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THEAIRBUSAUDIOSCRIPT

ListentopartofatalkabouttheAirbusA380.
Optionalexercise (Theanswersareatthebottomofthepage).
Listenandputthesepointsintheordertheyarementioned.
Subject
a)thecountrieswhichcollaborateinthemanufacturing
b)therangewithoutrefuelling
c)thesize
d)wheretheplaneisputtogether
e)wherethewingsaremade

Order

Everythingaboutthisaeroplaneisenormousthenumbersaretrulymindboggling.Itsoveralllengthis73metres.Thats
aboutaslongastheGreatSphinxinEgypt.Thegianttwodeckfuselagewilltypicallyhave550seats,buthasthepotential
tocarryupto800passengers.Thetail,at21metersfromtheground,isashighasasevenstoreybuilding.The845m2wing
areaisbigenoughtopark70cars.
TheA380canflyastaggering15,000kmwithoutrefuellingandinordertodothat,itneedstocarry310,000litresoffuel,
makingtheplanestakeoffweight560tonnes.Incredibly,though,theA380willactuallybemorefuelefficientthanother,
similarsizedjumbojets.Airbusclaimthattheplanewillburnabout3litresoffuelperpassengerper100km,makingitas
economicaltorunasafamilycar.
ThebuildingoftheA380isaremarkableexampleoftransnationalcooperation.ThefinalassemblylineisinToulousein
France,butthisisonlytheendofanimpressivelycomplicatedprocess.
TheconstructionofeachaircraftistheresultofcollaborationbetweenFrance,Germany,BritainandSpain.Thewings,for
example,arebuiltinEnglandandWales.ThemainsectionsofthefuselageareconstructedinHamburg,Germany.Partsfor
thenoseandthetailareinfactmadeinSpain,andonlyassembledinGermany.EverythingisthenshippedtoFrancetobe
puttogether.
TheA380jigsawgetsevenmorecomplicated,however.AlthoughaEuropeanventure,fewpeoplerealisehowmuchofthe
planeisactuallymadeordesignedoutsidetheEU.Thewings,forexample,werecreatedbydesignersinWichitainthe
UnitedStates.Somewingpanels,thewheels,andmostofthecockpitelectronicsarealsomadeinAmerica.Infact,interms
ofactualcost,almosthalftheaircraftismadeintheUSA.

Answers1c,2b,3d,4a,5e
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TheBritishCouncil,2007
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