I. Scan the text to find answers to these questions.
1. When was the first flying car designed?
2. What models of flying cars have already been designed?
3. What speed can the Skycar develop?
4. Is the Skycar fuel-efficient?
5. What is a 'fly-by-wire system'?
6. How does the CityHawk differ from the Skyrider?
7. Why are flying cars designed as an alternative to road cars?
II. Read the text carefully and say what you have learnt about the new breed of cars.
Just a decade and a half after the Wright Brothers took off in their airplane over the plains of Kitty Hawk,
N.C., in 1903, other pioneering men started dreaming of a flying car. The attempt to develop a gliding horse
cart in the 18th century, to no great surprise, failed. Numerous flying cars are being invented today. Moller's
latest project, the Skycar M400, is designed to take off and land vertically, like a Harrier Jet, in small spaces.
Having a range of 900 miles, it will cruise at around 350 mph with the top speed of 400 mph using petrol,
diesel, alcohol, kerosene and propane as fuel. The fuel mileage of the Skycar will be comparable to that of a
medium-sized car, getting 20 miles to the gallon. To make the Skycar safe and available to public, it will be
completely controlled by computers using the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites - a so-called 'fly-by-
wire system'. In an emergency the vehicle will release a parachute and airbags, internally and externally, to
cushion the impact of the crash. The cost of a Skycar is estimated to be $60,000 if mass- produced.
MACRO Industries' SkyRider X2R will use the same fly-by-wire system to safely transport passengers.
Drivers will simply get in, turn on the power and enter the address or phone number of the desired destination,
with the SkyRider doing the rest. MACRO said that the system would be fully automatic, but allowing some
manual control. Commands will be entered just by telling the car what you want it to do.
Similarly to Skycars and SkyRiders, CityHawks also take off and land vertically. However, there are some
key differences. The CityHawk will be powered by fans driven by four internal combustion engines. This
number of engines will allow the vehicle to land even if one of the engines is lost. The CityHawk will have
cruising speeds of 90-100 mph. The car is likely to be used as an air taxi, for news gathering and for traffic
control.
The mass availability of flying cars can be very scary. Yet, if proper safeguards observed, flying cars will
not only cut rush hours and traffic jams, but also they will allow us to live hundreds of miles farther from work
and still make it to the office in no time.
III.Choose the correct option to complete the sentences.
1. The Wright Brothers' invention started the idea of flying ....
a) horse carts; b) airplanes; c) cars.
2. The first developments of flying cars in the early 1900s were ....
a) surprising; b) ineffective; c) successful.
3. The Skycar takes off and lands ....
a) vertically; b) horizontally; c) spirally.
4. Without refuelling the Skycar can fly ... miles,
a) 350; b )400; c)900.
5. The Skycar uses as much fuel as
a) the Harrier Jet; b) a medium-sized car; c) a GPS satellite.
6. The function of the Skyrider is ... .
a) to safely transport passengers; b) to sky fight; c) to control traffic.
7. The CityHawk will be propelled by .... a) funs; b) fans; c)fins.
8. Flying cars will create problems of... .
a) traffic jams and rush hours; b) safety; c) moving away from polluted cities.