Reading Comprehension

Follow the arrow

If you have even been inside the cockpit of a plane, you will have noticed the large number of instruments on the walls and ceiling around the pilot’s seat. ¹___ Unlike car drivers, pilots do not have the luxury of signs and arrows telling them where to go. Instead, they rely on sophisticated GPS systems. So how were pilots able to find their way in the days before radio and satellite communication?

In the USA, the problem of navigation first arose when the airmail postal service was introduced in 1911. In the beginning, huge bonfires were lit to show pilots where to land in the dark. Later, a more practical solution was found: the construction of giant concrete arrows on the ground. ²___ To enable pilots to see them at night, a steel tower with lights was built in the middle. The top light turned around to attract the pilot’s attention, and two others lit up the arrow and flashed a code to identify its location.

The first of these arrows was laid in 1924, and by 1929, there were around 1,500 of them. ³___ The arrows were spaced about 16 km apart and were an important part of the Transcontinental Airway System. But by the 1940s, new navigation techniques were being discovered and soon, the arrows and their towers were no longer needed. They were gradually abandoned and some of them were removed completely.

However, not all of the arrows have disappeared. ⁴___ Some are still visible in the empty areas of other states such as Utah, Wyoming and Indiana. Yet, either because of their size or due to their bad condition, the arrows are not easy to find. In many cases, if you want to see one, it is a question of knowing where to look.

Which is where retired couple Brian and Charlotte Smith can help. The two are devoted fans of the arrows and spend much of their time hunting them down. ⁵___ Once they find an arrow, they map its location, photograph it and upload the details onto their website. Their aim is to preserve the memory of these historical structures and prevent them from being lost forever.

Follow the arrow

If you have even been inside the cockpit of a plane, you will have noticed the large number of instruments on the walls and ceiling around the pilot’s seat. 1___ Unlike car drivers, pilots do not have the luxury of signs and arrows telling them where to go. Instead, they rely on sophisticated GPS systems. So how were pilots able to find their way in the days before radio and satellite communication?

In the USA, the problem of navigation first arose when the airmail postal service was introduced in 1911. In the beginning, huge bonfires were lit to show pilots where to land in the dark. Later, a more practical solution was found: the construction of giant concrete arrows on the ground. 2_____ To enable pilots to see them at night, a steel tower with lights was built in the middle. The top light turned around to attract the pilot’s attention, and two others lit up the arrow and flashed a code to identify its location.

The first of these arrows was laid in 1924, and by 1929, there were around 1,500 of them. 3___ The arrows were spaced about 16 km apart and were an important part of the Transcontinental Airway System. But by the 1940s, new navigation techniques were being discovered and soon, the arrows and their towers were no longer needed. They were gradually abandoned and some of them were removed completely.

However, not all of the arrows have disappeared. 4___ Some are still visible in the empty areas of other states such as Utah, Wyoming and Indiana. Yet, either because of their size or due to their bad condition, the arrows are not easy to find. In many cases, if you want to see one, it is a question of knowing where to look.

Which is where retired couple Brian and Charlotte Smith can help. The two are devoted fans of the arrows and spend much of their time hunting them down. 5___ Once they find an arrow, they map its location, photograph it and upload the details onto their website. Their aim is to preserve the memory of these historical structures and prevent them from being lost forever.

Follow the arrow

If you have even been inside the cockpit of a plane, you will have noticed the large number of instruments on the walls and ceiling around the pilot’s seat. 1___ Unlike car drivers, pilots do not have the luxury of signs and arrows telling them where to go. Instead, they rely on sophisticated GPS systems. So how were pilots able to find their way in the days before radio and satellite communication?

In the USA, the problem of navigation first arose when the airmail postal service was introduced in 1911. In the beginning, huge bonfires were lit to show pilots where to land in the dark. Later, a more practical solution was found: the construction of giant concrete arrows on the ground. 2_____ To enable pilots to see them at night, a steel tower with lights was built in the middle. The top light turned around to attract the pilot’s attention, and two others lit up the arrow and flashed a code to identify its location.

The first of these arrows was laid in 1924, and by 1929, there were around 1,500 of them. 3___ The arrows were spaced about 16 km apart and were an important part of the Transcontinental Airway System. But by the 1940s, new navigation techniques were being discovered and soon, the arrows and their towers were no longer needed. They were gradually abandoned and some of them were removed completely.

However, not all of the arrows have disappeared. 4___ Some are still visible in the empty areas of other states such as Utah, Wyoming and Indiana. Yet, either because of their size or due to their bad condition, the arrows are not easy to find. In many cases, if you want to see one, it is a question of knowing where to look.

Which is where retired couple Brian and Charlotte Smith can help. The two are devoted fans of the arrows and spend much of their time hunting them down. 5___ Once they find an arrow, they map its location, photograph it and upload the details onto their website. Their aim is to preserve the memory of these historical structures and prevent them from being lost forever.

Follow the arrow

If you have even been inside the cockpit of a plane, you will have noticed the large number of instruments on the walls and ceiling around the pilot’s seat. 1___ Unlike car drivers, pilots do not have the luxury of signs and arrows telling them where to go. Instead, they rely on sophisticated GPS systems. So how were pilots able to find their way in the days before radio and satellite communication?

In the USA, the problem of navigation first arose when the airmail postal service was introduced in 1911. In the beginning, huge bonfires were lit to show pilots where to land in the dark. Later, a more practical solution was found: the construction of giant concrete arrows on the ground. 2_____ To enable pilots to see them at night, a steel tower with lights was built in the middle. The top light turned around to attract the pilot’s attention, and two others lit up the arrow and flashed a code to identify its location.

The first of these arrows was laid in 1924, and by 1929, there were around 1,500 of them. 3___ The arrows were spaced about 16 km apart and were an important part of the Transcontinental Airway System. But by the 1940s, new navigation techniques were being discovered and soon, the arrows and their towers were no longer needed. They were gradually abandoned and some of them were removed completely.

However, not all of the arrows have disappeared. 4___ Some are still visible in the empty areas of other states such as Utah, Wyoming and Indiana. Yet, either because of their size or due to their bad condition, the arrows are not easy to find. In many cases, if you want to see one, it is a question of knowing where to look.

Which is where retired couple Brian and Charlotte Smith can help. The two are devoted fans of the arrows and spend much of their time hunting them down. 5___ Once they find an arrow, they map its location, photograph it and upload the details onto their website. Their aim is to preserve the memory of these historical structures and prevent them from being lost forever.

Follow the arrow

If you have even been inside the cockpit of a plane, you will have noticed the large number of instruments on the walls and ceiling around the pilot’s seat. 1___ Unlike car drivers, pilots do not have the luxury of signs and arrows telling them where to go. Instead, they rely on sophisticated GPS systems. So how were pilots able to find their way in the days before radio and satellite communication?

In the USA, the problem of navigation first arose when the airmail postal service was introduced in 1911. In the beginning, huge bonfires were lit to show pilots where to land in the dark. Later, a more practical solution was found: the construction of giant concrete arrows on the ground. 2_____ To enable pilots to see them at night, a steel tower with lights was built in the middle. The top light turned around to attract the pilot’s attention, and two others lit up the arrow and flashed a code to identify its location.

The first of these arrows was laid in 1924, and by 1929, there were around 1,500 of them. 3___ The arrows were spaced about 16 km apart and were an important part of the Transcontinental Airway System. But by the 1940s, new navigation techniques were being discovered and soon, the arrows and their towers were no longer needed. They were gradually abandoned and some of them were removed completely.

However, not all of the arrows have disappeared. 4___ Some are still visible in the empty areas of other states such as Utah, Wyoming and Indiana. Yet, either because of their size or due to their bad condition, the arrows are not easy to find. In many cases, if you want to see one, it is a question of knowing where to look.

Which is where retired couple Brian and Charlotte Smith can help. The two are devoted fans of the arrows and spend much of their time hunting them down. 5___ Once they find an arrow, they map its location, photograph it and upload the details onto their website. Their aim is to preserve the memory of these historical structures and prevent them from being lost forever.

Read and decide if the statement is True or False.

6. The large number of instruments on the walls and ceiling around the pilot’s seat help to find the way to the destination.

7. In the USA, the issue of navigation first arose when the airmail postal service started in 1911.

8. The arrows were situated about 16 km one after another and were an important part of the Transcontinental Airway System. 

9. During 1940s, new navigation techniques were being discovered.

10. The arrows are not easy to find because of their size and bad condition.

11. Brian and Charlotte Smith want to save the information about arrows for future generations.