The Story of the Aral Sea

In 2009 in Kazakhstan, a group of fishermen met on a Sunday afternoon. They were on the beach of
the North Aral Sea. They ate food. They did some sports. Afterwards, they told stories and sang
songs about the Aral Sea and fishing. It was a good party.

The fishermen were happy because there were fish in the water. For many years, there weren’t
many fish. At one time, the Aral Sea in Central Asia was the fourth largest lake in the world. It had an
area of 67,300 square kilometres. Two of the biggest rivers in Central Asia, the Amu Darya and the
Syr Darya, went into the Aral Sea. But the water almost disappeared.

The Aral Sea was a busy place. Almost 20 percent of the Soviet Union’s fish came from here.
40,000 people lived and worked near the lake. Then people used the water in the two rivers for
agriculture, so the water didn’t arrive at the Aral Sea. Also, it didn’t rain for many years.

Then, in 2005, the Kazakh government and the World Bank built a dam. The dam separated the
north and south parts of the sea. Then the north part of the Aral Sea started to fill with water again.

Philip Micklin is a scientist. He studies the Aral Sea. In 2010 he said ‘Nature can come back.’ But in
2014, he saw satellite pictures of the east part of the Aral Sea. It was completely dry.

In June 2015 a scientist from Uzbekistan, Yusup Kamalov, and a National Geographic reporter
visited the Aral Sea. They found a huge desert. They stood on the sand. Once it was the edge of the
water. Now the water is 80 kilometres away. They drove to the water. On the way, they passed oil
and natural gas rigs. Kamalov said that every year there are more oil rigs. They arrived at the edge
of the Aral Sea. The water was very salty. There were no fish. Kamalov said, ‘This is what the end of
the world looks like’.

Read the article and look for the words according to the definition below.
1. ___Beach____ (n) land with sand or stones that is next to the sea
2. ___Desert____ (n) a large area of land where there is little rain and not many plants grow
3. ___ East ____ (n) the direction from which the sun rises in the morning; opposite to west.
4. ___Lake____(n) a large area of water with land all around it
5. ___North__ (n) the direction on the left when you look at the sunrise; opposite to south
6. ___Rain_ (v) when water falls from the sky in drops, it rains
7. ___River _(n) water that travels along a natural channel across the land to the sea
8. ___Sand____(n) the substance usually found on beaches and in deserts that is made of
very small pieces of rock
9. ___Sea____ (n) the salty water that covers about three-quarters of the Earth's surface
10. ___South____ (n) the direction on the right when you look at the sunrise; opposite the north.
Read the article and highlight the correct option.
1. Where is the Aral Sea?
in Central Asia
in Kazakhstan
in Uzbekistan

2. What is the problem in the Aral Sea?

It’s full of oil.
It’s getting bigger.
It’s getting smaller.

3. According to paragraph 1, which sentence is true?

Kazakh fishermen are good at sport.
Kazakhstan is next to the North Aral Sea.
The fishermen met every Sunday.

4. Why did the fishermen meet?

because it was Sunday
to go fishing
to have a party

5. Which word describes the fishermen in 2009?

pleased
rich
Sad

6. According to paragraph 2, which sentence is true?

The Amu Darya and Syr Darya are the biggest rivers in the world.
The Aral Sea is one of the biggest lakes in the world.
The biggest lake in the world is bigger than 67,300 square kilometres.

7. According to paragraph 3, which sentence is true?

Nobody knows why the Aral Sea got smaller.
There are two reasons why the Aral Sea got smaller.
There’s one reason why the Aral Sea got smaller.

8. What happened because of the dam?

The water in the Aral Sea disappeared.
There was more water in the North Aral Sea.
There was more water in the South Aral Sea.

9. How did Yusup Kamalov and the reporter travel to the Aral Sea?
by boat
by car
on foot

10. Why were there no fish in the sea?

because of the oil rigs
because of the salt
because of the sand

LISTENING
Listen to the audio and choose the correct answer
1. Where were the Winstons going when this incident happened?
a) home
b) to Colford Mental Hospital
c) to a party
d) to the police station

2. What was the reason for the news announcement on the radio?
a) Six people, including John Downey, had been murdered.
b) A dangerous prisoner had escaped.
c) The police were warning of accidents on the roads in the bad weather.
d) Some people had been seen acting strangely in the Cheshire area.

3. What did George think was causing the trouble with the car?
a) the carburetor
b) the rain drumming on the roof
c) the accelerator
d) he had no idea

4. Why did he pull the car off the road?

a) to have a rest
b) to go for a walk
c) to walk to the nearest house
d) it broke down

5. Why did Marie stay in the car when George left?

a) She was afraid to go out in the dark.
b) So no one would steal the car.
c) Her clothes weren't suitable for the rain.
d) She wanted to get some sleep.

6. Where did George set off to walk to?

a) the Mental Hospital
b) the nearest house
c) the Harrisons' house
d) the police station

7. What made Marie so frightened as she waited in the car?

a) There was a strange sound coming from the roof.
b) She could see a man acting strangely outside the car.
c) Some police cars came racing down the road.
d) She was afraid of the rain and the dark.

8. Why did the policeman tell her not to look back when he brought her out of the car?
a) He didn't want her to see the body of her husband.
b) The killer was waiting behind her.
c) He wanted her to forget everything that had happened during the night.
d) He didn't want her to see the damage done to the car.

9. Marie says, "There's a homicidal maniac out there!" What does "homicidal maniac"
mean?
a) terrible storm
b) busy road
c) crazy killer
d) policeman

10. In "Several policemen leapt out," "leapt" means

a) threw
b) jumped
c) shouted
d) drove

Class homework: write directions for the other color pin.

Go straight ahead, turn right, go straight two blocks, turn right, go two blocks and you will
reach the destination. It is in across of the river.