur gave demonstration flights, and a company agreed to build their machine.
- c) The brothers sold their first airplane to a museum.
How did the brothers react when they suddenly became world heroes?
- a) They moved to France permanently.
- b) They stopped working on airplanes.
- c) They went back to Dayton and kept improving their airplanes.
Which statement about the brothers' later lives is true?
- a) Wilbur lived longer than Orville.
- b) Orville kept designing and inventing until he died in 1948.
- c) Both brothers died in 1912.
What is the main point of the final paragraph?
- a) Flight has developed enormously since the Wright brothers' first airplane.
- b) The first airplane is too small to be displayed in a museum.
- c) Visitors prefer the space vehicles to the Wright airplane.

Words and details

Choose the best answer, or type a word or number from the text.

The plane's wings were ___ meters across.
Including the pilot, the plane weighed about ___ kilograms.
___ other men watched the brothers' first flights.
"But the brothers were not seeking fame." Seeking means ...
- a) avoiding
- b) trying to get
- c) enjoying
The United States War ___ agreed to buy a Wright brothers' plane.
"... since Wilbur and Orville Wright began the modern age of flight." Here, age means ...
- a) a period of history
- b) how old a person is
- c) a type of engine

Answer key

Understand the text

b) It was the first flight of a machine that was heavier than air and had an engine.The text says it was the world's first flight in a machine that was heavier than air and powered by an engine.
c) 12 secondsOrville flew 36 meters and was in the air for 12 seconds. Do not confuse the distance with the time.
b) FalseThe text says: Few newspapers, however, noted the event.
a) Almost five yearsIt was almost five years before the Wright brothers became famous, in 1908.
b) Wilbur gave demonstration flights, and a company agreed to build their machine.Wilbur gave demonstration flights, and a French company agreed to begin making the flying machine.
c) They went back to Dayton and kept improving their airplanes.They were not seeking fame. They returned to Dayton, improved their airplanes and taught others to fly.
b) Orville kept designing and inventing until he died in 1948.Wilbur died in 1912. Orville continued designing and inventing until 1948.
a) Flight has developed enormously since the Wright brothers' first airplane.The museum shows the small first plane near space vehicles and a moon rock, and the writer says the world has changed a lot since then.

Words and details

12 / twelveThe text says: The plane had wings 12 meters across.
340 / three hundred and forty / three hundred fortyIt weighed about 340 kilograms, including the pilot.
Four / 4The text says: Four other men watched the Wright brothers' first flights.
b) trying to getTo seek something means to try to get or find it.
DepartmentThe text says: The United States War Department agreed to buy a Wright brothers' plane.
a) a period of historyAge can mean a period of history, as in the modern age of flight.