The UK wants to have flying taxis in the sky by 2028. These flying taxis will not need pilots and will start by taking people on expensive trips, like where helicopters go. Later, more people can use them to travel. But, there are big problems to solve first. People need to like the idea, and special places for these taxis to take off and land must be built.

A man named Craig thinks the hardest part is making places for the taxis to land and getting people to trust and like them. Flying from one city to another could be very fast, like going from Liverpool to Leeds in just 26 minutes. A company made a small airport for flying taxis in Coventry last year. They say flying taxis will add to the ways we travel, not replace them. The UK is planning to make more of these small airports soon.

Original news source: Government wants flying taxis taking off in 2 years (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of words related to the article (e.g. flying taxi, pilot, airport, trust, travel). One student from each group will act out a word without speaking, while the others guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students and words.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, have students take turns summarizing the main points of the article to each other. Encourage them to use their own words and keep their summaries concise. After each summary, the listener can ask questions to clarify any points they didn’t understand.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Have students stand on opposite sides of the classroom to represent their opinion on the topic of flying taxis. One side represents those who like the idea and think it will be beneficial, while the other side represents those who are skeptical or have concerns. Give students a few minutes to discuss their reasons with others on their side. Then, have a few students from each side share their opinions with the whole class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a set of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. flying taxi, pilot, airport, trust, travel). One student will choose a word and draw a picture to represent it, while the other student tries to guess the word. After a few rounds, switch roles.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have students individually think about the advantages and disadvantages of flying taxis, based on the information in the article. Then, pair them up and have them share their thoughts with each other. Finally, ask a few pairs to share their ideas with the whole class, discussing the different perspectives and reasons behind them.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What does the UK want to have in the sky by 2028?
2. Will the flying taxis need pilots?
3. Where will the flying taxis start by taking people?
4. What needs to happen before more people can use the flying taxis?
5. Who thinks the hardest part is making places for the taxis to land?
6. How fast could it be to fly from Liverpool to Leeds?
7. Did a company make a small airport for flying taxis in Coventry last year?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The UK wants to have flying (1)______ in the sky by 2028. These flying taxis will not need pilots and will start by taking (2)______ on expensive trips, like where helicopters go. Later, more people can use them to travel. But, there are big problems to solve first. People need to like the idea, and (3)______ places for these taxis to take off and land must be built.

A man named (4)______ thinks the hardest part is making places for the taxis to (5)______ and getting people to trust and like them. Flying from one city to another could be very fast, like (6)______ from Liverpool to Leeds in just 26 minutes. A company made a small airport for flying taxis in Coventry last year. They say flying taxis will add to the ways we (7)______, not replace them. The UK is (8)______ to make more of these small airports soon.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a flying taxi?
2. How would you feel if you could fly in a taxi?
3. Do you like the idea of flying taxis? Why or why not?
4. How do you think flying taxis could make traveling faster?
5. What do you think is the hardest part about having flying taxis?
6. How do you think people can learn to trust and like flying taxis?
7. Would you want to fly from one city to another in just 26 minutes? Why or why not?
8. What do you think about the idea of having special places for flying taxis to take off and land?
9. Do you think flying taxis will replace other ways of traveling? Why or why not?
10. What other ways of traveling do you know?
11. How do you think flying taxis could add to the ways we travel?
12. Do you think flying taxis will be popular in the future? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. flying
2. taxis
3. pilots
4. expensive
5. helicopters
6. problems
7. trust
8. fast
9. airport
10. replace

Meanings:
(A) Big machines that go up in the sky and can stay in one place
(B) Moving quickly, like running really fast
(C) To take the place of something else, like using a new toy instead of an old one
(D) People who fly planes
(E) When you believe someone or something is good and safe
(F) Cars that take you places when you pay them
(G) Costs a lot of money, like a very fancy toy
(H) Moving through the air, like birds do
(I) Things that are hard to fix or deal with
(J) A place where planes take off and land
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. When does the UK want to have flying taxis in the sky?
(a) 2030
(b) 2025
(c) 2035
(d) 2028

2. What is the hardest part of having flying taxis?
(a) Making places for them to land
(b) Finding pilots to fly them
(c) Making them go faster
(d) Finding people to ride in them

3. What kind of trips will the flying taxis start with?
(a) Short trips
(b) Expensive trips
(c) Long trips
(d) Free trips

4. How long will it take to fly from Liverpool to Leeds?
(a) 1 hour
(b) 26 minutes
(c) 2 hours
(d) 30 minutes

5. What did a company make in Coventry last year?
(a) A big airport for airplanes
(b) A train station
(c) A small airport for flying taxis
(d) A bus stop

6. What will flying taxis add to the ways we travel?
(a) More options
(b) Less options
(c) Faster options
(d) No options

7. What needs to be built for the flying taxis to take off and land?
(a) Regular places
(b) Big places
(c) Special places
(d) Small places

8. Who thinks the hardest part is getting people to trust and like the flying taxis?
(a) Sarah
(b) Tom
(c) Emily
(d) Craig

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. A man named Craig thinks the hardest part is making places for the taxis to land and getting people to trust and like them.
2. These flying taxis will not need pilots.
3. The UK wants to have flying taxis in the sky by 2038.
4. Special places for the taxis to take off and land must not be built.
5. The taxis will start by taking people on expensive trips, like where helicopters go.
6. People do not need to like the idea of flying taxis.
7. Later, more people can use the flying taxis to travel.
8. The UK has no plans to make more small airports for flying taxis soon.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What does the UK want to have in the sky by 2028?
2. Do flying taxis need pilots?
3. What kind of trips will the flying taxis take people on at first?
4. What are the big problems that need to be solved before flying taxis can be used by more people?
5. What did a company make in Coventry last year for flying taxis?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What does the UK want to have in the sky by 2028?
Flying taxis.

2. Will the flying taxis need pilots?
No, they will not need pilots.

3. Where will the flying taxis start by taking people?
They will start by taking people on expensive trips, like where helicopters go.

4. What needs to happen before more people can use the flying taxis?
People need to like the idea, and special places for the taxis to take off and land must be built.

5. Who thinks the hardest part is making places for the taxis to land?
A man named Craig thinks the hardest part is making places for the taxis to land.

6. How fast could it be to fly from Liverpool to Leeds?
It could be very fast, like going from Liverpool to Leeds in just 26 minutes.

7. Did a company make a small airport for flying taxis in Coventry last year?
Yes, a company made a small airport for flying taxis in Coventry last year.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) taxis
(2) people
(3) special
(4) Craig
(5) land
(6) going
(7) travel
(8) planning
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. flying
Answer: (H) Moving through the air, like birds do

2. taxis
Answer: (F) Cars that take you places when you pay them

3. pilots
Answer: (D) People who fly planes

4. expensive
Answer: (G) Costs a lot of money, like a very fancy toy

5. helicopters
Answer: (A) Big machines that go up in the sky and can stay in one place

6. problems
Answer: (I) Things that are hard to fix or deal with

7. trust
Answer: (E) When you believe someone or something is good and safe

8. fast
Answer: (B) Moving quickly, like running really fast

9. airport
Answer: (J) A place where planes take off and land

10. replace
Answer: (C) To take the place of something else, like using a new toy instead of an old one
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. When does the UK want to have flying taxis in the sky?
Answer: (d) 2028

2. What is the hardest part of having flying taxis?
Answer: (a) Making places for them to land

3. What kind of trips will the flying taxis start with?
Answer: (b) Expensive trips

4. How long will it take to fly from Liverpool to Leeds?
Answer: (b) 26 minutes

5. What did a company make in Coventry last year?
Answer: (c) A small airport for flying taxis

6. What will flying taxis add to the ways we travel?
Answer: (a) More options

7. What needs to be built for the flying taxis to take off and land?
Answer: (c) Special places

8. Who thinks the hardest part is getting people to trust and like the flying taxis?
Answer: (d) Craig
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. A man named Craig thinks the hardest part is making places for the taxis to land and getting people to trust and like them. (Answer: True)
2. These flying taxis will not need pilots. (Answer: True)
3. The UK wants to have flying taxis in the sky by 2038. (Answer: False)
4. Special places for the taxis to take off and land must not be built. (Answer: False)
5. The taxis will start by taking people on expensive trips, like where helicopters go. (Answer: True)
6. People do not need to like the idea of flying taxis. (Answer: False)
7. Later, more people can use the flying taxis to travel. (Answer: True)
8. The UK has no plans to make more small airports for flying taxis soon. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧