STUDY AND WRITING SKILLS
95
9.5
1
9
WRITING SKILLS
DESCRIBING A PROCESS
7
Read the description of how aircraft are made and
answer the questions.
1
Why are the following used to produce an aircraft?
a
a model
b
wind tunnels
c
flight tests
2
What document must a construction company get
before it can sell its aircraft?
8
Using the passive
In English, we prefer to start a
sentence with information that is already known, not
new. We sometimes use the passive to put known
information at the beginning of a sentence. For example:
Aircraft production
is a huge and costly business.
Most aircraft
are made …
We are unlikely to write:
Aircraft production
is a huge and costly business.
Companies make
most aircraft
…
Find two more examples of this in the text.
9
There are several stages in the production and launch
of a new motorbike. Look at the notes below and put
them in the correct order. Think about how the passive is
sometimes used at the beginning of a sentence. The first
and last have been numbered.
F
Show the new motorbike at trade exhibitions all
over the world.
F
Plan the new motorbike and produce the first
designs. (Design team)
F
Contact journalists and invite them to test drive the
new motorbike.
F
Changes are made to the prototype and the design
is modified. (R&D department)
F
Build the first prototype, with the help of engineers.
(R&D department)
F
The prototype is tested on special roads. Check if there
are any problems and if any changes are necessary.
F
Do further tests, then make more modifications and
changes to the engine.
F
Results of the test drive are recorded and the
journalists prepare articles about the new bike.
F
Mass-produce the new motorbike. Launch an
international marketing campaign.
10
Write an article on the stages in the production and
launch of a new motorbike, for inclusion in some school
course materials on engineering processes. Use the notes
above and the linkers in the box to structure your article.
first of all next after that then finally
How aircraft are made
Aircraft production is a huge and costly
business. Most aircraft are made by companies
who can produce them in large quantities and
who can invest time in planning as well as
production. Planning alone can take up to 12
years for a large aircraft and production can
also be a very long process. The production
stages are as follows.
First, the construction company produces
designs for the aircraft. These designs are
used for the initial simulations. Then a
model of the aircraft is put in a wind tunnel.
The way the air moves around the model
is studied by engineers and scientists, as
well as how the model acts in the tunnel.
This gives them a good idea of how a real,
life-sized aircraft of the same design will fly.
Smaller parts of the aircraft are also tested in
wind tunnels.
Next a prototype of the aircraft is made,
and after that a limited number of aircraft
are produced to test on the ground.
Representatives from a government aviation
agency often make the first flight. Flight
tests continue until all the requirements
are met. Finally, the government agency
authorises the construction company
to begin production of the aircraft. A
certificate is issued and the aircraft is sold
all over the world.
