第7章 Lesson 7: Farewell, Kiribati

Kiribati is a small country in the South Pacific. It is only 719 square kilometres in land area, comprised of one island and 32 atolls, which are ring-shaped coral reefs above the ocean surface, enclosing a body of water. Although they are small, these atolls spread across the Pacific Ocean in an area as large as the United States!

The population of Kiribati is 100,000 and a third of its people live in in capital city of Tarawa. Tourism, coconut processing, and fishing are the main industries. On December 31, 1999, people around the world suddenly became familiar with this country: being the closest to the International Date Line, Kiribati was the first to celebrate our entry into the new millennium. For those who were watching TV that day, it was exciting to see the people of Kiribati dance and sing to welcome the first sunrise of the year 2000.

However, Kiribati may not exist much longer. According to scientists around the world, sea levels may rise by about 69 centimetres over the next century because of melting polar ice caps and glaciers from global warming. Soon this low-lying country will be under the sea. Salt water has already gotten into the drinking water in some parts of the country. And two small atolls are already submerged.

It is not only these South Pacific atoll nations that will be destroyed by rising sea levels. Equally at risk are the Maldives in the Indian Ocean and the millions of people who inhabit the coastal plains around the world. Rising sea levels will continue to affect many countries long after we have said goodbye to Kiribati.

I. Word List

comprised: made from

millennium: one thousand years

submerged: under water

inhabit: to live somewhere

II. Complete the following sentences.

1. The land of Kiribati is only 719 square kilometres, but the country covers an area as large as the United States because _______________________________________________________________________________.

2. The main industries in Kiribati are ________________________________________________________________________________________.

3. The world suddenly became familiar with Kiribati in December of 1999 because _______________________________________________.

4. Kiribati may not exist much longer because __________________________________________________________________________________.

III. What's the word? Find the correct words in the reading.

1. coral reefs in the shape of rings surrounding a body of water in the ocean: a _ _ _ _ _

2. 1000 years: m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. slow-moving masses of ice in very cold parts of the Earth: g _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4. homes of animals: h _ _ _ _ _ _ _

IV. Write T (true) or F (false) for each sentence.

___ 1. Atolls are very large islands.

___ 2. All of Kiribati's population lives on one island.

___ 3. Kiribati is disappearing.

___ 4. Other islands in the world have the same problem as Kiribati.

___ 5. Kiribati is in the United States.

___ 6. Kiribati covers a large part of the Atlantic Ocean.