Reading Comprehension (II term, 8th grade)

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When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

I. Are the following statements true or false?

1. A balloon was the first vehicle to carry a man across the channel by air.

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

I. Are the following statements true or false?

2. Louis Bleriot was the first man to cross the channel by air.

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

I. Are the following statements true or false?

3. It is said, the correct answer is in 1785. 

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

I. Are the following statements true or false?

4. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before.  

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

I. Are the following statements true or false?

5. Leonardo da Vinci designed air balloon.

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

I. Are the following statements true or false?

6. His machines had no wings or propellers.

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

I. Are the following statements true or false?

7. The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in England.

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

I. Are the following statements true or false?

8. Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine didn’t have enough power.

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

I. Are the following statements true or false?

9. The Mongolfier brothers were the first people to think of using a balloon for flying.

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

I. Are the following statements true or false?

10. The brothers found it easy to make a balloon because their father was a paper maker.

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

II.     Choose the right variant

1. … they will probably answer

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

II.     Choose the right variant

2. A small aeroplane flew across…

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

II.     Choose the right variant

3. A man crossed the Channel between England and France by air for the first time 

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

II.     Choose the right variant

4. Balloons were making … journeys in the air years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

II.     Choose the right variant

5. … was already thinking about flying machines

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

II.     Choose the right variant

6. Leonardo’s machines had…

When did someone first cross the Channel between England and France by air? If you ask people that question, they will probably answer “In 1909” or they will mention the name of Louis Bleriot who flew a small aeroplane across France to England in that year. In fact, the correct answer is in 1785. That was the year in which a balloon carried a person across the Channel for the first time. Balloons were making long journeys in the air a hundred years before the first aeroplane left the ground.

       Leonardo da Vinci was already thinking about flying machines.

        But he didn’t think of balloons. His machines had wings or propellers- or both. None of them ever got off the ground. Leonardo understood the reason for this: he didn’t have enough power. Man was not strong enough to lift machines up in the air and keep them there. Where was power to come from?

Nearly 300 years later, the Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build a machine that would take man up into the air. Like Leonardo and others before them, they had thought about wings and a machine that could fly like a bird.

       The two brothers were the sons of a paper maker in southern France. It was not very difficult for them to make a large bag of paper and cloth. The first balloon flight had been made but Mongolfier brothers didn’t go up with their balloon, they were inventors, not airman.

At the same time, another man was sure that a balloon filled with the gas hydrogen must rise into the air. This was J.A.C. Charles, the great French scientist and expert on gases. Only two months after the Mongolfier’s success, new balloon rose from a Paris square. The flight was a great success. The balloon rose so high and went so far that the crowd were unable to see it. It landed nearly an hour later ina village outside Paris. But the villagers thought that it must be a terrible flying animal, and they “killed” it.

     In November, Rozier made a 25-minute flight across Paris. Now various balloonists made longer and longer flights. The channel was crossed in 1785.

    The plane, and not the balloon, has become man’s real flying machine. But a lot of people still go up in balloons. They do it for pleasure, especially in the United States and Europe. There are often balloon races, and the balloonists sometimes travel hundreds of miles before they come down. The race may be over mountains like Alps in Switzerland, and then the balloons may go up to heights of 6000, metres or more. Balloonists love these flights because of the fresh air, the silence, the wonderful views, and the sense of freedom.

    It is not easy to make the balloon come down on chosen place. Balloonists have landed in cold lakes, on top of high mountains, and even among lawns in parks. The longest balloon flight on record is 3,042 kilometres. But at some time in the future somebody will make a balloon flight across the Atlantic. Could it be you?

II.     Choose the right variant

7. Man … enough

II.     Choose the right variant

8. The Mongolfier brothers also wanted to build …

II.     Choose the right variant

9. …has become man’s real flying machine.

II.     Choose the right variant

10.The longest balloon flight on record is …kilometres.