WHILE YOU READ Three great stretches of sandy desert almost circle the centre of Australia.. North of Lake Eyre lies the Simpson Desert, the last part of Australia to be explored.. Three
Trang 1UNIT 9: DESERTS
A VOCABULARY
v kéo dài, căng ra
aerial /'eəriəl/ adj : trên không, trên trời
aerial survey /'eəriəl 'sə:vei/ : trắc lượng trên không
Royal Geographical Society of Australia : Hội địa lí Hoàng gia Úc
name sth after sth/ sb : đặt tên cái gì theo cái gì/ ai
expedition /,ekspi'diʃn/ n : cuộc thăm dò, thám hiểm
northerly /'nɔ:ðəli/ adj : về phía bắc
corridor /'kɔridɔ:/ adj : hành lang, tuyến đường
separate /'seprit/ v : phân chia, phân cách
eucalyptus /,ju:kə'liptəs/ n : cây bạch đàn
cactus
Số nhiều: cactuses/ cacti
/'kæktəs/ n : cây xương rồng
mosquito net /məs'ki:tou net/ n : mùng, màn chống muỗi
Branch /bræntʃ/ n : nhánh (sông), ngả (đường), cành cây
Enormous /i'nɔ:məs/ adj : to lớn, khổng lồ
interpreter /in'tə:pritə/ n : người phiên dịch
Trang 2khỏe mạnh và xinh đẹp Make an aerial survey thực hiện một cuộc khảo sát trên
không Name Sb/ sth after Sb
Eg: He named his daughter after his beloved
aunt
Đặt tên cho ai/ cái gì theo tên của ai đó
The border of A and B biên giới của (giữa A và B)
A network of…(short dunes) mạng lưới của…
B READING
I BEFORE YOU READ
Match the following deserts with marked places on the world map
II WHILE YOU READ
Three great stretches of sandy desert almost circle the centre of Australia To the north of
Nullabor Plain stretches the Great Victoria Desert In the west, the Gibbon, Great Sandy, and Tanami Deserts comprise an enormous sandy area North of Lake Eyre lies the Simpson Desert, the last part of Australia to be explored
The Simpson Desert lies between Lake Eyre in the south, the Macdonnel Ranges in the north, the Mulligan and the Diamantina Rivers in the east, and the Macumba and Finke Rivers in the west The first European entered the Simpson Desert in 1845 But the desert
remained a mystery until Madigan made an aerial survey in 1929 He named the desert
Trang 3after Simpson, President of the South Australian Branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australia.
In 1936, Colson and an Australian Aborigine took camels across the desert They travelled
along the border of South Australia and the Northern Territory Three years later Madigan
led a scientific expedition across the sand dunes on a more northerly route Colson and
Madigan both travelled eastward across the Simpson Desert
In the Simpson Desert there are different types of dunes In the western part of the desert,
there is a network of short dunes, mostly less than 10 metres high Hummock grasses grow
in loose sand on the crest and spinifex grows in the corridors between dunes and on the more stable slopes.
In the northern part of the desert, the dunes are parallel and separated by corridors of low, open shrubland Spinifex grows on the slopes of the dunes These dunes are deep red-brown, but the sand is pale in the area where Queensland, South Australia and Northern Territory meet Dry salt lakes up to 70 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide lie between
long dunes with crests 20 metres high.
Task 1: Give the Vietnamese equivalents to the following words or phrases.
1 stretch:
2 sandy:
3 aerial survey:
4 Royal Geograhical Society of
Australia:
5 Australian Aborigine:
6 dune (n):
7 sloping:
8 steep:
9 hummock:
10 crest:
11 Spinifex:
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Task 2: Decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F). 1 According to the passage, there are three great deserts in Australia 2 The Simpson Desert is the largest one in Australia 3 The desert was named after Simpson in 1929 4 Colson and Madigan travelled across the Simpson Desert in 1936 ………
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Trang 45 There are more dunes in the western part of the desert.
6 Dry salt lakes are in the northern part of the desert
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III AFTER YOU READ
FIGHTING BACK DESERT EXPANSION
More than a billion people all over the world are under the threat of desert expansion, but few of them are aware that they themselves cause it and are also its victims People cut down trees for fuel and farmland Their herds eat up the grass covering valley floors and hillsides The climate and soil quality, therefore, are affected and forest are turned into deserts
Efforts have been made to solve the problem One common method is called “dune fixation”: if a fence is built, it “fixes” sand dunes This fence will prevent the dune from advancing In Algeria, people planted a green wall of trees across the edge of the Sahara to stop desert sand from spreading People in other countries around the Sahara built fences made of brushwood or dead palm leaves for the same purpose Obviously, the Sahara will become much larger unless something continues to be done ro solve this problem
Similarly, life is constant struggle for those living near the edges of the Gobi Desert In some places, many people had to leave their homes when their wells became dry and sand buried their houses and crops Therefore, governments in nearby areas have had local people plant trees and banned burning firewood for fuel Even Beijing is threatened by sandstorms every year Strong winds blow sand and dust from the Gobi Desert into Beijing 30 to 40 days a year, so a green wall of forests has been built to protect the city
In other parts of the world, other techniques have been used In Iran, a thin covering of oil was poured on sandy areas to retain water for planting trees, but this method may harm the environment Other countries built long canals or pipelines to carry water to desert areas A particular technique was also used: people made stone lines along the route of rainwater flow to catch up rainwater and prevent topsoil from washing away However, these techniques are just temporary Unless people have more effective methods, their homes and land will be lost The fight against the desert is continuing
* Complete the following summary of the reading text, using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each blank.
In many parts of the world, people are suffering desert (1) _ They have made a lot of (2) _ to solve the problem The first way is (3) _ sand dunes to prevent sand from moving by planting trees or (4)
Trang 5_ fences Another measure is (5) _ for fuel The third ways is (6) _ on the sand so that water can be retained Some other (7) _ methods include building (8) _ to water dry areas and making stone lines to catch up rainwater
B GRAMMAR
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PRACTICE EXERCISES
I Fill in each blank with an appropriate word from the box.
aerial rainfall desert expeditions hummock colonies crest slopes dunes network
1 The Sahara is the largest on the African continent
2 Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth’s surface and occur where
Trang 7is less than 50 cm/year.
3 In areas such as mountain , the soil is shallow, rocky or gravely with good drainage
4 The Simpson desert remained a mystery until Madigan made a survey in 1929
5 Some of the sand in the Sahara can reach 180 meters in height
6 He had made two to the Gobi Desert to study desert plants
7 She half-stumbled over a of grass as she rushed towards her mother
1 Beneath the city lies a labyrinthine of tunnels
8 Most of the British in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean achieved independence
9 It took us over an hour to reach the of the hill
II Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in brackets.
1 The Sahara Desert is sparsely covered with various types of ranging
from grasses, shrubs, and trees (vegetable)
2 Deserts typically have a plant cover that is sparse but diverse
(enormous)
3 More than a billion people all over the world are under the threat of desert
(expand)
1 Technological progress has boosted the of the Gobi Desert in
Mongolia (explore)
4 The deserts of Patagonia are expanding due to (desert)
5 A wide base will make the structure much more (stabilize)
6 The soil was and nothing seemed to grow in it (sand)
7 Deserts have been growing at a speed within the last 100 years
(frighten)
8 The city is at an of 2000 meters (elevate)
10 Three years later Madigan led a expedition across the sand dunes on
a more northerly route (science)
III Add so, but, therefore, however where appropriate.
1 The wind was howling outside, _ it was warm and comfortable indoor
2 The highway was under construction, _ we had to take a different route to
Trang 83 You could fly via Singapore; _, this isn’t the only way
4 There is still much to discuss We shall, _, return to this item at our next meeting
5 It isn’t that he lied exactly, _ he did tend to exaggerate
6 I thought the plane would be delayed; _, I bought a lot of magazines to read
7 Jackson was going to study all night, _ he declined our invitation to dinner
1 We thought the figures were correct _ we have now discovered some errors
8 Cars have become much more complicated _, mechanics need more training than in the past
9 We arrived at the theater late _ the play had not yet begun We were quite surprised
10 Prices have been rising It is unlikely, _, that this increase will continue
11 The bread was old and stale, _ Martha ate it anyway
12 The holiday had been a complete disaster We, _ , decide to fly home early if we could
13 He failed the exam, _ he had to do the job he didn’t like
14 The expedition hoped to climb the mountain by August _ bad weather could be a hindrance
IV Complete these two paragraphs.
A Put in: also, but, despite, or, that, therefore.
CAR PROBLEMS
I was having a lot of problems -with my car The engine kept cutting out, and I (1) _ has trouble starting it I got so fed up with it (2) _ I took it
to a garage They told me it was going to cost hundreds of pounds to repair, (3) _ unfortunately didn’t have the money, and I (4) _ decided to get rid of the car (5) _ needing it for work Now I get the bus to work (6) _ a colleague gives me a lift
B Put in: alternatively, as a result of, consequently, furthermore, in spite of, on top of.
Trang 9UNIVERSITY STUDENTS (7) _ their aim to get more young people into universities, the government has put financial difficulties in their way Nowadays most students get a loan instead of a grant, and some have to pay tuition fees (8) _ that (9) _ many
of them run up huge debts, or (10) _ their parents have to support them (11) _ these obstacles, some school leavers are discouraged from applying to go to university (12) _ an increasing number are dropping out before completing the course
V Underline the correct alternative.
1 Your essay is badly organized and full of spelling mistakes Though/ Nevertheless, it
contains some very interesting ideas
2 To the east the trees were left standing, while/ in contrast to the west they were cut
down
3 I felt guilty about leaving the company even though/ because I knew I had made the
right decision
4 I must call my mother Otherwise/ Therefore, she’ll start worrying about me.
5 He was refused entry to the country Though/ Instead he was forced to return to Spain.
6 Sue didn’t know how to swim, yet/ for she jumped into the swimming pool.
7 We are short of money so/ but we had to spend the night on a park bench.
8 I understand your point of view However/ Therefore I don’t agree with it.
9 Jane is taking a course into auto mechanics because/ so that she can fix her own car.
10 Modern farming methods have destroyed the habitat of many birds As a result/ So that
their numbers are in decline
11 He has lived next door to us for years, but/ so we hardly ever see him.
12 The building was extreme well-constructed and, consequently / furthermore, difficult to
demolish
13 Emily has never wanted to return to Yukon to live despite/ because of the severe
winters
14 There is fog at Heathrow; the plane, however/ therefore, has been diverted
15 I know traveling by bus takes longer than flying, but/ however it will be more
interesting
Trang 10VI Fill in each blank with one appropriate preposition.
1 Some animals have specialized adaptations for dealing _ the desert heat and lack _ water
2 People cut _ trees for fuel and farmland
1 Their herds eat _ the grass covering the valley floors and hillsides The climate and soil quality, therefore, are affected and forests are turned _ deserts
3 A lot of efforts have been made to prevent the dune _ advancing
4 In Algeria, people planted a green wall of trees _ the edge of the
Sahara to stop the desert sand _ spreading
5 _ the west, the Gibbon, Great Sandy, and Tanami Deserts comprise an enormous sandy area
6 The dunes are separated _ corridors _ low, open shrubland
2 Hummock grasses grow _ the crest and spinifex grows _ the
corridors between dunes
7 The Sahara stretches _ the Red Sea _ the outskirts of Atlantic Ocean
8 Children are forced to work _ 19 hours a day in the factories
VII Write a sentence of similar meaning using the word or words in brackets.
1 This product is cheap, and it’s effective (as well as)
_
2 We can fix dinner for them here, or we can take them to a restaurant (either or)
_
3 The leopard faces extinction The tiger faces extinction (both and)
_
4 The party isn’t very popular, and its policies aren’t very popular (neither nor)
_
1 I felt very emotional, and I almost burst into tears (so that)
_
5 I was quoted in the newspapers and interviewed on TV (not only but also)
_
6 I have to book the hotel, and I have to make the travel arrangements (in addition to) _