英语博客:Bomb threat on Christmas Day（在线收听）

Beginners.

When we travel, it is great to feel safe. If you travel by car, train, boat, or plane you want to feel secure. You don't want anything dangerous to happen, do you? One of the safest ways of traveling is by plane. It is true. Just think about it. There is not much that you can crash into. Other planes are easy to avoid, and birds don't cause a problem for a big, metal airplane. It seems a little scary to be flying around, thousands of feet up in the air, with nothing between you and the ground but thin air. But, you have to believe the statistics. Flying is much safer than driving. When you drive, there is a false sense of security. You feel that you are totally in control, and we know that that is not quite true. There are many other factors involved that can either make it safe or dangerous on the road, like other people. You don't know if the other people on the road are safe drivers or not. So, what do you do to stay safe? Drive defensively is the answer. Do all that you can to keep your distance from other cars. And stay alert! Keep your car in good condition, and make sure that everything works properly, especially the brakes. But, what can you do about safety on planes? Though they are one of the safest ways to travel, occasionally there can be a concern.

 Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: secure, to avoid, statistics, factor.

1. He had locks all over the house, but he still didn't feel secure.

2. You should avoid that part of town; it's dangerous.

3. Statistics show that 80% of women don't eat enough calcium.

4. The team's fitness was the main factor in their success.

Advanced.

On Christmas day, the 25th of December, there was an incident on a plane traveling to Detroit. Apparently, when the plane had almost landed, a passenger tried to let off a bomb. Thankfully, this plan went wrong. He only managed to burn himself and part of the wall. Flight attendants and passengers intervened and stopped him. The fire was put out, and the threat came to an end. It must have been a very frightening experience for the passengers, of whom there were more than two hundred and seventy. It just shows that being observant can save lives. The terrorist attempt was an international shock that has caused the closing of embassies, and the tightening of security in airports. Though safety measures and security checks are common in airports, especially those that have transatlantic flights, they are being increased. Metal detectors are not enough. Full body scanners are needed to see everything on a person's body. Some say that it is an invasion of privacy because your whole body will be visible on the screen to the security guards. What is most important, ensuring airline security or personal privacy? I think the answer is obvious. When lives are at stake, every security measure should be taken, don't you think?

Grammar notes.

Practice of 'should' and 'could' with related vocabulary.

1. Terrorist attacks could be stopped by increased security measures.

2. Airports should have full body scanners installed.

3. How can personal privacy be more important than safety?

4. We should do all that we can because their lives are at stake.