Free to print and teach
THE ENGLISH WIRE
Free daily news lessons for English teachers and learners

SUNDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER 2026

Menu
Science & TechB1So/such/too/enough

AI to help planes avoid climate-warming vapour trails

Tuesday, 18 August 2026

Illustrative photo: White airplane flying under the blue sky.
Illustrative photo: White airplane flying under the blue sky.
Download Lesson Plan (PDF) Start Interactive Lesson

Warm-up

  1. Have you seen white lines behind planes in the sky?
  2. Why might pilots change a plane's altitude in flight?
  3. Do you think technology can help reduce pollution from planes?

Vocabulary

contrail
A white line of cloud behind a plane made of ice crystals.
predict
To say what will happen using information or data.
forecast
A report about what the weather or conditions will be like.
satellite
A machine sent into space that takes pictures of Earth.
altitude
How high an aircraft is above the ground or sea level.
fuel
The liquid burned by a plane's engines to make it fly.
trial
A test of a new idea to see if it works in practice.
benefit
A good effect or advantage that comes from an action.

Reading

A new UK project will test whether artificial intelligence can reduce plane contrails, the white lines that can trap heat in the atmosphere. The 30-month Operation Blue Skies trial is worth £5m and will focus on the Shanwick Oceanic airspace in the eastern North Atlantic. Google will use satellite images and past flight data to predict where warming contrails form and combine this with weather forecasts from the Met Office. The information will go to NATS so controllers can tell pilots to change altitude by about 2,000ft. Testing will run on some winter evenings in 2026-27 and 2027-28. Around 10,000 flights could pass through the area during each trial period. The Department for Transport is funding part of the work and partners include the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. Changing altitude can use a little more fuel, but the project aims to show a net climate benefit by preventing long-lasting contrails.

Original source

Comprehension

  1. What do contrails do to the atmosphere?
  2. What is the name of the trial?
  3. Which company will use satellite images and flight data?
  4. How much will aircraft usually change altitude to avoid contrails?
  5. When will testing take place?

Grammar focus

So/such/too/enough

Use: so + adjective + that, such + noun + that, too + adjective + to, and adjective + enough + to. These forms show results or limits. (Examples constructed.)

  • AI forecast was so accurate that controllers used it.
  • The team ran such tests that pilots changed altitude.

Grammar exercise

Circle the correct option in each sentence.

  1. AI forecast was (so / such) accurate that controllers used it.
  2. The trial was (so / too) short to show long effects.
  3. Flights were (such / so) long that testing ran in winter.
  4. Controllers had (enough / too) time to tell pilots to climb.
  5. Contrails were (too / enough) short to trap much heat.

Discussion

  1. Should airlines change routes to reduce contrails? Why?
  2. Are small fuel increases acceptable to cut contrails where you live?
  3. How should passengers be told about small altitude changes?
  4. Could AI reduce other environmental impacts of aviation? Give examples.
Start Interactive Lesson

Vocabulary, reading, and exercises with instant feedback