READING 304

READING 304

THE ARAL SEA

IN PAST

NOWADAYS

Complete the sentences with words from the keywords box

Fill in the Blanks

The river is great for kayaks because it

quite fast.

Fill in the Blanks

I think it’s difficult to walk on

, especially if it’s hot.

Fill in the Blanks

The food tasted very

and I didn’t enjoy it very much.

Fill in the Blanks

The people were waiting on the

for the fishing boats to return.

Fill in the Blanks

When the price of

goes up, lots of things become more expensive

Fill in the Blanks

There’s a kind of river that has water in winter but ____________ ____________ in summer.

Grammar practice

Look at the example. Read the pairs of sentences. Then write one sentence with so.

 

The lake is very salty. No fish can live in it.

→ The lake is so salty (that) no fish can live in it.

Open Ended

The shore was very far away. We couldn’t walk to it.

Open Ended

The pool is very deep. My feet don’t touch the bottom.

Open Ended

The land here is really dry. Nothing will grow

Open Ended

The food in the restaurant was really good. We went back the next day.

Open Ended

I was tired after the trip. I fell asleep on the sofa.

Reading comprehension

Multiple Choice

What happened to the Aral Sea over the period of the news stories?

• It dried up more.

• It filled up more.

• The water level didn’t change.

Multiple Choice

Which of these things are NOT mentioned as having an effect on the Aral Sea water level?

• fishing

• irrigation

• the dam

Multiple Choice

How many areas of the Aral Sea are mentioned?

• two

• three

• four

Multiple Choice

Which term describes the first news story?

• negative

• optimistic

• pessimistic

Multiple Choice

According to the first news story, what happened after the building of the dam?

• The Aral Sea returned to its former size.

• There was more water available for irrigation.

• There were more fish in the northern part of the Aral Sea.

Multiple Choice

According to the second news story, ...

• the Aral Sea has shrunk into ten small lakes.

• the eastern part of the Aral Sea has never been dry before.

• the water in the Aral Sea comes from rivers.

Multiple Choice

According to the second news story, ...

• about 40,000 fishermen used to fish in the Aral Sea.

• most of the fish people in the Soviet Union ate came from the Aral Sea.

• the Aral Sea used to provide food and jobs.

Multiple Choice

According to the third news story, the southern Aral Sea now produces ... instead of fish.

• oil

• salt

• sand

Multiple Choice

According to the information in the third news story, what can you assume is true?

• It’s too dangerous to swim in the Aral Sea.

• Only saltwater fish live in the Aral Sea

• The Aral Sea is saltier than the Pacific Ocean.

Multiple Choice

According to the third news story, what is Kamalov’s view of the Aral Sea’s future?

• negative

• neutral

• positive