In the 1480s, Da Vinci drew plans for an ornithopter , which laid the groundwork for the modern helicopter.
The following are the official for the reading passage above, based on the answer sheet provided with the exam materials.
: Around 400 BC, the Chinese developed kites for religious ceremonies and weather testing, which later influenced the development of gliders. In the 1480s, Da Vinci drew plans for
Although hot air balloons enabled people to fly freely in the air, they did not allow much control over direction. The man who first proposed an effective alternative to the balloon was George Cayley (1773‑1857), who designed many different versions of gliders, including biplanes and gliders with tails. Cayley understood important principles of flight: firstly, he was aware that air flow over the wings was crucial for producing flight, and therefore wing shape was an important factor; he also knew that any long flight would need an additional, essential ingredient – power .
One of the earliest tales of man’s passion for flight comes from Greek mythology. According to legend, an inventor named Daedalus and his son Icarus escaped from a prison on the island of Crete by making wings of wax and feathers. Daedalus was successful in returning home, but Icarus flew too near to the sun; the wax on his wings melted, the feathers came out and he fell to his death in the sea. Although hot air balloons enabled people to fly
Heartbroken, he almost gave up. But one night, Captain Mehta visited him. "Every pilot has a near-crash story," Mehta said. "The question is not whether you fall — it’s whether you get back in the cockpit."
: The creation of primitive, non-manned flying objects. One of the earliest tales of man’s passion
: It was not until December 17, 1903 , that Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first sustained, controlled flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft at Kitty Hawk. IELTS Reading Answers for Section 1
The IELTS Reading section can be highly challenging, especially when dealing with descriptive narrative passages like . This specific text often appears in IELTS Reading Section 1 or 2, tracking the history, technical challenges, and personal dedication behind early aviation breakthroughs.
✅ Always underline the word limit before you start. Count your words before writing the final answer.