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I fratelli Wright e il primo volo a motore

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Leggi un estratto di un articolo di VOA Learning English sui primi voli a motore dei fratelli Wright e su cosa accadde negli anni successivi.

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.

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Leggi il testo. Scegli la risposta corretta.

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.

Parole e dettagli

Scegli la risposta migliore, oppure scrivi una parola o un numero dal testo.

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

Soluzioni

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b) It was the first flight of a machine that was heavier than air and had an engine.Il testo dice che fu il primo volo al mondo su una macchina più pesante dell'aria e dotata di motore.
c) 12 secondsOrville volò per 36 metri e restò in aria per 12 secondi. Non confondere la distanza con il tempo.
b) FalseIl testo dice: Few newspapers, however, noted the event.
a) Almost five yearsPassarono quasi cinque anni prima che i fratelli Wright diventassero famosi, nel 1908.
b) Wilbur gave demonstration flights, and a company agreed to build their machine.Wilbur fece voli dimostrativi e un'azienda francese accettò di iniziare a produrre la macchina volante.
c) They went back to Dayton and kept improving their airplanes.Non cercavano la fama. Tornarono a Dayton, migliorarono i loro aerei e insegnarono ad altri a volare.
b) Orville kept designing and inventing until he died in 1948.Wilbur morì nel 1912. Orville continuò a progettare e a inventare fino al 1948.
a) Flight has developed enormously since the Wright brothers' first airplane.Il museo mostra il primo piccolo aereo accanto a veicoli spaziali e a una roccia lunare, e l'autore dice che il mondo è cambiato molto da allora.

Parole e dettagli

12 / twelveIl testo dice: The plane had wings 12 meters across.
340 / three hundred and forty / three hundred fortyPesava circa 340 chilogrammi, pilota compreso.
Four / 4Il testo dice: Four other men watched the Wright brothers' first flights.
b) trying to getTo seek something significa cercare di ottenerlo o di trovarlo.
DepartmentIl testo dice: The United States War Department agreed to buy a Wright brothers' plane.
a) a period of historyAge può significare un periodo storico, come in the modern age of flight.