The Bemuda Triangle

  In 1492, just before he reached land, Christopher Columbus wrote that strange things were happening at sea. His ship’s compass wasn’t working right, and there were mysterious lights over the ocean. Today, the area that Columbus sailed through is famous because of the hundreds of ships and airplanes that have been lost there. This part of the ocean, which stretches from Florida to Puerto Rico to Bermuda, is often called the Bermuda Triangle.
  Among the stories that have created a stir is the disappearance of Flight 19. In Flight 19, there were five United States Navy airplanes that were on a short and easy training mission. After reporting that the compass on the airplane wasn’t working properly, one of the pilots radioed that they were in a jam. There was something wrong with their position; they were lost. Then the airplanes just disappeared. A rescue airplane was sent out to bring them back, but something happened to that airplane as well. It disappeared along with the others. None of the planes or the 27 men on board were ever found.
  Another bizarre incident involved a National Airlines passenger flight. Not long before it was announced to land at Miami International Airport, the flight disappeared from the airport’s radar screens. For ten minutes, the airplane could not be found on radar. But the flight did arrive on schedule. When it landed, the pilot said that, out of the blue, a strange fog had appeared and surrounded them for 10 minutes. It is strange but all the clocks and watches of the passengers and crew were ten minutes slow.
   Some people think that UFOs are responsible. Others say that there are dangerous forces in the Bermuda Triangle and that traveling in that area is playing with fire. Most experts don’t believe these ideas, offering other explanations, such as bad weather or accidents. However, it is true that thousands of people have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle. People who say they don’t believe it often have to agree that they are wrong when they examine the evidence.       

             (Taken From “Moscow News” № 36, September 5 – 11, 2001

                                                      “Learn English with Longman and MN”   p.4)

Answer the Questions:

1.What happened to Christopher Columbus when he sailed through the area known as the Bermuda Triangle?
2.How many airplanes in Flight 19 disappeared? How many were later found?
3.What happened to the National Airlines flight that landed in Miami?
4.What was strange about the clocks and watches on board the airplane?
5.What do you think the best explanation is for the strange things that happen in the Bermuda Triangle?
6.Do you the stories about people disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle are true? Why or why not?