As the world's only supersonic passenger jet approaches its 26th birthday, a.

worldwide race is
underway to build the Concorde II. The British Airways fleet of seven has as little as 10 years'
flying time left. British Airways has challenged designers to come up with its successor before
the fleets, operated by BA and Air France for nearly 20 years, have exhausted their commercial
lives. British Aerospace is working with French and German partners to develop a successor
capable of carrying three times as many passengers. Racing against them are the Americans, also
working toward a supersonic passenger plane for the 21st century.
The projected development cost is a minimum $10 billion so high that only one version is
likely to be built in the foreseeable future. BAe and Aerospatiale, which pioneered Concorde I,
have been joined by Daimler Benz Aerospace on the joint Concorde II research project. The
European Supersonic Research Program (ESRP) will be funded by all three countries. They also
are involved in wider-ranging talks with Italian, Japanese and Russian organizations under the
umbrella of the International Supersonic Study Group. Japanese Aircraft Industries, the Alenia
Company of Italy and the Tupolev Design Bureau have been looking at environmental
requirements, certification bases, market potential, global cooperation and business
compatibility.
British Aerospace is looking for a plane holding a minimum of 200 passengers, compared to
Concorde I's accommodating capacity of 100 passengers. The aircraft would have to be capable
of flying between 5500 and 6500 miles at a cruising speed of Mach 2.5. The British Aerospaces
idea is for a 90m-long aircraft carrying 289 passengers instead of 60m-long Concorde I's 4000
miles at Mach 2. Long distance air travel is constantly increasing and passengers are asking for
more direct flights with increased comfort. Supersonic flights must not cost significantly more
than normal flights and that must be one of the primary objectives.
In the United States, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas are working on a successor plane with the
aid of a $15 billion grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The
first phase of the project began in the US in 1989, with NASA's High Speed Research Program
(HSR I), which focused solely on environmental issues, such as noise pollution, associated with
supersonic travel. The second phase, HSR II, will move toward the construction of an
aerodynamic craft capable of withstanding the rigors of daily supersonic travel.
Boeing and McDonnell Douglas have demonstrated that supersonic travel could be economically
feasible and that demand exists for time-saving travel. Developments are expected to more than
halve the time it now takes to fly between London and New York, and between Los Angeles and
Tokyo. Even though it is accepted that supersonic jets will be banned from flying over populated
areas, there are still 150 routes of more than 3000km between 81 major cities which they could
use. In the meantime, Rolls Royce is working on a suitable Variable Cycle Engine, which will be
quieter and faster than anything now available. It is hoped it will be acceptable for some
overland flights, such as Siberia and northern Canada. It will have to be capable of cruising
comfortably and economically at subsonic speeds using a turbofan, before the turbojet takes the
craft up to supersonic speeds over the seas. It is believed that Concorde II is feasible and that

technically it could be produced before long. The Boeing group is looking at 5000 miles
(8000km) range, Mach 2.4 aircraft which could make extensive use of composite materials. It
probably will take the full cooperation of Europe, the US and Japan to achieve. It appears that
there are also plans to build Concorde III, an exclusive supersonic jet to carry 12 passengers a
British Aerospace blueprint designed for world leaders and the wealthy. And there is a joint
American-Russian venture for a similar aircraft, involving Gulfstream Aerospace Sukhoi Design
Bureau. While many share this dream, it is not expected that such aircraft will enter service
before the year 2010.
Below is a table with comparative information about Concorde I, the European version of
Concorde II and the American version of Concorde II. There is some information missing from
the table. Complete the table using information from the reading passage. Write your answers in
the spaces numbered 1-6 on the answer sheet, using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. One
has been done for you as an example.
Types of airplane
Criteria
Holding capacity
Travel distance
Speed
Length

CONCORDE I
Example: 100 people
4000 miles
(4).
60m

CONCORDE II
European version
American version
(1)
300
(2)
(3)
2.5 mach
(5)......
(6)
Not given

Look at the following statements A-G. According to Reading Passage 2, which FOUR
statements are TRUE? Choose from the appropriate letters, A-H, and write them in the spaces
numbered 7-10 on the answer sheet. The answers may be written in any order.
A Daily use of supersonic aircraft causes structural problems.
B The development of supersonic aircrafts has been proven to make no economic sense.
C There is world-wide cooperation in this project.
D Only super-rich people will be able to afford flights on the new planes.
E The new supersonic jet should travel twice as fast as the current one.
F Concorde is a commercial aircraft.
G There will be no objection to supersonic jets flying over residential areas.
H The cost of developing the Concorde II is reasonable enough to have more than one version
to be built.
7. ..
9. .
KEY:

8.
10. ..

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

289 (or more than 200)

5500 6500 miles
5000 miles (or 8000 km)
2 mach
2.4 mach
90m
A
C
E
10. F