第8章 Lesson 8: The Seven Natural Wonders of the World
In addition to a list of modern wonders, a list of natural wonders has also been made. They are places that have been sources of awe and wonder ever since people walked the Earth. As we are now much more familiar with the geography of our planet than before, these natural wonders have become places that we are trying to protect.
Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth, in the Himalaya Mountain Range that borders Nepal and Tibet.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef, in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of Australia.
The Grand Canyon is the largest canyon in the world, around the Colorado River in the state of Arizona in the United States.
Victoria Falls is a majestic 100-metre waterfall in Africa, where the Zambezi River falls into a two-kilometre-wide chasm to the Batoka Gorge.
The Harbour of Rio de Janeiro is Brazil is one of the most striking in the world. Tall mountains tower above the ocean, and the city hugs the hillsides around the crowded beaches.
Paricutin is perhaps the world's youngest volcano. It erupted out of a cornfield west of Mexico in 1943! In the first year it grew 336 m high. Now it is 424 m high.
The Northern Lights are the natural phenomenon that appears in the night sky at high latitudes. At their best, they look like purple and green lights dancing in the sky.
I. Word List
border: the area between two countries
latitudes: how far north or south
II. Draw lines to match the natural wonders with the locations.
1. Mount Everest Australia
2. Paricutin Brazil
3. The Northern Lights Africa
4. The Grand Canyon near Mexico
5. The Great Barrier Reef Nepal and Tibet
6. Victoria Falls The United States
7. The Harbour of Rio de Janeiro high latitudes
III. What do you think? Answer the following questions.
1. Have you ever seen any of the natural wonders in this reading?
___________________________________________________________.
2. Which natural wonder would you most like to see? Why?
___________________________________________________________.
3. Why is it important to protect our natural wonders?
___________________________________________________________.
4. What other things or places do you think we should protect? Why?
___________________________________________________________.
5. Which do you think are more amazing—the wonders of the modern world, or the natural wonders? Why?
___________________________________________________________.
IV. What's the word? Find the correct words in the reading.
1. to save: p _ _ _ _ _ _
2. a dangerous kind of mountain: v _ _ _ _ _ _
3. colours of the Northern Lights: g _ _ _ _, p _ _ _ _ _
4. having many people: c _ _ _ _ _ _
5. a kind of farmland: c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
6. the name of a state: A _ _ _ _ _ _