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EARTH QUIZ
How old is the earth? W hat proportion of the earth
a 4.6 billion years is covered by water?
b 6.7 billion years a 61o/o b 71o/o c81o/o
c 10.5 billion years
# 3 ; How m any oceans are there?
O The earth is considered to
have a maxim um of seven
W hat are they?
How much of the earth's land
continents. W hat are they?
surface is used to grow food?
How many countries are there
O in the world?
a 11o/o b 16o/o c 21o/o
Where is the world's largest
a 123 b 146 c 193
desert? W hat is it called?
W hich continent has the
W h at's the difference
most countries?
between a political and
0 Wworld?
hat is the population of the a physical m ap?
W hich is the world's largest
a 4.1 billion people island?
bp5.1 billion people
a Greenland
x 6.1 billion people
b Iceland
W hich country has the largest c Madagascar
© population?
2 H U B Listen and check. What extra information do you learn about each?
3 Read these ‘howlers’ (funny mistakes) from some students’ geography exams. Explain them.
m ihe i.i^hnbit«iA.ts of Moscow art called Mosquitoes. E In the West, farming is done mostly by irritating the land.
11 In w hat ways does the location influence • People often dream o f living on a desert island. Decide in your
life on the islands? groups w hat kind o f island the three o f you would m ost like to
12 In what ways has its history influenced inhabit. W hat clim ate w ould you want? W hat would you w ant the
present island life? island to provide? W hat and who would you like to take with you?
I t iM fe ' v
r'A ■*’
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Greenland is the largest island in the The Inuit people (previously know n as
world, measuring 2,670 km from north Eskimos) were the first people of this
to south, but with a population of only island. Then, around 980 a d , Eric the Red, a
about 56,000, one-quarter of which lives bloodthirsty Norwegian Viking, fled to the
in the capital, Nuuk. It lies just south of island and founded a colony. Despite the
the Arctic Circle, so its sum m er desolate greyness, Eric cunningly named
temperatures range from ju st 0°C to the island ‘Greenland’, so as to attract This is also the region of the semi
15°C. Eighty-five percent of its 2,175,600 settlers. His trick worked and the colony permafrost. Tombs are shallow and the
km 2 area is covered with a massive ice grew but then died out suddenly and dead are often stored for months before
cap, which holds 9% of the world’s fresh mysteriously in the 1400s. In 1721, the being buried in warm er months, when
water. If all this ice were to melt, the Danish established a settlement there, and the soil can be dug. There are serious
world’s oceans would rise by six to seven ruled for over 200 years, until 1979, when social problems, such as alcoholism and
metres. Despite its name, Greenland is Greenland was declared an autonomous suicides, as a result of unemployment
anything but green. Its bare haunting nation within the Kingdom of Denmark. and seasonal depression. The latter is a
landscape is made up of grey granite com m on syndrome in places where
rock and massive icebergs, with only tiny winter lasts more than half the year,
pockets of greenery. Regional boundaries divide the country where there is no light at all.
into three areas: North, East, and West Nowadays Greenlandic, or East Inuit
Greenland. East Greenland, known as language, has become the first language,
Tunu, is the most isolated, blocked by ice and Danish the second. The Civil Service
for 9 months out of 12. Only 4,000 people is largely Greenlandic as well and there
live here, despite it being equal in size to are more Inuit signs than Danish ones.
half of Western Europe. In the harbour However, like m ost small remote
there are corpses of hunted seals, sunk in nations, economic independence is non
the cold water which acts as a natural existent. Most of the national budget is
refrigerator. The presence of polar bears funded by Denmark. Everything in the
is always a possibility. These dangerous, supermarket is Danish. Job prospects
man-eating creatures are feared but also remain poor and most services, from air
loved as the embodiment of the hum an transport to seal hunting, are subsidised
spirit in a harsh land. by the Danish taxpayer.
Geography
still no rikjiie' than
thatched cottages when, in 1867, Alfred,
Duke of Edinburgh and second son
Tristan today
Atlantic, it is 2.800 km from the nearest
Queen Victoria, visited the island and To visit Tristan da Cunha is to visit
mainland, South Africa, and 2,575 km
gave his name to the capital, which is another world, another life, another
south of the island of St Helena. The
called the Edinburgh of the South Seas. time. The settlement of Edinburgh has a
island is roughly circular w ith an
Throughout the nineteenth century the distinct air of yesteryear about it,
average diameter of 10 km. It rises out of
population slowly increased but Tristan although it has all modern
the ocean, its volcanic peak crowned
da Cunha passed into obscurity. Then, in conveniences. There is a small museum,
with an almost permanent cap of white
October 1961 a dram atic volcanic a large supermarket, a swimming pool,
cloud, and its 40 km of wild, storm-
eruption forced the evacuation of the and a radio station but no television.
tossed coastline comprising magnificent,
entire island. Its people were taken to The population now numbers just
massive basalt cliffs. The surrounding
w hat was glibly referred to as under 300 - a proud and hospitable
seas are rich in fish, providing Tristan da
‘civilization’ in South Africa and people w ith only seven surnames
Cunha with its main export.
England. By August 1962 the eruptions between them: Hagan, Rogers, Glass,
Lavarello, Swain, Green, and Repetto.
History had died down and in November 1963
Through their veins flows the blood of
the islanders chose to return home.
The island was discovered in 1506 by a English sailors from Nelson’s fleet,
Portuguese explorer, Tristao da Cunha, Americans, Italians, tw o Irish girls,
who, despite being unable to land there, Dutch, and mulattos from St Helena and
named the island after himself. The first South Africa. English is the native
actual settler was an American, Captain tongue, albeit a slightly strange, old-
Jonathan Lambert, in 1811. Unfortunately fashioned dialect, laced with a few early
he drowned a year later. Americanisms.
In 1816, the British annexed the island The island is self-supporting with a
as a defence against the French who, it was thriving economy. Income tax is low
thought were planning to rescue Napoleon (although im ported goods are very
from exile on the island of St Helena. expensive). Serious crime is unknown,
The British left, leaving the founder of unemployment is virtually non-existent.
the present community - a Scot, Corporal As well as the fishing industry, a
William Glass, who settled on the island main source of income on the island is
with his family, two companions, and a the sale of postage stamps, which are
mulatto wom an from St Helena, making prized by philatelists worldwide.
W e a th e r w ords A d je c tiv e o rd e r
1 How m any com pound nouns and Look at these examples o f adjectives before nouns. Which adjectives are
adjectives can you make using the m ore factual? W hich are m ore opinion? W hat is their position? Try to
‘w eather’ words on the left? work out som e rules.
1 Beautiful, old, thatched cottages
Nouns Adjectives 2 Glorious, golden M editerranean beaches
berg -blown 3 Amazing, huge, grey, granite rocks
sun cap burnt 4 Strange, old-fashioned English dialect
rain drift -capped 5 W ild, storm -tossed Atlantic coast
drop -drenched 6 Dangerous, m an-eating polar bears
wind + fall -soaked
► ► Grammar Reference pl57
plough swept
snow flake tanned Put the adjectives in brackets into a natural-sounding order.
ice roof 1 He gave us som e bread, (wholemeal; delicious; hom e-m ade)
storm 2 A lady arrived. (Irish; little; funny; old)
stroke 3 1 bought a shirt, (silk; red and white; gorgeous; striped)
4 She’s just had a boy. (baby; lovely; bouncing; fat)
2 C om plete these sentences with 5 He showed me into a room , (airy; light; high-ceilinged; delightful;
com pounds from exercise 1. living)
6 I m et a student, (young; trendy; art; Venezuelan)
1 The a n n u a l_________in L ondon is 7 She’s wearing trousers, (leather; black; shiny; tight-fitting)
610 m m . 8 It’s a rose, (sweet-smelling; exquisite; apricot-coloured)
2 My sister stayed out in the sun for too
Add som e extra inform ation for each sentence in exercise 4.
long and she was ill for two days with
It’s a beautiful, old thatched cottage with a beautiful garden./ hidden from
the road.
3 O ne w inter’s night there was a terrible
________ . In the m orning the H IM Listen and com pare your answers.
________ were so deep that even the
F arflu n g spots
________ couldn’t get through to our
village. 6 H I M Listen to som e people describing
4 I’d love a convertible on warm days like the m ost farflung place they have visited and
these. My car doesn’t even have a w rite dow n the adjectives they use. Then answer
these questions about each person, using the
5 The Titanic sank because it hit a huge adjectives you wrote dow n to help you.
How do you think the story ends? W hat do you think was in the Simon and his friend decided t o ...
letter? The pictures may help you predict. After about ISO w iles...
6 Com plete the pairs o f sentences with the same verb, once as a present
participle and once as a past participle.
1 Tom atoes grown under polythene ripen m ore quickly.
Growing Up in the countryside is really healthy for young kids.
3 all things into account, we’ve decided to offer you the job.
________ three tim es a day these tablets can really help hayfever.
1 I’m cleaned out! This new jacket cost the earth. I nearly wasn’t. I had to move heaven and earth to get here.
2 Believe me, that guy’s really going places. I can’t. My dad caught me smoking and I’ve been grounded for
3 The holiday’s over. It’s back to the real world. two weeks.
4 What? You’re not coming out on Saturday night! Come on! It’s good to spoil yourself every now and then.
5 Hey! Great to see you! I thought you weren’t going to be Don’t I know it! He landed that consultancy job that we all
able to make it. applied for.
6 We’re throwing caution to the wind and emigrating to Oz. In your dreams. Not if you were the last man on earth!
7 Come on, you know you want to go out with me really. Don’t ask me. I was totally floored by the last lot I read.
8 Can you follow these instructions? Where on earth do all Great! That suits me down to the ground.
these screws go? You can say that again. Back to earth with a bump!
9 I don’t want to drink, so I’ll do the driving tonight. Don’t your folks already live down under?
108 Unit 11 • The ends o f the earth ► ► Writing Describing a journey p130