2a: A source of life

A. Complete the sentences with the words in the box.

1. What’s the lowest temperature at the North pole?

2. That bright star up there is called the North Star.

3. How can you prove that you’re telling the truth?

4. Just look at the of the surface water and you’ll see that the river is polluted.

5. See if you can spot a ship in the distance. It should be coming from the north.

6. Where do you think the best position for the sofa is?

7. I can’t see those stars without a telescope. They’re so tiny.

8. By comparison, water in poor areas costs three times more than in other areas in Kampala, Uganda.

B. Complete with a, an or the.

Alan Have you ever seen a (1) frozen lake?

Ricky Yes. In fact, there is a (2) small one near my grandfather’s house in Illinois.

Alan Really? What’s it like?

Ricky It’s beautiful, but also dangerous. Actually a (3) boy almost drowned in the (4) lake last year.

Alan Oh, no! How did that happen?

Ricky Well, he was playing with some friends on the (5) ice close to the lake, and fell in by accident. Fortunately, a man rescued him just in time.

Olivia Are the (6) Smiths in France?

Chloe Yes. They’re in Paris at the moment. They’re staying at a (7) hotel in the (8) city centre. I think it’s the (9) Hilton.

It’s near the (10) River Seine.

I spoke to Emily yesterday. They’re having an (11) amazing time.

Olivia That’s great. Are they going anywhere else this summer?

Chloe Yes. They’re visiting the (12) Canary Islands.

Mike Wow! You got a (13) telescope for your graduation! That’s the (14) best present.

Paul I know. My uncle Henry bought it for me.

Mike Henry?

Paul Yeah. He’s a (15) scientist. There was (16) article about him in the (17) Guardian last week.

Mike Cool.

C. Complete the text with the or -.

The (1) USA is a big country in - (2) North America. Its capital city is - (3) Washington, DC.

- (4) Canada is to the (5) north of this country and - (6) Mexico is to the (7) south.

To the (8) east and west of the (9) country lie the (10) Atlantic and the (11) Pacific Oceans.

There are also - (12) beautiful mountains and two big mountain ranges, the (13)

Appalachian Mountains and the (14) Rocky Mountains. There are also about - (15) twenty big rivers in the (16) country.

The (17) longest river is the (18) Missouri. In the (19) north there are five big lakes.

the (20) largest is - (21) Lake Superior.

D. Read the text and answer the questions.

1. Where are Victoria Falls?

Between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

2. Why are they called ‘smoke that thunders?

Because they create an impressive noise like thunder and spray millions of drops of water that look like smoke from far away.

3. How much water runs down the waterfall?

546 million cubic metres of water per second.

4. Why is this waterfall different from others?

Because it is approximately two kilometres wide which make the falls look like a huge, white curtain that covers the area as far as the eye can see.

5. What do the two bridges offer visitors?

They offer the opportunity to see the falls from a safe distance.

6. What activities can visitors do?

They can fly on a helicopter close to the waterfall. They can bungee jump from the bridge. They also go swimming in one of the natural swimming pools near the waterfalls go on safaris, trips and tours.