Practice English with NewsPractice with News
TravelNature144 words1 min read

Catania Airport Reopens After Mount Etna Alert

Airplane wing over landscape with distant mountain.
Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash

Catania airport in Sicily has reopened. It closed because of Mount Etna. Etna is a big volcano. The volcano sent ash into the sky. Ash is very dangerous for planes. Now the danger is lower. Planes can leave and arrive again.

Italian scientists work at the INGV. This is a group that studies volcanoes. They told a TV channel that there is no more ash in the sky now. This is why the airport could open again.

But there is a problem. The volcano rested for a short time. Now Etna is erupting again. People do not know what will happen next.

There is also a bad story about taxis. Some illegal taxi drivers took people from the airport. They asked for very high prices. People are angry about this. The taxis did not have a licence to work.

Vocabulary9 words

reopened
opened again after being closed
Mount Etna
a big volcano in Sicily, Italy
volcano
a mountain that can send out fire and smoke
ash
small grey dust from a volcano
INGV
a group of Italian scientists who study volcanoes
erupting
sending out fire, smoke, or ash
taxis
cars that take people places for money
illegal
against the law
licence
a paper that lets you do a job legally

Quiz

1. Why did Catania airport close?
2. What did the INGV say?
3. Is Mount Etna still erupting after the pause?

Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

Catania airport in Sicily has _____. It closed because of Mount Etna. Etna is a big _____. The volcano sent _____ into the sky. Ash is very dangerous for planes. Now the danger is lower. Planes can leave and arrive again.

Italian scientists work at the _____. This is a group that studies volcanoes. They told a TV channel that there is no more ash in the sky now. This is why the airport could open again.

But there is a problem. The volcano rested for a short time. Now Etna is _____ again. People do not know what will happen next.

There is also a bad story about _____. Some _____ taxi drivers took people from the airport. They asked for very high prices. People are angry about this. The taxis did not have a _____ to work.

More Travel stories