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ライト兄弟と初めての動力飛行
名前:日付:
ライト兄弟の初めての動力飛行と、その後の数年間に起きたことについてのVOA Learning Englishの記事の抜粋を読みましょう。
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.
文章を理解しましょう
文章を読んで、正しい答えを選んでください。
- What was special about the flight on December 17th, 1903?
- How long did Orville stay in the air on the first flight?
- The first flights received a lot of attention in the newspapers.
- How long did it take for the brothers to become famous?
- What happened in France in 1908?
- How did the brothers react when they suddenly became world heroes?
- Which statement about the brothers' later lives is true?
- What is the main point of the final paragraph?
単語と詳細
最も適切な答えを選ぶか、文章から1語または数字を入力してください。
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
解答
文章を理解しましょう
- b) It was the first flight of a machine that was heavier than air and had an engine.本文によると、それは空気より重く、エンジンで動く機械による世界初の飛行でした。
- c) 12 secondsオービルは36メートル飛び、空中にいた時間は12秒でした。距離と時間を混同しないようにしましょう。
- b) False本文にはこうあります：Few newspapers, however, noted the event.
- a) Almost five yearsライト兄弟が有名になったのは、それから5年近くたった1908年のことでした。
- b) Wilbur gave demonstration flights, and a company agreed to build their machine.ウィルバーがデモ飛行を行い、フランスの会社がその飛行機械の製造を始めることに同意しました。
- c) They went back to Dayton and kept improving their airplanes.彼らは名声を求めていませんでした。デイトンに戻って飛行機を改良し、ほかの人に操縦を教えました。
- b) Orville kept designing and inventing until he died in 1948.ウィルバーは1912年に亡くなりました。オービルは1948年まで設計と発明を続けました。
- a) Flight has developed enormously since the Wright brothers' first airplane.博物館では、小さな最初の飛行機が宇宙船や月の石の近くに展示されており、筆者は、それ以来世界は大きく変わったと述べています。
単語と詳細
- 12 / twelve本文にはこうあります：The plane had wings 12 meters across.
- 340 / three hundred and forty / three hundred fortyパイロットを含めて約340キログラムの重さがありました。
- Four / 4本文にはこうあります：Four other men watched the Wright brothers' first flights.
- b) trying to getseek は「手に入れようとする、探す」という意味です。
- Department本文にはこうあります：The United States War Department agreed to buy a Wright brothers' plane.
- a) a period of historyage は、the modern age of flight のように、歴史上の「時代」を意味することがあります。