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Reading Worksheet

A Busy Morning at Stanwick Airport

A2 Present Continuous: Current Activities Travel 25 minutes
Before You Read

Discuss these questions with a partner before you read.

  • Have you ever been to a busy airport? What was it like? What were people doing?
  • Do you enjoy travelling by plane, or do you find airports stressful? Why?
  • Think of a busy place you know well (a market, a train station, a shopping centre). What are people usually doing there?
  • What do you think is the hardest job at an airport? Give a reason.
Key Vocabulary
Word Definition Example
terminal (n.) the building at an airport where passengers go The family is waiting in the main terminal.
departure (n.) the act of leaving; a flight that is about to leave The departure board shows all outgoing flights.
announcement (n.) an official public message An announcement is telling passengers to go to gate 7.
queue (n.) a line of people waiting A long queue is forming at the check-in desk.
luggage (n.) bags and cases that you take on a journey The mother is counting their luggage carefully.
boarding (n.) the process of getting onto a plane Boarding for the 8:45 flight is about to begin.
Reading Text
Blog Post ~200 words

A Busy Morning at Stanwick Airport

It is 8am at Stanwick Airport and the terminal is extremely busy. Stanwick Airport handles 18 million passengers every year, and flights leave every ten minutes. But right now, this Monday morning feels especially chaotic.

Hundreds of people are moving through the main hall. Near gate 12, a family is checking their bags before their flight. The mother is counting the luggage. The father is talking loudly on his phone. Their two children are eating breakfast at a small café table, completely ignoring the noise around them.

At the departure board, a group of business travellers are looking at flight information. One woman is writing something in a notebook. A man next to her is checking his watch for the third time. Their flight to Berlin is delayed.

In the corridor near the coffee shop, a cleaner is mopping the floor. People are walking around her, carrying bags and pulling suitcases. A long queue is forming at the check-in desk on the left.

At the information desk, a young man is asking for directions. He is looking confused and a little worried. The staff member is pointing towards the escalators and smiling.

Suddenly, an announcement is playing over the speakers. Everyone stops for a moment and listens. A pilot in uniform is walking quickly through the corridor. A new day at Stanwick Airport is well underway.

Notice the Grammar

Look back at the article. Find five sentences that use the present continuous (is/are + -ing). Write them below. Then discuss with a partner: why does the writer use the present continuous to describe the airport scene?

1 Reading for Gist

Answer these questions in a few words.

  1. What time of day does the article describe?
  2. What is the general atmosphere at the airport?
  3. What problem does the group of business travellers have?
2 Reading for Detail

Answer these questions. Write short answers.

  1. How many passengers does Stanwick Airport handle every year?
  2. What are the children doing near gate 12?
  3. Where is the cleaner mopping the floor?
  4. Why does the young man at the information desk look worried?  a) His flight is cancelled. b) He is lost and needs directions. c) He has lost his luggage. 
  5. What do people do when the announcement plays over the speakers?
3 True, False, or Not Given

Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given). Use only information from the article.

  1. Stanwick Airport handles more than 15 million passengers a year.
  2. The father near gate 12 is reading a newspaper.
  3. The business travellers are travelling to Berlin for a conference.
  4. A queue is forming at the check-in desk.
  5. The staff member at the information desk is rude to the young man.
4 Vocabulary in Context

Answer these questions about words and phrases in the article.

  1. In paragraph 1, what does 'chaotic' mean?  a) very organised and calm b) completely out of control and confused c) a little busier than normal 
  2. In paragraph 3, the writer says the man is 'checking his watch for the third time'. What does this tell us about how the man is feeling?
  3. Find a word in paragraph 4 that means 'pulling a wheeled bag behind you'. Write it here. 
  4. In paragraph 6, what does 'well underway' mean? Write your own definition.
5 Grammar in Context

Complete these activities. Go back to the article.

  1. Find five present continuous sentences in the article. Write them here.
    a)  b)  c)  d)  e) 
  2. Find two sentences in the article that use the present simple (not present continuous). Write them here. Then explain why the present simple is used.
    a)  b) 
  3. What is the difference between these two sentences? (a) 'A cleaner mops the floor every morning.' (b) 'A cleaner is mopping the floor.'  a) (a) is in the future; (b) is in the past. b) (a) is a regular habit; (b) is happening right now. c) Both sentences mean the same thing. 
  4. Rewrite these sentences using the present continuous to describe what is happening now: (a) 'The pilot walks to the gate.' → (b) 'The family checks their bags.' →
  5. Think of a busy place (a market, a station, a school corridor). Write four sentences about what people are doing there right now. Use the present continuous.
Personal Response — Discuss with a partner

Discuss these questions with a partner. Then share one idea with the class.

  1. The article shows many different people at the airport — a family, business travellers, a cleaner, a lost young man. Which person would you most like to know more about? Why?
  2. Airports can be stressful places. What do you do to stay calm when you are travelling? Do you have any travel habits or routines?
  3. Imagine you are at Stanwick Airport right now and your flight is delayed by three hours. What are you doing to pass the time? Describe it to your partner.

Answer Key

A Busy Morning at Stanwick Airport — A2 — Present Continuous: Current Activities

Exercise 1 — Reading for Gist

  1. 8am / early morning.
  2. Very busy / chaotic / noisy.
  3. Their flight to Berlin is delayed.

Exercise 2 — Reading for Detail

  1. 18 million passengers.
  2. They are eating breakfast at a small café table.
  3. In the corridor near the coffee shop.
  4. b)
  5. Everyone stops for a moment and listens.

Exercise 3 — True, False, or Not Given

  1. T — Paragraph 1: 'Stanwick Airport handles 18 million passengers every year.'
  2. F — Paragraph 2: 'The father is talking loudly on his phone.'
  3. NG — The article says the flight is to Berlin but does not say why they are travelling.
  4. T — Paragraph 4: 'A long queue is forming at the check-in desk on the left.'
  5. F — Paragraph 5: 'The staff member is pointing towards the escalators and smiling.'

Exercise 4 — Vocabulary in Context

  1. b)
  2. He is impatient / frustrated / anxious about the delay.
  3. pulling suitcases
  4. Already started and continuing / in progress / happening fully now.

Exercise 5 — Grammar in Context

  1. Any five, e.g.: 'Hundreds of people are moving through the main hall.' / 'a family is checking their bags' / 'The mother is counting the luggage.' / 'The father is talking loudly on his phone.' / 'Their two children are eating breakfast...' / 'a group of business travellers are looking at flight information.' / 'One woman is writing something in a notebook.' / 'A man next to her is checking his watch.' / 'a cleaner is mopping the floor.' / 'People are walking around her...' / 'A long queue is forming...' / 'a young man is asking for directions.' / 'He is looking confused...' / 'The staff member is pointing...' / 'an announcement is playing over the speakers.' / 'A pilot in uniform is walking quickly through the corridor.'
  2. 'Stanwick Airport handles 18 million passengers every year.' and 'flights leave every ten minutes.' — Present simple is used for permanent facts and regular timetable events, not for what is happening right now.
  3. b)
  4. (a) The pilot is walking to the gate. (b) The family is checking their bags.
  5. Answers will vary. Answers will vary. Check: is/are + verb-ing. Encourage vivid, specific descriptions.

Notice the Grammar — suggested answers

Accept any five correct examples from the article that use the target grammar. Students should be able to explain why the grammar is used in each case.

Personal Response

Answers will vary. This section is for spoken discussion or short written response. There are no single correct answers.