I re-run the Replica Hijack

A week ago today a young Iranian hijacked a British Airways One Eleven flying from Manchester to Heathrow. He was using a metal replica gun which could just as easily have been real.

To check out the new and exciting security system introduced with much self congratulation by British Airways over the last few days, I flew from Heathrow to Manchester and back yesterday.

On each flight I carried two “guns “ – an expensive collector’s replica of a Walther PPK automatic, made of metal and identical in every respect to the real thing, and a 2sp plastic pistol bought from Woolworth’s in Holborn on Friday.

In case metal detectors were in use ( they weren’t) I packed the gun in tissue paper inside a new metal coffee pot I had been given for Christmas. That I packed in a briefcase along with some dirty laundry.

The idea was that if metal showed up on any detector I would produce the coffee pot and hope the tissue paper would remain untouched. The plastic gun I stuffed inside my bikini-style underpants; the resulting bulge emphasized my virility but didn’t look too obscenely obvious.

I killed a happy half hour at Heathrow before check-in time wandering round the bookstalls, looking for toy guns and asking for books on hijacking. They hadn’t any; a kindly sales lady recommended Agatha Christie’s ‘Passenger to Frankfurt’ but it was out of stock.

A disastrously slow, bad, and expensive breakfast enabled me to throw a calculated tantrum shouting that if security was as bad as the service, then anyone could hijack a plane any time they wished. No response.

So to Securicor. A half-hearted search of my two briefcases. No attempt to open that coffee pot. Body search from a young man whom I deliberately upset by the subtle use of psychological warfare-‘Give us a kiss, love,’ I demanded as he reached gingerly up my inside leg. After that he was in no mood to proceed farther.

Once BA 4064 to Manchester was safely in the air I took myself off to the loo and retrieved the guns. I walked back to my aisle seat 11c with the guns concealed as best I could in my hands.

For the rest of the flight I sat with them half-hidden in my lap, reading an American paperback, The Fall of a President, by the staff of the Washington Post. Luckily the seats next to mine were empty and no one paid any attention to me.

At Manchester I had a quick coffee and caught the same One Eleven (now called BA 4069) back. This time I had a nasty moment with Securicor. The baggage lady took the coffee pot from my briefcase, opened it and removed the first few wads of tissue paper, then she got bored and replaced them.

Had she continued she would have found my Walther automatic. Body search again half-hearted and searcher again thrown by my merry cry of ‘ Give us a kiss, love’ at the crucial moment.

Another nasty incident when a chap who looked like a plain-clothed cop, and who had flown out with me, accosted me boarding the plane. But he was just being friendly.

He had had to drop some papers in Manchester and come straight back and assumed I was doing the same. Wasn’t it a bore? Oh yes! Except that I was sitting on aisle seat 12d, the return flight was a rerun of the outward journey.

The secretary of BALPA’s (the pilot’s trade union) security committee, Mr. Gordon Hurley, told me last night that the news of my trip was ‘absolutely startling and extremely frightening for pilots who had expected better security’.

At his request I am forwarding my report to BALPA which plans to raise it with the Government’s National Council as a matter of urgency. British Airways told me they were ‘investigating the circumstances’ but would hear no more from them for reasons of security.

The Department of Trade said last night it was ‘seriously disturbed’ by my journey and had ordered an immediate investigation. ‘It shows that security arrangements are still not perfect,’ a spokesman said. ‘Every passenger on internal flights will now be thoroughly searched even if it means more inconvenience and delays.’

Securicor admitted that their searches were not 100 per cent effective but they were ‘ doing their best.’ The company wondered whether trips like mine were counter-productive because they drew attention to weak spots.

At the end of a flight it is usual for pilots to wish passengers a safe journey. My pilot both ways was a Captain Armstrong. I wish him safe journeys in future. But unless security is tightened on internal flights I wouldn’t bank on it.

( Report in The Gardian by John Torode)

Assignments:

Ex. 1. Answer the questions.

1. What did a young Iranian hijacker do?

2. What did a young Iranian use to hijack a British airways One Eleven flying from Manchester to Heathrow ?

3. Why did John Torode fly from Heathrow to Manchester and then back to Heathrow ?

4. Where did John Torode carry two guns?

5. How did he pack the gun?

6. In what way did John Torode kill a happy half an hour at Heathrow?

7. Why did he say “ Give me a kiss, love”, to Securicor at Heathrow?

8. How did Seciricor examine John Torode’s baggage at Manchester airport?

9. Where did he send his report about his flight from Heathrow to Manchester and back?

10. Did BALPA take any measures to secure flights after his report in 1990s?

Ex.II. Choose the best answer to each question.

1. The purpose of the author’s flight to Manchester and back was_____.

a. to try to hijack a plane b. if the security system was efficient as the airline said

c. to deliver some papers d.to try to smuggle some guns through the customs

2.He took_____ .

a. one real gun and one toy gun b. a real gun and a collector’s replica

c. two toy guns d. two different kinds of imitation gun

3.He put one gun inside a coffee pot because_____ .

a. this would make it invisible to a metal detector b) person looking for guns would get bored before looking in the coffee pot

c) the dirty laundry in the briefcase would put the security guards off, so that they would not look carefully at the coffee pot

d)the coffee pot would provide an explanation if the security guards used a machine which showed that he had metal in his luggage

4.He put the plastic gun_____ .

a. inside the clothes he was wearing b. inside the dirty laundry in his briefcase.

c. in his coffee pot d. in his bikini.

5.Before getting on the plane at Heathrow_____ .

a. he tried to talk to people about security b. he tested the airport facilities

c. his happy half hour was spoilt because he could not buy what he wanted

d. he tried to draw attention to himself.

6.He prevented the security guards at Heathrow and Manchester from finding one of his guns by_____ .

a. throwing a tantrum b. behaving like a homosexual.

c. kissing them d. making them laugh.

7.During the flight he_____ .

a. hid his guns b. carried them openly

c. half- hid them d. used a book to hide them.

8. On the return flight he traveled by_____ .

a. the same plane, with the same captain, but a different flight number; he sat in the same seat

b. a different plane of the same type, but with the same captain; he sat in a different place

c. the same plane, with the same flight number and crew; he sat in a different seat.

d. the same plane with the same captain, but a new flight number; he sat in a different seat.

9. Securicor is_____ .

a. a secret anti-hijacker organization

b. a company that provides security guards

c. another word for the customs d. a branch of the police.

10. Why did the other man accost the narrator at Manchester airport, according to the text?

a. He was bored b. He was friendly c. He was a policeman, but not in uniform, and suspected the narrator d. He was a policeman, but not in uniform; he did not suspect the narrator

Ex. III. Match equivalents.

1. replica a) discover

2. security b) vigour

3. detector c) outburst

4. stuffed d) carry off

5. virility e) copy

6. wander f) get back

7. disastrous g) protection

8. tantrum h) pushed

9. retrieve i) catastrophic

10.remove j) roam

Ex. IV. Open the brackets , put the verbs in the correct form.

1. I _______( pack) the gun in tissue paper inside a new metal coffee

pot I _____(give) for Christmas.

2. The idea ______( be) that if metal showed up on any detector I ____ (produce) the coffee pot.

3. I _____ ( walk) back to my aisle seat 11 c with the guns ____ ( conceal)

as best I _____ ( can) in my hands.

4. At Manchester I _____ ( have) a quick coffee and _____(catch) the same

One Eleven back.

5. He _____ ( had) to drop some papers in Manchester.

6. I _____ ( sit) on aisle seat 12d.

7.At his request I _____ ( forward) my report to BALPS which _____ ( plan, raise) it with the Government’s National Aviation Security Council as a

matter of urgency.

8 British Airways _____ ( tell) me they _____ (be) “ investigating the circumstances” but I _____ will hear)) no more from them for reasons of security.

9. The Department of Trade______ ( say) last night it _____ ( be) “ seriously

_____ (disturb)” by my journey and _____ ( order) an immediate investigation.

10. “ Every passenger on internal flights _____ ( will) now thoroughly ____

( search) even if it _____ ( means) more inconvenience and delays.”

Ex.V. Role- Play.

A. At a check in.

Student A is a Securicor.

Students B,C are passengers.

Securicor suspects passengers in their attempts to take out -of- law things aboard.

B. On board of a plane.

Student A is a stewardess ( steward).

Student B is a passenger.

A stewardess pays attention to a strange behaviour of one of the passengers,

who was spinning his case for a long time. His behaviour irritates passengers

next to him and they suspect him in having some out-of -lawful things.

C. Organize a talk between the narrator of the story and BALPA

Ex. VI. Work in pairs, make up a dialogue and then act it out. Speak

about the situation in Kazakhstan. The following questions will help you

to warm-up your understanding the topic and find the stream of your

dialogue. Prepare your own questions.

1. Are there any special laws to prevent hijacking in your country?

2. What cases of hijacking do you know?

3. What types of courts investigate cases of hijacking?

4. Does a jury system take part in the investigation of such cases?

5. Does a jury system exit in all countries?

6. Is a number of jurors in different countries the same?

7. Do you consider a jury system a perfect one?

8. What do you know about a jury system in Kazakhstan?

9. What other world terroristic actions, except hijacking, do you know?

10. What should the countries do to prevent hijacking?

Ex.VII. Choose the right word out of four options.

1. Under the _____ judicial power is carried out through constitutional, judicial, civil, administrative, criminal and other types of judicial procedure as establishment by law in Kazakhstan.

a) Law b) Decree c) Constitution d) Issue

2. The courts of Kazakhstan, the _____ of the republic and the local courts of the Republic are established by law.

a) County Court b) Supreme Court c) Federal Court d) Magistrate Court

3. Judges are citizens of the 1._____ who have attained the age 2._____ years, have a high education, length of service of not less than two years in the legal profession and pass qualification exam.

1.a) Republic b) City c) Foreign Country d) Region

2.a) 25 b) 26 c) 27 d) 28

4. Additional requirements for judges of courts may be established by _____.

a) decree b) order c) charter d) law

5.The Supreme Court of Kazakhstan as the highest 1.____ body for civil,

criminal, and other cases which are under the courts general 2.____.

1.a) legal b) official c) district d) judicial

2.a) authority b) command c) control d) jurisdiction

5. The chair person of the Supreme Court, the chairperson of the

Collegium’s and Judge of the Supreme Court are elected by the 1._____

on the nomination of the Judicial 2. _____ of the Republic.

1. a) mazhilice b) President c) law d) senate

2.a) Assembly b) Board c) Cabinet d) Council

7. The Chairperson and judge of the court of the Republic shall be

appointed by the President on the proposal of the _____ of Justice based

on the recommendation of the Qualification Collegium of the Justice.

a) Administrator b) Executive c) Minister d) Diplomat

8.The Highest Judicial Council is headed by the _____ and consists of the

Chairperson of the Constitutional and Council, the Chairperson of the

Supreme Court, Procurator General, the Minister of Justice, deputies of Senate,

and the person appointed by the President.

a) Chairperson b) President c) Presider d) Spokesman

9.The Qualification Collegium of the Justice is composed of the deputies of the Mazhilis, judges, public prosecutors, teachers and workers of the bodies

of the _____ .

a) law b) honesty c) legality d) justice

Ex. VIII. Make up a project what the Government or other Bodies should do to fight

with the problem of terrorism.

Ex. IX. Open group discussion and act out a situation similar to the one given in the text as terrorism is an issue about which people all over the world are concerned.

Keys:

Murder in the library

Ex. II. 1F, 2F, 3F, 4T, 5F, 6T, 7F, 8F, 9f, 10T

Ex. III. 1. He, your, you, you, him 2. him, 3. you, my, they 4. I, he 5. your, I, them 6. I, them 7. You 8. I, he 9. he, 10. him

Ex. IV. 1. to 2. of 3. By, in, of 4. in 5. with, to 6. in, at, of 7. of, in, at, of

Ex. V. 1. was crying 2. are, said 3. are drunk 4. am, argued, was slurred, were rolling 5. have seen, tell, are drunk 6. do not know, are crying, sneered, wiping 7. was, hid 8. am, moaned 9. will, said 10. had 11. had 12. was 13. took, wiped, wiped, wiped 14. is

Ex. VI. 1a, 2b, 3d, 4a, 5c, 6b, 7d, 8c, 9d, 10d

Ex. VII. Speak on the problems the youth face in today’s life and the ways

to overcome them.

Ex. VIII. Self-study work: Make a project what the Government or

other Bodies should do to fight with the problem of drugs?

Out to Empress

Ex.II. 1F, 2F, 3T, 4F, 5F, 6T, 7T, 8F

Ex.III. 1. cloudy, 2. active, 3. unimportant, 4. disapprove, 5. easy/lazy, 6. discomfort, 7. unimpressive/ ordinary, 8. calm/ comfort, 9. worse, 10. old

Ex. IV.1. we have your, 2. keep working, 3. want to impress, 4. That is rather,

5. would love to, 6. I was having Rob’s, 7. irritation out of, 8. Should I have

Ex. V. 1e, 2g, 3b, 4h, 5f , 6a, 7c, 8d

Ex.VI. 1a, 2.a, 3.the, 4.The, 5.The, 6. a, 7. an, 8. a, an, 9. the, a, 10. a

Ex.VII. 1. parenthesis, 2. smile, 3. late, 4. detached, 5. cooked chicken,

7. darling, 8. hair, 9. got down, 10. laugh

Going Places

Ex.II. 1.b 2.c 3.d 4. b 5. a 6.c 7. c 8. d 9.a 10. c

Ex.III. 1.have 2.can 3.should 4.could 5.can 6.should 7. should 8. could 9. should 10.could

Ex.IV. 1.got 2. got 3.got 4.made 5.get 6. get 7.got 8. made 9. get 10. got

The Letter

Ex.II. 1d, 2h, 3b, 4j, 5 a, 6 k, 7 e, 8 g, 9 c, 10 f

Ex. III. 1.don’t mind, 2. glanced round the room, 3. fashionable London gardens,

4. my eyes darted to, 5. trotted off, 6. was packed, 7. flopped down the club

room, 8. like the way, 9. pick up the food, 10.scrutinize the mail

Ex. VI. 1.dislike, 2. leader, 3. hope, 4. lesser, 5. which endeared, 6. conjured, 7. meaning, 8. upset, 9. healthy

Ex. VII. 1f, 2g, 3 h, 4 b, 5 c, 6 g, 7 d, 8 k, 9 a, 10 e

Ex.VIII. 1. getting engaged, 2. winning, 3. reappearing, 4. being, 5. standing,

6. matching, 7. ringing, reading, 8. relaxed, 9. divorced, 10. hadn’t known

Anne Boleyn

Ex.II. 1.6 2.8 3.7 4.9 5.1 6.3 7.5 8.2 9.10 10.4

Ex.IV.1)1066; 1485 to 1603 2) 1536 3) 1837 4) 1992; 456 5) 1605 6) 1457; 1485 7) 1509 8) 1491 9) 1509 10) 1521;1714

11)1523 12) 1533 13) 1533 14) 456 15) 1543; 1547 16) 1547 17) 1553; 1558 18) 1558; 1559; 1603 19) 1509 20) 1926;1992

Ex. VIII.

Across.1. London 2. Greenwich 3. Catherine 4.Fawkes

5.Lieutenant's 6. Shakespeare

Down. 1. Tudor 2. Eighth 3.Chains 4.London 5.Victoria 6.Westminster

Romance in the Air

Ex.II. Keys: Ex. II. 1.had brought 2.looked, see, sitting, wrestling, painted 3. entreated, got, play 4. was playing, sitting 5. Do, think , continued, pointing, squabbling, 6. have been 7. know, said, were, to stay 8. was holding 9. thought, would get, driving 10. marry, have got, made

Ex.III. 1. by 2. from, 3. over, 4.As, ahead, of, on, into 5. up,

6.for, 7. through 8.of, out, of, of 9. In 10. without

Ex.V. chime in, reply, chorus, remark, shrug , entreat

Close to the Edge

Ex. II. 1a, 2d, 3b, 4b, 5c, 6d, 7c, 8c, 9d, 10c

Ex.IV. 1. round, against, back 2.up for, on 3. in, 4. away 5.with, out

6.across 7.just, in 8. to 9. about 10.by, on, for, in

Ex.V. 1.organised 2. threw, tapped, sounded 3. closed, hoped, would leave 4.had never been 5. glanced, leant 6. had been 7.had never given,

8.could 9. mingled, followed, joining 10. can, talk, Leave

Beth’s Story

Ex. II. 1f, 2d, 3h, 4b, 5g, 6j, 7e, 8c, 9k, 10a

Ex. III.1. ( covered, has been obliterated) 2.chatted, realized, didn’t attempt, join, hadn’t said, thanking 3.did not volunteer, wen

4.was falling 5. looked, enquiring 6. were making

7. had, repeated, coming (2), died, come 8. have, seen, stammered, could, sleep, thought, would come, make, hope, do 9. do, think, shall join

10. has come

Ex. IV. 1.b 2.c 3.c 4. d 5.b 6.a 7. d 8.b 9.d 10.a

Ex. VI. blinding storm of wind and snow, snowstorm, storm, blast, gale, squall, tempest

Ex. X. Across:

Date: 2015-02-16; view: 728