Review: vocabulary and speaking
A These are the seven key words of the lesson. Learn them first — you will need them to talk about any situation where a volcano, storm or technical problem affects flights.
| disrupt | Renewed volcanic activity has disrupted air travel in Sicily. |
| suspend | Catania Airport had to suspend all arrivals and departures. |
| operator | The airport operator, SAC, said flights would stop until noon. |
| capacity | The airport worked with reduced capacity at first. |
| hazard | Volcanic ash is a serious hazard for aircraft. |
| schedule | Airlines need extra time to restore the disrupted schedule. |
| reposition | Airlines may need to reposition aircraft and crews. |
Heavy snow can disrupt flights for several days.
The airport had to suspend all arrivals because of the ash cloud.
The airport operator issued a notice about the closure.
Runway capacity was much lower during the storm.
Volcanic ash is a serious hazard for jet engines.
Airlines are trying to restore the normal flight schedule.
Crews may need extra time to reposition aircraft after the disruption.
Disrupt означает «нарушить нормальную работу» (расписание сбито, но что-то ещё может работать). Suspend означает «полностью, но временно остановить» что-то конкретное (рейсы, разрешение).
B These verbs describe actions and events — what the airport, the airline or the ash cloud did. Many are used in the past simple when retelling news, and in the passive (be + past participle) when the subject is not important.
| affect | The ash cloud affected flights across southern Italy. |
| begin | Disruption began before the full suspension. |
| reach | The plume reached 4 kilometers above sea level. |
| remain | The airport remained closed until noon. |
| tighten | Officials tightened the restrictions overnight. |
| issue | INGV issued a red notice for aviation. |
| expect | Passengers are expected to return on Sunday. |
| operate | The airport operated with reduced capacity at first. |
The disruption began before the airport fully closed.
The ash plume reached about 4 kilometers above sea level.
The airport remained closed until the next morning.
INGV issued a red notice for aviation.
Passengers are expected to return on September 28.
«Expect» часто используется в пассиве: passengers are expected to... (а не passengers expect to...), когда речь о прогнозе, сделанном кем-то другим.
C These words explain cause and effect — why something happened and what will happen next. Note the prepositions: result from (= be caused by), lead to (= cause), depend on.
| reduced capacity | The airport worked with reduced capacity while the cloud approached. |
| result (from) | The delays resulted from dangerous wind conditions. |
| lead to | Tighter restrictions led to a full suspension. |
| restore | Airlines are working to restore the normal schedule. |
| depend on | Reopening depends on the wind direction. |
| need extra time | Crews may need extra time to reposition aircraft. |
| reopen | The airport hopes to reopen by Saturday. |
| confirm | The airline confirmed that two flights were canceled. |
The delays resulted from dangerous wind conditions.
Tighter rules led to a complete suspension of flights.
Reopening depends on the wind direction and the ash situation.
Airlines may need extra time to restore their schedules.
«Result from» = причина → следствие (delay resulted from wind). «Lead to» = действие → результат (restrictions led to suspension). Не путайте направление.
D These linking words connect ideas when you explain a situation, and these reporting words help you say what an official source said. Although + clause shows contrast; as a result / therefore show a consequence; according to and said that introduce a source.
| as a result | Ash covered the runway; as a result, flights stopped. |
| although | Although the airport reopened, delays continued. |
| therefore | The plume moved south; therefore, sectors closed. |
| as well as | Delays were caused by wind as well as by ash. |
| according to | According to INGV, the plume reached 4 km. |
| said that | The airline said that 140 passengers were affected. |
| whether | It is unclear whether the airport will reopen. |
| report | Media reported that ten flights were diverted. |
Ash covered the runway; as a result, flights were suspended.
Although the airport reopened, delays continued for two days.
The plume was moving south; therefore, nearby sectors were closed.
Delays were caused by wind as well as by ash.
According to INGV, the plume reached 4 kilometers.
The airline said that 140 passengers had been affected.
It is still unclear whether the airport will reopen today.
Italian media reported that ten flights had been diverted.
После whether нельзя ставить if в этом значении («будет ли»). Reports about the ash situation often mention the ash plume, the emission of ash, the presence of ash in the air, and the limitations it causes for flights.
Exercises
Write your answers below, then open Answers. There is no automatic checking. Entries are not saved when you leave this page.
13.1 Write a short definition for each word. Compare your definitions with the model answers.
Example: disrupt → to stop something working normally for a time
- hazard
- operator
- capacity
- reposition
- emission
- limitation
- confirm
- reopen
Answers
For open questions, these are model answers. Other answers may also be correct.
- a danger that can cause damage or injury
- a company that runs and manages a facility, e.g. an airport
- the maximum number of flights or passengers a place can handle
- to move aircraft or crew to a different location
- something (gas, ash, etc.) sent out into the air
- a rule that restricts what can be done
- to say officially that something is true
- to start operating again after being closed
13.2 Complete the summary of the text with the correct form of a word from the lesson.
Example: Mount Etna's renewed activity has ______ air travel in Sicily. → disrupted
- Catania Airport had to all arrivals and departures.
- The airport , SAC, announced the closure.
- At first the airport worked with while the ash approached.
- Officials later tightened the rules, which a full suspension.
- Italian media, ten flights were diverted.
- KM Malta Airlines that two flights were canceled.
- Whether the airport will soon depends on the wind.
- Reopening also the ash situation.
- Airlines may to reposition aircraft and restore schedules.
Answers
For open questions, these are model answers. Other answers may also be correct.
- suspend
- operator
- reduced capacity
- led to
- According to
- confirmed
- reopen
- depends on
- need extra time
13.3 Rewrite each sentence using the word in brackets.
Example: Volcanic ash is dangerous for aircraft engines. (hazard) → Volcanic ash is a hazard for aircraft engines.
- The airport can only handle a limited number of flights per hour. (capacity)
- New rules now restrict how close aircraft can fly to ash. (limitation)
- Ash was sent out from the volcano for several hours. (emission)
- Ash in the air made the airspace dangerous. (presence)
- Flights usually leave and arrive at planned times. (schedule)
- The news service said the plume had reached 4 km. (report)
Answers
For open questions, these are model answers. Other answers may also be correct.
- The airport has limited capacity for flights per hour.
- New limitations now restrict how close aircraft can fly to ash.
- There was continuous emission of ash from the volcano for several hours.
- The presence of ash in the air made the airspace dangerous.
- Flights usually follow a fixed schedule.
- The news service reported that the plume had reached 4 km.
13.4 Join the two sentences using the linking word in brackets.
Example: The ash cloud moved south. Nearby airspace was closed. (as a result) → The ash cloud moved south. As a result, nearby airspace was closed.
- Wind direction changed overnight. Officials tightened the restrictions. (therefore)
- The airport reopened on Saturday. Many flights were still delayed. (although)
- Flights were disrupted by ash. Flights were disrupted by strong wind. (as well as)
- The delay was caused by bad weather. (result from)
- The ash cloud was approaching. The airport reduced capacity. (as a result)
Answers
For open questions, these are model answers. Other answers may also be correct.
- Wind direction changed overnight; therefore, officials tightened the restrictions.
- Although the airport reopened on Saturday, many flights were still delayed.
- Flights were disrupted by ash as well as by strong wind.
- The delay resulted from bad weather.
- As a result of the approaching ash cloud, the airport reduced capacity.
13.5 Speaking. Use the lesson vocabulary to complete each task. Try to use at least five lesson words in each answer.
Example: Retell the Catania Airport situation in two or three sentences, as if you were the duty controller. → Volcanic activity at Etna has disrupted flights in Sicily. The operator had to suspend all arrivals and departures because of the ash hazard, and the schedule will not be restored until the ash situation improves.
- Discussion: Why is volcanic ash such a serious hazard for aircraft? What can airlines do to protect passengers?
- Role-play (controller): Explain to a pilot why their sector is closed and when operations might reopen.
- Role-play: You are an airline representative. A journalist asks why your flight to Catania was canceled. Answer using the lesson vocabulary.
- Role-play (dispatcher and pilot): The dispatcher briefs the pilot about the ash plume and possible reposition of the aircraft to another airport.
Answers
For open questions, these are model answers. Other answers may also be correct.
- Model answer: Ash can damage engines and other aircraft systems, so it is a serious hazard. Airlines usually divert or cancel flights and wait until the ash presence in the airspace is reduced.
- Useful phrases: 'This sector is closed because of ash emission from the volcano.' / 'We don't yet know whether the airspace will reopen today — it depends on the wind direction.'
- Useful phrases: 'We had to suspend the flight because of limitations on the airspace.' / 'According to the airport operator, the restrictions were tightened overnight.' / 'We confirmed the cancellation this morning.'
- Useful phrases: 'The ash plume has reached 4 kilometers, so we may need to reposition the aircraft to Palermo.' / 'We will need extra time to restore the normal schedule after this.'