NATGEO STORIES –

READING/VOCABULARY
LEARNING OBJECT
IBAS200
 UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA
CENTRO DE IDIOMAS COATZACOALCOS - MINATITLÁN

Life on the Seine

We’re in Paris, on the Île de la Cité, in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame next to the River Seine. This
is point zero. The distances from Paris to all parts of France are measured from here. And at the heart of
Paris is the Seine. ‘For Parisians the Seine is the way to know where you are in Paris,’ says the art
historian Marina Ferretti.
UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA
I love my boat

CENTRO DE IDIOMAS
One day 34 years ago, Claude Tharreau was walking along the Seine looking for an apartment to buy
when he saw the Cathare: a 70-foot-long boat built in 1902 and for sale. It was Sunday. On Wednesday
he bought the boat. ‘Afterwards I noticed it was a boat with no electricity or water,’ he says. He has lived
on it since then. It’s one of the 199 houseboats in Paris.
Instant beach
The beach-on-the-Seine was the idea of Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë. Every summer, the road on the
Right Bank of the river is closed for four weeks. The project manager Damien Masset lists the
ingredients for an instant beach: 5,500 tons of sand, 250 blue umbrellas, 350 deck chairs, 800 chairs,
250 loungers, 200 tables, four ice-cream sellers, eight cafés, 250 people to build the beach and 450
people to work there.

River rules
It’s a hot summer day. You can see the heat rising from the road. The river looks cool. ‘Can you swim in
the Seine?’ I ask the head of police Sandrine Berjot. ‘Non,’ she says. ’38 euros.’ That’s the fine for
swimming. ‘What about your feet?’ ‘No, you can’t put your feet in.’ Here are some other things you can’t
do: go waterskiing or tie your boat around a tree with rope. And if you see  a person in the water you
mustn’t jump in. You must call the police. This is serious: the fine for jumping in may be 75,000 euros
and five years in jail.

The river
All kinds of objects float in the water: plastic toys, balloons, cigarettes, empty bottles. They float past the
famous architecture of Paris and the river changes all the time. The painters Claude Monet and Henri
Matisse had studios on the river. In their paintings we can see the changing and dancing light on the
river.

El texto fue recuperado de https://www.ngllife.com/life-seine

JANETT ARIANEE ALONSO FONSECA
SERGIO ADRIÁN RAMIREZ TORRES
SAMAEL CASTAÑEDA MESA
ISAÍAS PACHECO MORALES

Elaborado por: Janett Arianee Alonso Fonseca, Sergio Adrián Ramirez Torres,
Samael Castañeda Mesa e Isaías Pacheco Morales
 UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA
CENTRO DE IDIOMAS COATZACOALCOS - MINATITLÁN

Wild weather

What is happening to our weather?

What is ‘extreme’ weather? Why are people talking about it these days? ‘Extreme’ weather is very
unusual rain, heat, storms etc. For example, in 2010, 33 centimetres of rain fell in two days on Nashville,
USA. According to weather experts, that was a ‘once in 1000 years’ event. But these days, extreme
weather events are more frequent. Also in 2010, 28 centimetres of rain fell on Rio de Janeiro in 24
hours, and there was record rainfall in Pakistan.

The effects of this kind of rain are dramatic. In Rio de Janeiro, landslides followed the rain. Hundreds of
people died. In Pakistan, it caused floods that affected 20 million people. The opposite situation is
drought, when no rain falls. Australia, Russia and East Africa have suffered major droughts in the last ten
years. Another example of extreme weather is a heat wave, such as in the summer of 2003. In Europe,
35,000 people died from heat-related problems.

So, what is happening? Are these extreme events part of a natural cycle? Are they happening because
human activity affects the Earth’s climate? The answer, Peter Miller says, is: probably a mixture of both
of these things. On the one hand, the most important influences on weather events are natural cycles in
the climate. Two of the most famous cycles are called El Niño and La Niña. They start in the Pacific
Ocean, but they affect weather all around the world. On the other hand, the Earth’s oceans are
changing: their temperatures are increasing. And this is a result of human activity. The greenhouse
gases we produce mean the atmosphere warms up. Warmer oceans produce more water vapour – think
about what happens when you heat a pan of water in your kitchen. Information from satellites tells us
that there is four percent more water vapour in the atmosphere than 25 years ago. This warm, wet air
turns into rain, storms, hurricanes and typhoons.

Michael Oppenheimer, a climate scientist, says that we need to accept reality. Our weather is changing
and we need to act to save lives and money.

El texto fue recuperado de https://www.ngllife.com/wild-weather

Elaborado por: Janett Arianee Alonso Fonseca, Sergio Adrián Ramirez Torres,
Samael Castañeda Mesa e Isaías Pacheco Morales
 UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA
CENTRO DE IDIOMAS COATZACOALCOS - MINATITLÁN

VOCABULARY

ACTIVITY 1 – VOCABULARY CROSSWORD A

Level: IBAS200
Objective: To get prepared before the listening activity.

INSTRUCTION:
✔ Use the clues to guess the words in the crossword.

Across
3. (adj) a bit cold, but nice
4. (n) a place where an artist works
6. (adj) with nothing inside
8. (n) if you are in danger, it is possible that
something bad will happen
10. (n) money you must pay if you break a law or
rule
12. (n) a picture made with paint
13. (n) a type of chair you can lie on. Used outside

Down
1. (n) someone who knows a lot about history
2. (n) a boat that people live on permanently
5. (n) a thing you play with
7. (n) a type of chair that folds. Used outside.
9. (n) a thing you need to make something
11. (n) a person who lives in Paris.

Elaborado por: Janett Arianee Alonso Fonseca, Sergio Adrián Ramirez Torres,
Samael Castañeda Mesa e Isaías Pacheco Morales
 UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA
CENTRO DE IDIOMAS COATZACOALCOS - MINATITLÁN

ACTIVITY 1 - VOCABULARY CROSSWORD B

Wild weather

Across Down
2. vapour (n) water when it is in the form of 1. (n) a large amount of soil or rock that
gas moves down a mountain
4. (n) a long period of time without rain 3. (adj) more important, serious, or significant
7. (n) an extremely violent wind or storm, from than other events or situations of the same
the Atlantic Ocean type
8. (n) the general weather conditions that are 5. (n) an extremely violent storm of wind or
typical of a place     rain, from the South Pacific or Indian
9. (n) the air around the Earth Ocean
12. (n) the amount of rain that falls 6. wave (n) a period of time when the weather
is much hotter than usual
10. (n) something that happens, especially
something important or unusual
11. (n) a large amount of water that covers
land that is usually dry

Elaborado por: Janett Arianee Alonso Fonseca, Sergio Adrián Ramirez Torres,
Samael Castañeda Mesa e Isaías Pacheco Morales
 UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA
CENTRO DE IDIOMAS COATZACOALCOS - MINATITLÁN

LISTENING

ACTIVITY 2- LISTENING COMPREHENSION A

Level: IBAS200
Objective: To practice listening comprehension.
Students could play in teams or individually. We recommend you to cut the
pieces in advance. For beginners, use OPTION 2 and OPTION 3.

OPTION 1

Listen to track 1 twice and order the text correctly. Some paragraphs are cut out in half.

Life on the Seine

We’re in Paris, on the Île de la Cité, in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame next to the River Seine.
This is point zero. The distances from Paris to all parts of France are measured from here.

‘Afterwards I noticed it was a boat with no electricity or water,’ he says. He has lived on it since then.
It’s one of the 199 houseboats in Paris.

Instant beach
The beach-on-the-Seine was the idea of Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë. Every summer, the road on
the Right Bank of the river is closed for four weeks. The project manager Damien Masset lists the
ingredients for an instant beach: 5,500 tons of sand, 250 blue umbrellas, 350 deck chairs, 800 chairs,
250 loungers, 200 tables, four ice-cream sellers, eight cafés, 250 people to build the beach and 450
people to work there.

’ Here are some other things you can’t do: go waterskiing or tie your boat around a tree with rope.
And if you see  a person in the water you mustn’t jump in. You must call the police. This is serious:
the fine for jumping in may be 75,000 euros and five years in jail.

And at the heart of Paris is the Seine. ‘For Parisians the Seine is the way to know where you are in
Paris,’ says the art historian Marina Ferretti.

River rules
It’s a hot summer day. You can see the heat rising from the road. The river looks cool. ‘Can you swim
in the Seine?’ I ask the head of police Sandrine Berjot. ‘Non,’ she says. ’38 euros.’ That’s the fine for
swimming. ‘What about your feet?’ ‘No, you can’t put your feet in.

The river
All kinds of objects float in the water: plastic toys, balloons, cigarettes, empty bottles. They float past
Elaborado por: Janett Arianee Alonso Fonseca, Sergio Adrián Ramirez Torres,
Samael Castañeda Mesa e Isaías Pacheco Morales
 UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA
CENTRO DE IDIOMAS COATZACOALCOS - MINATITLÁN

the famous architecture of Paris and the river changes all the time. The painters Claude Monet and
Henri Matisse had studios on the river. In their paintings we can see the changing and dancing light
on the river.

I love my boat
One day 34 years ago, Claude Tharreau was walking along the Seine looking for an apartment to
buy when he saw the Cathare: a 70-foot-long boat built in 1902 and for sale. It was Sunday. On
Wednesday he bought the boat.

OPTION 2
Listen to track 1 twice and order the paragraphs from 1-5.

Life on the Seine

The river
All kinds of objects float in the water: plastic toys, balloons, cigarettes, empty bottles. They
( ) float past the famous architecture of Paris and the river changes all the time. The painters
Claude Monet and Henri Matisse had studios on the river. In their paintings we can see the
changing and dancing light on the river.

I love my boat
One day 34 years ago, Claude Tharreau was walking along the Seine looking for an
( ) apartment to buy when he saw the Cathare: a 70-foot-long boat built in 1902 and for sale. It
was Sunday. On Wednesday he bought the boat. ‘Afterwards I noticed it was a boat with no
electricity or water,’ he says. He has lived on it since then. It’s one of the 199 houseboats in
Paris.

We’re in Paris, on the Île de la Cité, in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame next to the River
Seine. This is point zero. The distances from Paris to all parts of France are measured from
( )
here. And at the heart of Paris is the Seine. ‘For Parisians the Seine is the way to know
where you are in Paris,’ says the art historian Marina Ferretti.

River rules
It’s a hot summer day. You can see the heat rising from the road. The river looks cool. ‘Can
you swim in the Seine?’ I ask the head of police Sandrine Berjot. ‘Non,’ she says. ’38 euros.’
( ) That’s the fine for swimming. ‘What about your feet?’ ‘No, you can’t put your feet in.’ Here
are some other things you can’t do: go waterskiing or tie your boat around a tree with rope.
And if you see  a person in the water you mustn’t jump in. You must call the police. This is
serious: the fine for jumping in may be 75,000 euros and five years in jail.

Instant beach
The beach-on-the-Seine was the idea of Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë. Every summer, the
road on the Right Bank of the river is closed for four weeks. The project manager Damien
( ) Masset lists the ingredients for an instant beach: 5,500 tons of sand, 250 blue umbrellas,
350 deck chairs, 800 chairs, 250 loungers, 200 tables, four ice-cream sellers, eight cafés,
250 people to build the beach and 450 people to work there.

Elaborado por: Janett Arianee Alonso Fonseca, Sergio Adrián Ramirez Torres,
Samael Castañeda Mesa e Isaías Pacheco Morales
 UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA
CENTRO DE IDIOMAS COATZACOALCOS - MINATITLÁN

OPTION 3.
Listen to track 1 twice and write the title of each paragraph.

Life on the Seine

We’re in Paris, on the Île de la Cité, in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame next to the River Seine. This
is point zero. The distances from Paris to all parts of France are measured from here. And at the heart of
Paris is the Seine. ‘For Parisians the Seine is the way to know where you are in Paris,’ says the art
historian Marina Ferretti.

____________________________________

One day 34 years ago, Claude Tharreau was walking along the Seine looking for an apartment to buy
when he saw the Cathare: a 70-foot-long boat built in 1902 and for sale. It was Sunday. On Wednesday
he bought the boat. ‘Afterwards I noticed it was a boat with no electricity or water,’ he says. He has lived
on it since then. It’s one of the 199 houseboats in Paris.

____________________________________

The beach-on-the-Seine was the idea of Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë. Every summer, the road on the
Right Bank of the river is closed for four weeks. The project manager Damien Masset lists the
ingredients for an instant beach: 5,500 tons of sand, 250 blue umbrellas, 350 deck chairs, 800 chairs,
250 loungers, 200 tables, four ice-cream sellers, eight cafés, 250 people to build the beach and 450
people to work there.

____________________________________

It’s a hot summer day. You can see the heat rising from the road. The river looks cool. ‘Can you swim in
the Seine?’ I ask the head of police Sandrine Berjot. ‘Non,’ she says. ’38 euros.’ That’s the fine for
swimming. ‘What about your feet?’ ‘No, you can’t put your feet in.’ Here are some other things you can’t
do: go waterskiing or tie your boat around a tree with rope. And if you see  a person in the water you
mustn’t jump in. You must call the police. This is serious: the fine for jumping in may be 75,000 euros
and five years in jail.

____________________________________

All kinds of objects float in the water: plastic toys, balloons, cigarettes, empty bottles. They float past the
famous architecture of Paris and the river changes all the time. The painters Claude Monet and Henri
Elaborado por: Janett Arianee Alonso Fonseca, Sergio Adrián Ramirez Torres,
Samael Castañeda Mesa e Isaías Pacheco Morales
 UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA
CENTRO DE IDIOMAS COATZACOALCOS - MINATITLÁN

Matisse had studios on the river. In their paintings we can see the changing and dancing light on the
river.

ACTIVITY 2- LISTENING COMPREHENSION B

Level: IBAS200
Objective: To practice present continuous and simple present, and understand when to
use each.
Instruction: Listen to track 2 and complete the text with the missing words.

WILD WEATHER

What is happening to our weather?

What _________ ‘extreme’ weather? Why _________ people

___________ about it these days? ‘Extreme’ weather
________ very unusual rain, heat, storms etc. For example,
in 2010, 33 centimetres of rain fell in two days on Nashville,
USA. According to weather experts, that was a ‘once in 1000 years’ event. But these days, extreme
weather events ________more frequent. Also in 2010, 28 centimetres of rain fell on Rio de Janeiro in 24
hours, and there was record rainfall in Pakistan.

The effects of this kind of rain ____________ dramatic. In Rio de Janeiro, landslides followed the rain.
Hundreds of people died. In Pakistan, it caused floods that affected 20 million people. The opposite
situation _________ drought, when no rain falls. Australia, Russia and East Africa have suffered major
droughts in the last ten years. Another example of extreme weather__________ a heat wave, such as in
the summer of 2003. In Europe, 35,000 people died from heat-related problems.

So, what ____________? _________ these extreme events part of a natural cycle? ________ they
__________ because human activity _________ the Earth’s climate? The answer, Peter Miller
says,__________: probably a mixture of both of these things. On the one hand, the most important
influences on weather events _________ natural cycles in the climate. Two of the most famous cycles
are called El Niño and La Niña. They ___________ in the Pacific Ocean, but they ________ weather all
around the world. On the other hand, the Earth’s oceans ______________: their temperatures
________________. And this ________ a result of human activity. The greenhouse gases we
__________ mean the atmosphere warms up. Warmer oceans___________ more water vapour – think
about what __________ when you __________ a pan of water in your kitchen. Information from
satellites tells us that there is four percent more water vapour in the atmosphere than 25 years ago. This
warm, wet air ____________ into rain, storms, hurricanes and typhoons.

Elaborado por: Janett Arianee Alonso Fonseca, Sergio Adrián Ramirez Torres,
Samael Castañeda Mesa e Isaías Pacheco Morales
 UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA
CENTRO DE IDIOMAS COATZACOALCOS - MINATITLÁN

Michael Oppenheimer, a climate scientist, ______ that we _________ to accept reality. Our weather
_________________ and we _______ to act to save lives and money.

1. Look at these two questions, and discuss the difference between them:

 What is happening to our weather?

 What is ‘extreme’ weather?
2. Discuss these questions in class:
 When do we use ‘simple present’?
 When do we use present continuous?

Elaborado por: Janett Arianee Alonso Fonseca, Sergio Adrián Ramirez Torres,
Samael Castañeda Mesa e Isaías Pacheco Morales