On Sunday, QANTAS airlines and JetStar stopped flights across the Tasman to Australia. They also stopped flights in New Zealand and in parts of Australia. However, AirNZ continued to fly. AirNZ said the ash is high in the air between 6,000 and 10,000m. Their planes can fly below the ash, at 5,800m. This uses 10% more fuel but it is safe. QANTAS and JetStar believe it is safer to stop flights. Many passengers have been waiting in airports, hoping the volcanic ash will disappear. Today is the 4th day and it has not disappeared yet. In fact, the volcano is still erupting.

　　Fine particles of volcanic ash look like flour but they feel more like particles of sand. If they get into the engines of the plane, they can cause damage.

　　New Zealand has a Volcanic Ash Advisory System which can show the path of the volcanic ash.

　　Scientific vocabulary

　　Useful words: volcano, erupt, particles, 40 degrees south, advisory system (gives advice)

　　Grammar: Verb Tenses

　　Present perfect tense is used to show an action which started in the past and is continuing now e.g. ash has crossed Argentina … has not disappeared yet; the progressive form – have been waiting – emphasizes that their wait has been a long time.

　　Present simple is used to show something that is true: uses 10% more fuel, look like ash…feel like, if they get… they can cause

　　Questions

　　A volcano is a natural hazard. Do you think an airline should pay for accommodation if passengers cannot get home because of volcanic ash?

　　A lot of numbers are mentioned here. Write them down as you listen.