Biography When Amelia Mary Earhart went to a stunt-flying exhibition around the time she was 18, she became seriously interested in aviation A pilot at the exhibit saw Earhart watching the show, and dove down at her As the plane swooped by, something inside her woke up "I did not understand it at the time," she said, "but I believe that little red airplane said something to me as it swished by." On December 28, 1920, a pilot named Frank Hawks gave her a ride that would forever change her life "By the time I had gotten two or three hundred feet off the ground," she said, "I knew I had to fly." In 1937, as Earhart neared her 40th birthday, she was ready for a final challenge She wanted to be the first woman to fly around the world "I have a feeling that there is just about one more good flight left in my system, and I hope this trip is it," she said On June 1st, Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan departed from Miami and began the 29,000-mile journey By June 29, when they landed in Lae, New Guinea, all but 7,000 miles had been completed The next part of their journey was the most challenging The next stop was Howland Island, located about 2500 miles in the middle of the Pacific and was only one and a half miles long Every unessential item was removed from the plane to make room for additional fuel, which gave Earhart approximately 274 extra miles At 10am on July 2, the pair took off They had problems with cloudy skies and difficulty communicating by radio Her last radio transmission, was faint and full of static: "We must be on you, but we cannot see you Fuel is running low Been unable to reach you by radio.” We are flying at 1,000 feet." At 8:45 Earhart reported, "We are running north and south." Nothing further was ever heard from Earhart A rescue attempt was started immediately and became the most extensive air and sea search in naval history Today, though many theories exist, there is no proof of her fate There is no doubt, however, that the world will always remember Amelia Earhart for her courage, vision, and groundbreaking achievements, both in aviation and for women In a letter to her husband, written in case this dangerous flight was to be her last, this brave spirit was evident "Please know I am quite aware of the hazards," she said "I want to it because I want to it Women must try to things as men have tried When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others." http://www.ameliaearhart.com/about/bio.html A Find a word that means the same as… A show or display about a certain topic 2 of something brave not necessary a last quest dangers effort or try tragic ending or destiny things that have to with planes and flying 10 finished 11 B Match the Vocabulary difficulty A extremely, or very much seriously B Come down very quickly swooped C Something large in the amount, covering a large area swished D not loud, bright or clear neared E possible circumstances or ideas additional F transmission G something that isn’t easy extensive H to get closer theories I extra 10 faint J a radio signal that is carried through the air C 12 13 14 15 to move in a fast whistling sound Answer the questions Use easy answers if you are beginning level, full sentences if you are advanced level Where did her ill-fated flight begin? _ What was the biggest challenge on the last part of her flight? _ What made Amelia want to fly? _ Did Amelia think the flight around the world would be easy? _ Why is her attempt to fly around the world still considered a “groundbreaking achievement” even though she failed? _ What preparations did they make for the final part of the flight to Howland Island? _ What was the last radio transmission ever heard from Amelia Earhart? _ What three qualities does the article say Amelia Earhart will be remembered for? _ Was Amelia Earhart married? If so, what is her husband’s name? _ What you think the little airplane could have said to 18 year old Amelia? _ 16 17 18 19 20 10 21 22 D Find a related word in the reading selection serious 23 24 navigation 25 essential 26 27 evidence 28 fail 29 30 approximat e 31 4 danger 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 32 33 write 34