Scary snake on plane makes pilot land quickly

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2023/04/06

Difficulty: Beginner A1

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Vocabulary Match

cause -   - lifted off
panic -   - alarm
landed -   - bring about
took off -   - travelers
passengers -   - stayed
remained -   - arrived

Article

Rudolph Erasmus is a pilot from South Africa. He was flying a plane with four people. He saw a big snake, a cobra, under his seat. Cobras are very dangerous. They can kill a person in 30 minutes.

Rudolph landed the plane fast. He told the people on the plane about the snake. He did not want them to be scared. He was worried the snake might cause panic.

The plane landed in a city called Welkom. Pilots learn many things, but not about snakes in the plane.

The snake was not a big surprise. Two people saw it before the plane took off. They could not catch it.

People say Rudolph is a hero. But he does not think he is special. He said, "It's also my passengers that remained calm as well."

Quiz

  1. Why are cobras very dangerous?
  2. Why did Rudolph tell the people on the plane about the snake?
  3. What did Rudolph say about his passengers?

Conversation

A: Can you believe there was a cobra on our plane?
B: Yeah, that was so scary! Good thing our pilot stayed calm.
A: I know, right? I couldn't even see the snake.
B: Me neither. I'm just glad we landed safely.
A: Do you think they caught the snake?
B: Not sure, but I hope so. Those things are dangerous!

Discussion

  1. What would you do if you found a snake on a plane?
  2. Have you ever had a scary experience with an animal?
  3. What other unusual situations could happen on a plane?
  4. What other things do you think are scary?
  5. How do you calm down when you are scared or stressed?

Vocabulary Answers

cause → bring about
panic → alarm
landed → arrived
took off → lifted off
passengers → travelers
remained → stayed

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Because they can kill a person in 30 minutes.
  2. Because he did not want them to be scared.
  3. He said they remained calm.

Source Material

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65188013

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