STUDY AND WRITING SKILLS
55
5.5
WRITING SKILLS
DESCRIBING INFORMATION IN A TABLE
4
a
Underline the words/phrases used in the text in
Exercise 3a to express comparison and contrast.
4
b
Comparison and contrast
Complete the sentences
with appropriate words or phrases from the box.
Sometimes more than one answer is possible.
in comparison (to/with) on the other hand however
while whereas in contrast (to) by (way of) contrast
far more/fewer significantly more/fewer slightly more/less
1
Twenty-four percent of our customers visited Italy,
only four percent visited Germany.
2
the United States, our performance in the
Netherlands was disappointing.
3
Sales in Denmark and Sweden were
than in
the previous year.
4
people visited Spain and Italy this year.
5
France was not a good market for us last year.
,
the United States was an excellent one.
6
customers went to Spain and Italy than to
France and Germany.
4
c
Write four more sentences comparing the holiday
destinations, using words and phrases from the box.
5
Look at the table below, which shows some of the
world’s busiest airports by passenger traffic.
Which airport(s):
1
increased the total number of passengers the most?
2
increased the total number of passengers the least?
3
was the highest-ranking European airport?
4
fell to a lower place in the ranking?
5
was the third biggest in handling passengers?
6
had the second highest increase in passengers?
The 2015 staƟsƟcs for passenger traffic at internaƟonal
airports make interesƟng reading.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport moved up
to first place. Based in Jackson, USA, it transported just
over 100 million passengers, an increase of 5.5 percent
compared with the previous year. This is the first time any
airport has had more than 100 million passengers in one
year. Beijing Capital International Airport maintained its
ranking in second place with an even greater percentage
change in passenger numbers than Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta Airport.
Dubai International Airport had a significant increase in
the number of its passengers – 10.7% percent was an
impressive performance. Its ranking also rose by three
places. Chicago had a similar boost in passengers, and its
ranking rose by two places. However, Hong Kong airport
had the largest rise in numbers and rose two places. The
two European airports in the top ten both dropped in the
rankings: Heathrow by three places and Charles de Gaulle
by two.
Overall, the changes in ranking and total passengers were
less than in previous years. There were no new airports
in the top ten, although Istanbul and Shanghai may well
break into the top ten next year. Most airports in the top
ten saw a rise in passenger numbers, although Dallas /
Fort Worth had a fall of 1% in passengers.
6
Read the summary of the 2015 statistics for
passenger traffic. Compare it with the information in
the table. Correct the six mistakes in the summary.
7
The table on page 166 contains selected information
about air travel in Bahrain. Write a short description
summarising the information in the table.
Try to use some expressions of comparison and contrast.
Passenger Traffic at InternaƟonal Airports 2015: 50 airports are included in the ranking.
2015
Rank
Airport
Country
passengers numbers
2014
Rank
change % in
numbers
1
Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta
USA
101,491,106
1
+5.5
2
Beijing Capital International
China
90,203,000
2
+4.7
3
Dubai International
Dubai
78,014,838
6
+10.7
4
O’Hare International, Chicago
USA
76,949,336
7
+9.9
5
Tokyo, Haneda
Japan
75,300,000
4
+3.4
6
London Heathrow
UK
74,954,289
3
+2.1
7
Los Angeles International
USA
74,936,256
5
+6.0
8
Hong Kong International
Hong Kong,
China
68,488,000
10
+8.5
9
Paris Charles de Gaulle
France
65,766,986
8
+3.0
10
Dallas / Fort Worth
USA
64,174,163
9
+1.0
