Why is Drone Racing so Popular? Practice English Listening

50-minute English Lesson

In this Practice English Listening story, we look at a special kind of new technology and we ask, “Why is drone racing so popular?”

Learn English: read the story

Practice English Listening about Drone Racing

What’s the latest fad in sport? Drone racing.

Popular with technology geeks and thrill-seekers, drone racing combines virtual reality technology with video game competition.

The history of drone racing starts in 2014. Instead of flying drones around a field, amateur flyers decided to have fun by organizing races. Small cameras on the drones allowed flyers to record and upload races. As video clips of racing drones spread across social media, interest in the sport grew.

Racing drone technology is different from the machines sold to department stores. Racing drones are designed to go fast. Many fly up to 160 kph. In addition, drone flyers, called pilots, wear a special pair of goggles that lets them see what the camera sees.

The feeling is very virtual reality. It’s like you’re in the driver’s seat of the drone. Good quality racing drones cost around $500. Some are more than $3000. The goggles cost between $100 and $400.

Like a video game, racing is exciting. Races are held on a track. Some are inside a building and others are outdoors. Indoor tracks have obstacles, like walls and tunnels, which means collisions do occur. It’s common for a drone to hit something and smash into small pieces.

Races are held in many countries including the US, Canada, England and France. International games attract 100 or more racers hoping to win cash. In 2016, a pilot from England won $250,000 for finishing first in a race in Dubai.

Drone racing is a new sport that seems to be catching on. Some races are shown on TV.

It’s a fast and furious sport that takes cutting edge game technology to the next level.

Listen without reading

Practice English Listening

Learn English: Gap Fill

Listen to the story again and fill in the blanks.

What’s the latest __________ in sport? Drone racing.

Popular with __________ geeks and thrill-seekers, drone racing combines __________ reality technology with video game __________ .

The history of drone racing starts in __________ . Instead of flying drones around a field, amateur flyers __________ to have fun by organizing races. Small __________ on the drones allowed flyers to record and __________ races. As video clips of racing drones spread across __________ media, interest in the sport grew.

Racing drone __________ is different from the machines sold to __________ stores. Racing drones are __________ to go fast. Many fly up to 160 kph. In addition, drone flyers, called __________ , wear a special pair of goggles that lets them see what the __________ sees.

The feeling is very virtual __________ . It’s like you’re in the driver’s seat of the drone. Good quality racing drones cost around $ __________ . Some are more than $3000. The goggles cost between $100 and $ __________ .

Like a video game, racing is __________ . Races are held on a track. Some are inside a building and others are outdoors. Indoor tracks have __________ , like walls and tunnels, which means collisions do occur. It’s common for a drone to hit something and __________ into small pieces.

Races are held in many __________ including the US, Canada, England and France. International games attract 100 or more racers hoping to __________ cash. In 2016, a pilot from England won $ __________ for finishing first in a race in Dubai.

Drone racing is a new sport that seems to be __________ _______ . Some races are shown on TV.

It’s a fast and furious sport that takes __________ __________ game technology to the next level.

ESL discussion questions

Talk about the Practice English Listening story.

1. Do you know anybody who owns a drone?
2. Compare and contrast drone racing and playing a video game.
3. Describe a drone racing event.
4. What are the pros and cons of drone racing as a hobby?
5. Would you ever fly in a drone taxi?
6. Should drone pilots be required to get a license?

Synonym match

Match the word or phrase on the left with the correct synonym.

Anagrams

MOVE THE LETTERS. MAKE A WORD FROM THE ENGLISH lesson.

1. TAATRTC
2. ATRLEIY
3. IETIPMTNCOO
4. IRVLAUT
5. ASSLTEBOC
6. SIOOSNLICL

Writing practice

Write the five sentences. Put the words in the correct order.

1. be / Drone / to / racing / seems / catching / on / that / is / sport / a / new
2. for / smash / pieces / something / a / It’s / and / common / to / hit / small / into / drone
3. stores / to / sold / Racing / machines / the / department / is / technology / different / drone / from
4. / you’re / like / It’s / the / seat / of / drone / driver’s / the / in
5. across / grew / in / interest / media / video / the / of / As / drones / racing / clips / sport / social / spread

Another Learn English story

more practice

Ready for another lesson to practice reading and listening? Try this free online listening comprehension lesson about the history of the iPod.

Watch a video and take notes

practice with an extension activity

Did you like this English story? Learn more by watching this video about drones and learn how they fly.

1. Watch the video.
2. Take notes.
3. Make a list with at least eight facts.

Get the worksheet

Practice English with the worksheet

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Click to see the answers to the activities in this ESL 50-minute lesson.