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2 Sept 2026
Frankfurt is Germany's busiest airport
Mosquitoes on Planes Cause Rare Illness in Germany
Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Section: Warm Up
Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) A plane was painted with big pictures of insects.
b) Mosquitoes travelled on a plane to a new country.
c) Workers caught bugs to make a new zoo exhibit.
Ask:
(1) Have you ever seen a mosquito before?
(2) How do you protect yourself from bug bites?
VOCABULARY
airport (/ˈeəpɔːt/, noun)
Meaning: A place where airplanes take off and land.
Example: We saw many big airplanes at the busy airport.
insect (/ˈɪnsekt/, noun)
Meaning: A tiny animal with six legs like a bug or mosquito.
Example: An insect landed on the green leaf in the garden.
rare (/reə/, adjective)
Meaning: Not common or happening very seldom.
Example: It is rare to see snow during the hot summer.
sick (/sɪk/, adjective)
Meaning: Not well or feeling ill.
Example: The young boy felt sick and stayed in bed all day.
doctor (/ˈdɒktə/, noun)
Meaning: A person whose job is to help sick people get better.
Example: The friendly doctor gave her medicine to help her feel well.
trap (/træp/, noun)
Meaning: A tool used to catch small animals or bugs.
Example: They set a small trap to catch the runaway mouse.
A big airport in Germany has a strange problem. Some workers are very sick. Doctors say the workers have malaria. Malaria is a sickness. Insects called mosquitoes spread this sickness.
Mosquitoes usually live in warm countries. They do not usually live in Germany. People think the mosquitoes travelled on a plane. The insects flew out of the plane at the airport. Then they bit six workers.
Two workers died from the sickness. This is a very rare event. Other people at the airport are safe. The sickness does not go from person to person. You can only get it from an insect bite.
Experts want to catch the bugs. They put special traps around the airport. Doctors look at blood samples. They tell all workers to see a doctor if they feel hot or weak. Everyone works together to keep the airport safe.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(1) Why do people go to an airport?
(2) Where do mosquitoes usually live?
(3) How did the insects travel to Germany?
(4) What do experts put around the airport to catch bugs?
(5) What should you do if you feel sick?
FILL IN THE GAPS
FILL THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Word Bank: airport, doctor, insect, rare
A big _______(1) in Germany has a strange problem. Some workers are very sick. Doctors say the workers have malaria. Malaria is a sickness. An _______(2) called a mosquito spreads this sickness.
Mosquitoes usually live in warm countries. They do not usually live in Germany. People think the mosquitoes travelled on a plane. The insects flew out of the plane at the airport. Then they bit six workers.
Two workers died from the sickness. This is a very _______(3) event. Other people at the airport are safe. The sickness does not go from person to person. You can only get it from a bug bite.
Experts want to catch the bugs. They put special traps around the airport. Doctors look at blood samples. They tell all workers to see a _______(4) if they feel hot or weak. Everyone works together to keep the airport safe.
Section 2: Main Idea
What is the main idea of this text?
a) Germany is building a new airport for big planes.
b) Rare mosquitoes arrived on a plane and made workers sick.
c) Doctors are teaching people how to fly planes safely.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
(1) Malaria is a sickness spread by mosquitoes. T/F
(2) The sickness spreads easily from person to person. T/F
(3) Experts put special traps at the airport to catch bugs. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
Put these events in order from 1 to 3:
( ) Six airport workers became sick with malaria.
( ) Mosquitoes travelled inside an airplane to Germany.
( ) Experts placed special bug traps around the airport.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
(1) airport
(2) insect
(3) rare
(4) doctor
(5) trap
a) a small tool used to catch bugs or animals
b) a place where airplanes land and take off
c) a person who helps sick people get well
d) a small bug with six legs
e) not common or happening very seldom
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
(1) The airport is very big, _______ many planes arrive every day.
a) so
b) but
c) or
(2) Mosquitoes like warm weather, _______ they do not like cold winters.
a) and
b) but
c) because
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
(1) Put the words in order:
A) in Germany / B) airport / C) is / D) big / E) The
(2) Put the words in order:
A) catch / B) set / C) Experts / D) the bugs / E) traps to
ANSWER KEY
Warm Up Answer: b
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
(1) airport
(2) insect
(3) rare
(4) doctor
Section 2: Main Idea
b
Section 3: True or False
(1) T
(2) F
(3) T
Section 4: Put Events in Order
2, 1, 3
Section 5: Vocab Match
(1) b
(2) d
(3) e
(4) c
(5) a
Section 6: Discussion Builder
(1) a
(2) b
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
(1) E, C, D, B, A (The airport is big in Germany.)
(2) C, B, E, A, D (Experts set traps to catch the bugs.)
Section 8: Discussion Questions
Open-ended student answers.
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