The UK government wants flying taxis to be common in the sky by 2028. They plan to have flying taxis without pilots by 2030. These flying taxis will first be used for expensive trips that helicopters do now. But, they need to build places for these taxis to take off and land, and people have to be okay with using them.

A man named Craig Roberts says the biggest problems are building these places and making people feel okay about flying taxis. He thinks flying taxis are best for trips with many people over long distances. For example, flying from Liverpool to Leeds could take only 26 minutes. But, they need to make sure these taxis are safe and show people they are a good way to travel.

They need to build small airports for these flying taxis, called “mini airports.” A company made a small airport in Coventry in 2022 to show how it works. The boss of the company thinks the government’s plan is fast but good to help the flying taxi business grow. They are planning to open the first small airport for flying taxis this year, and they are talking about how to add these airports to places where planes already go.

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:

– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will create eye-catching headlines for the article about flying taxis. They should aim to summarize the main idea of the article in a catchy and concise way. After brainstorming, each group can share their headline with the class and explain their reasoning behind it.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come to the front and choose a vocabulary word from the article without showing it to their team. They will then have one minute to draw a picture representing the word, while their team tries to guess the word. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Repeat with different students and vocabulary words.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will take turns summarizing the main points of the article about flying taxis. They should try to include key details and important information in their summaries. After practicing with their partners, students can share their summaries with the class and discuss any differences or similarities.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Students will individually read the article about flying taxis. Then, they will pair up with a partner and discuss their thoughts and opinions about flying taxis. After a few minutes of discussion, each pair will share their opinions with another pair. Finally, a few pairs can share their opinions with the whole class and lead a short discussion.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In groups, students will discuss and make predictions about the future of flying taxis. They can use information from the article as well as their own ideas and opinions. Each group will then present their predictions to the class, explaining their reasoning and providing supporting evidence. The class can have a discussion about the different predictions and their likelihood.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What does the UK government want to have in the sky by 2028?
2. When does the UK government plan to have flying taxis without pilots?
3. What will the flying taxis be used for at first?
4. What are the two biggest problems with flying taxis, according to Craig Roberts?
5. What kind of trips does Craig Roberts think flying taxis are best for?
6. How long could it take to fly from Liverpool to Leeds in a flying taxi?
7. What do they need to make sure of before people will feel okay about using flying taxis?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The UK (1)______ wants flying taxis to be (2)______ in the sky by 2028. They plan to have flying taxis without pilots by 2030. These flying taxis will first be used for expensive trips that helicopters do now. But, they (3)______ to build places for these taxis to take off and land, and people have to be okay with using them.

A man named Craig Roberts says the biggest (4)______ are (5)______ these places and making people feel okay about flying (6)______. He thinks flying taxis are best for trips with many people over long distances. For example, flying from Liverpool to Leeds could take only 26 (7)______. But, they need to make sure these taxis are safe and show people they are a good way to travel.

They need to build (8)______ airports for these flying taxis, (9)______ “mini airports.” A company made a small airport in Coventry in 2022 to show how it works. The boss of the company (10)______ the government’s plan is fast but (11)______ to help the (12)______ taxi business grow. They are planning to open the first small airport for flying taxis this year, and they are talking about how to add these airports to places where planes already go.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What do you think about the idea of flying taxis?
2. How would you feel if you could take a flying taxi instead of a regular taxi?
3. Do you think flying taxis are a good way to travel? Why or why not?
4. What is the biggest problem with flying taxis, according to Craig Roberts?
5. How do you think they can make people feel okay about using flying taxis?
6. Do you like the idea of having mini airports for flying taxis? Why or why not?
7. How long do you think it would take to fly from Liverpool to Leeds in a flying taxi?
8. What do you think are the advantages of using flying taxis for trips with many people over long distances?
9. How do you think they can make sure that flying taxis are safe?
10. Do you think it’s a good idea to build small airports for flying taxis? Why or why not?
11. How do you think adding these airports to places where planes already go could help the flying taxi business?
12. Would you like to try a flying taxi? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. government
2. common
3. pilots
4. helicopters
5. expensive
6. distances
7. safe
8. travel
9. airports
10. company
11. business
12. planning

Meanings:
(A) Places where planes take off and land
(B) Not dangerous
(C) Thinking and making decisions about what to do in the future
(D) Flying machines with big spinning blades on top
(E) The group of people who run a country
(F) Selling things or services to make money
(G) How far something is from something else
(H) Going from one place to another
(I) People who fly planes or other flying machines
(J) Seen or happening a lot
(K) A group of people who work together to sell things or services
(L) Costs a lot of money
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. When does the UK government want flying taxis to be common in the sky?
(a) 2030
(b) 2022
(c) 2020
(d) 2028

2. What is the main concern about flying taxis?
(a) Finding enough pilots to fly them
(b) Making them faster than helicopters
(c) Building places for them to take off and land
(d) Making them cheaper than regular taxis

3. Who thinks flying taxis are best for trips with many people over long distances?
(a) The UK government
(b) Craig Roberts
(c) The boss of the company
(d) People who live in Liverpool

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

5. What are the small airports for flying taxis called?
(a) Helicopter airports
(b) Mini airports
(c) Regular airports
(d) Big airports

6. When did a company make a small airport in Coventry to show how it works?
(a) 2030
(b) 2028
(c) 2020
(d) 2022

7. What does the boss of the company think about the government’s plan?
(a) It is slow and bad
(b) It is too expensive
(c) It is fast but good
(d) It is not necessary

8. When are they planning to open the first small airport for flying taxis?
(a) This year
(b) 2022
(c) 2030
(d) 2028

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. A man named Craig Roberts thinks flying taxis are best for trips with many people over long distances.
2. Flying taxis will not be used for expensive trips that helicopters do now.
3. They need to make sure these taxis are safe and show people they are a good way to travel.
4. People have to be okay with using flying taxis.
5. The UK government does not want flying taxis to be common in the sky by 2028.
6. They are planning to open the first small airport for flying taxis this year.
7. They don’t need to build places for these taxis to take off and land.
8. The government does not plan to have flying taxis without pilots by 2030.
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 government want to have in the sky by 2028?
2. When does the UK government want flying taxis to be without pilots?
3. What are the biggest problems with flying taxis according to Craig Roberts?
4. How long could it take to fly from Liverpool to Leeds using a flying taxi?
5. What are the small airports for flying taxis called?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What does the UK government want to have in the sky by 2028?
The UK government wants to have flying taxis in the sky by 2028.

2. When does the UK government plan to have flying taxis without pilots?
The UK government plans to have flying taxis without pilots by 2030.

3. What will the flying taxis be used for at first?
The flying taxis will be used for expensive trips that helicopters do now.

4. What are the two biggest problems with flying taxis, according to Craig Roberts?
The two biggest problems with flying taxis, according to Craig Roberts, are building places for them to take off and land, and making people feel okay about using them.

5. What kind of trips does Craig Roberts think flying taxis are best for?
Craig Roberts thinks flying taxis are best for trips with many people over long distances.

6. How long could it take to fly from Liverpool to Leeds in a flying taxi?
It could take only 26 minutes to fly from Liverpool to Leeds in a flying taxi.

7. What do they need to make sure of before people will feel okay about using flying taxis?
They need to make sure that flying taxis are safe and show people that they are a good way to travel before people will feel okay about using them.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) government
(2) common
(3) need
(4) problems
(5) building
(6) taxis
(7) minutes
(8) small
(9) called
(10) thinks
(11) good
(12) flying
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. government
Answer: (E) The group of people who run a country

2. common
Answer: (J) Seen or happening a lot

3. pilots
Answer: (I) People who fly planes or other flying machines

4. helicopters
Answer: (D) Flying machines with big spinning blades on top

5. expensive
Answer: (L) Costs a lot of money

6. distances
Answer: (G) How far something is from something else

7. safe
Answer: (B) Not dangerous

8. travel
Answer: (H) Going from one place to another

9. airports
Answer: (A) Places where planes take off and land

10. company
Answer: (K) A group of people who work together to sell things or services

11. business
Answer: (F) Selling things or services to make money

12. planning
Answer: (C) Thinking and making decisions about what to do in the future
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

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

2. What is the main concern about flying taxis?
Answer: (c) Building places for them to take off and land

3. Who thinks flying taxis are best for trips with many people over long distances?
Answer: (b) Craig Roberts

4. How long could it take to fly from Liverpool to Leeds in a flying taxi?
Answer: (a) 26 minutes

5. What are the small airports for flying taxis called?
Answer: (b) Mini airports

6. When did a company make a small airport in Coventry to show how it works?
Answer: (d) 2022

7. What does the boss of the company think about the government’s plan?
Answer: (c) It is fast but good

8. When are they planning to open the first small airport for flying taxis?
Answer: (a) This year
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. A man named Craig Roberts thinks flying taxis are best for trips with many people over long distances. (Answer: True)
2. Flying taxis will not be used for expensive trips that helicopters do now. (Answer: False)
3. They need to make sure these taxis are safe and show people they are a good way to travel. (Answer: True)
4. People have to be okay with using flying taxis. (Answer: True)
5. The UK government does not want flying taxis to be common in the sky by 2028. (Answer: False)
6. They are planning to open the first small airport for flying taxis this year. (Answer: True)
7. They don’t need to build places for these taxis to take off and land. (Answer: False)
8. The government does not plan to have flying taxis without pilots by 2030. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧