Biography · Level 2 · 125 words

The Brothers Who Learned to Fly

Original passage © Studio AM, written for Fluency.

Orville and Wilbur Wright were two brothers in the United States who ran a shop that built and repaired bicycles. In their free time, they shared a big dream. They wanted to build a machine that could fly.

Many people had tried to fly before and failed. The brothers studied birds and tested small models. They built a flying machine with wings and an engine, and they practiced controlling it. They also used a wind tunnel to learn how air pushed against different shapes.

In 1903, near a windy beach in North Carolina, their machine lifted off the ground and flew for a short time. It was one of the first flights by a powered airplane. Their patient work helped open the age of flying.

Comprehension questions

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4 questions
1. What kind of shop did the Wright brothers run?

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B. A bicycle shop
The passage says they ran a shop that built and repaired bicycles.

2. What does the passage suggest helped the brothers succeed?

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B. They studied, tested, and practiced patiently
The text describes them studying birds, testing models, using a wind tunnel, and practicing.

3. What is the passage mostly about?

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B. Two brothers whose careful work led to one of the first powered flights
The passage focuses on the brothers' effort to build a flying machine and their early flight.

4. In the passage, "patient" work means work that is:

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C. slow, careful, and not giving up
The brothers studied birds, tested models, and practiced for years before their short flight. "Patient" work is steady, careful effort that keeps going without giving up.

Source: Written for Fluency. Original passage © Studio AM, written for Fluency.