| [jH] distribute Eurasia peninsula gradually | [A] much unevenly underlain abruptly under summit rugged | [L] four Australia | [W] surface | [au] south surround mountain round outline |
Ex. 2. Use your dictionary and complete the following table.
| Verb | Noun | Adjective |
| divide | ||
| elevation | ||
| surround | existence | |
| glacier | ||
| small |
Ex. 3. Match English phrases and their Russian equivalents.
| 1) above the surface of the sea 2) gentle slopes 3) to be in existence 4) forces of erosion 5) a rugged relief 6) to be unevenly distributed 7) to join 8) to be triangular in shape 9) to be divided 10) a narrow neck | a) существовать b) силы эрозии c) рельеф, характер местности d) быть неравномерно распределенным e) иметь форму треугольника f) отлогий скат g) быть размещенным h) соединяться, сливаться i) над уровнем моря j) узкий перешеек |
Ex. 4. Identify the meaning of the words as they occur in the sentences below.
1. The sun rises in the east.
2. The river rises in the mountains.
3. Three or four valley glaciers rise from the snowfields on different sides of this large massive mountain.
4. In these mountains the forest zone rises to an elevation of about 6,000 feet.
5. The mountains extend 80 miles long and 30 miles wide along the south coast of the peninsula.
6. The extent of the subzone of the mixed and deciduous forests is negligible in Siberia.
7. The type of weather varies throughout the region.
8. All varieties of rocks are deformed by earth movement.
9. There are various types of natural vegetation on this island.
10. Our knowledge of glacier variations is mainly based on observations of their size and especially of their marginal variation.
Ex. 5. Add nouns to the following adjectives to form noun phrases.
| Adjectives: | marine, inland, continental, northern, single, narrow, shallow, submerged, volcanic, gentle, steep, rugged, coastal, interior. |
| Nouns: | landmass, neck, rock, plain, relief, animal, mountain slopes, slope, desert, action, heartland, water, edge, hemisphere, shelf. |
Ex. 6. Pair the verbs in column A with a suitable phrase in column B. You must find a match for every word but there is not necessary only one solution.
| A | B |
| to divide to distribute to cover to be drowned to join to to end to vary to create to be to smooth to raise | above sea level abruptly in width the earth surface unevenly profiles of old mountains by volcanic action by water beneath the sea great land masses in existence |
Ex. 7. Write out the equivalents in pairs.
rise produce
beneath appear
extend below
main much
greatly chief
create top
extent height
emerge completely
summit length, area
entirely stretch
elevation appear
Ex. 8. Match the words with their appropriate explanations.
| 1) desert 2) heartland 3) cover 4) fossil 5) inland 6) isthmus 7) peninsula 8) surface 9) shelf 10) surround | a) strip of land joining two larger bodies of land b) shut in on all sides c) piece of rock on a cliff face d) area of land, almost surrounded by water or projecting into the sea e) the outside of any object f) large area of land that is without water and trees, often sandcovered g) central, most important region in the country h) recognizable part, trace or imprint of a prehistoric animal or plant once buried in earth, now hardened like rock i) lie or extend over; occupy the surface of j) situated in the interior of a country, far from the sea or border |
Ex. 9. How are these ideas expressed in the text.
1. Land and sea are very unevenly distributed.
2. Main land masses of the world.
3. Continents do not end abruptly at the shore of the ocean.
4. Mountains can be “old” or “young” according to the length of geologic time of their existence.
5. Typical characteristics of plains.
Ex. 10. Fill in the missing words in the sentences below. Choose from the following putting the verbs in the right tense.
| create have raise vary underlie act drown compose |
1. Nearly three-fourths of all the land surface … … by marine rocks.
2. Many of the continental heartlands … … at one time or another beneath the sea.
3. The continental shelf … greatly in width.
4. Some islands … … by volcanic action.
5. Certain islands … … of coral.
6. A hill … gentler slopes.
7. Old mountains … on by the forces of erosion for many years.
8. Some plateaus … far above sea level.
Ex. 11. Choose the best alternative to complete the following sentences.
1. Land and sea are very unevenly ….
a) composed
b) divided
c) distributed
2. The continents … above ocean basins.
a) appear
b) rise
c) merge
3. Eurasia and North America were once a … land mass.
a) large
b) single
c) uneven
4. Narrow necks of land are called ….
a) isthmuses
b) islands
c) hills
5. Most continents are triangular in ….
a) size
b) length
c) shape
6. Tongues of land that extend from continents into bodies of water are called ….
a) straits
b) peninsulas
c) necks
7. In many cases there is a large area offshore where the ocean water is quite ….
a) shallow
b) wide
c) narrow
8. The land under such shallow water is called ….
a) a strait
b) a continental shelf
c) a plain
9. An island is a body of land … surrounded by water.
a) almost
b) partially
c) entirely
10. An elevation above the surface of the earth with a small summit area is called ….
a) a valley
b) a mountain
c) a plateau.
Ex. 12. What prepositions are missing in the following article?
The Alps
The Alpine range is Europe's greatest mountain chain. It stretches 950 km (1) _____ France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. Its many famous peaks include the Eiger (4,344 m), the Matterhorn (4,477 m), the Jungfrau (4,419 m) and Mont Blanc (2) _____ 4, 807 metres. Transport (3) _____ the mountains is difficult and most routes follow the valleys or must pass (4) _____ high viaducts or (5) _____ deep tunnels.
The Alps were formed (6) _____ the folding (7) _____ sediments (8) _____ the ancient Tethys Sea, which lay (9) _____ Africa and Europe. Africa is drifting northward and it is this continental movement which raised the mountain chain.
Ice and water have carved the folded strata (10) _____ the jagged landscape peaks, ridges and valleys that we see today. Much (11) _____ the landscape was shaped (12) _____ the ice age but today there are still (13) _____ 1,200 alpine glaciers. Above about 2,500 metres the mountains are permanently covered (14) _____ snow.
Rare alpine plants, such as the famous edelweiss, can still be found (15) _____ the meadows (16) _____ 2,000 metres. The meadows are full (17) _____ flowers (18) _____ the warm summers, but the plants, animals and people who live (19) _____ the mountains must also cope (20) _____ the harsh winter climate. Traditional alpine houses have steep pitched roofs designed to shed the snow.
Ex. 13. Do you remember? The number of minerals that are important constituents of ordinary rocks is surprisingly small. Complete the following paragraph using the words in brackets.
Clay is an (especial) _____ (interesting) _____ material because of its ability to absorb (large) _____ amounts of water. This ability can be traced to the layered structures of the clay minerals. In many of these minerals, each layer is (electrical) _____ polarised, with one side exhibiting a (slight) _____ (positive) _____ charge and the other a (slight) _____ (negative) _____ charge. (Adjacent) _____ layers are held together, by the attractions of the (opposite) _____ charges that face each other; since the layers are only (weak) _____ polarised, the bonds between the layers are (feeble) _____, and (dry) _____ clay crumbles (easy) _____.
Ex. 14. Spend a few minutes thinking about how you would translate the following sentences.
1. The Earth’s surface may be considered a huge chemical laboratory, in which a quantitative rock analysis is being made.
2. The structure of the underlying rock is of course indicated by that at the surface.
3. One of the causes of stratification is a change in the kind of material that is being fed into the basin of deposition.
4. It is observed that many important ore deposits occur at the contact between formations of different character.
5. On sloping ground the products of weathering are constantly being transported away by rain wash, rills, and streams.
6. Great numbers of islands consist of coral limestone, which still is being built up by the remains of algae and corals.
7. Each element is assigned a definite symbol, such as H for hydrogen and Pb for lead.
8. Certain features of ancient glaciation have been explained by some scientists on the basis of changes in the position of the poles.
9. In some of the young mountain systems much of the local relief was caused directly by localized crustal movements.
10. The Nile is lowest in May, when it is fed almost entirely by the equatorial lakes.
Ex. 15. Translate the following into Russian.
Relatively little area of the total area of the earth is occupied by either the high mountains or the greatest oceanic depths. By far the greatest portion of the continents is within a few thousand feet of sea level; and most of the wide area of ocean bottom is between 10,000 and 20,000 ft below sea level, thus the oceans are deeper than the continents are high. Mount Everest, the loftiest in the world, is 29,028 ft high. From its top to the bottom of the deepest ocean is a distance of just over twelve miles. This is a small amount compared with the world's diameter. Land features on the continents themselves maybe divided into mountains, plateaus, and plains. Mountains are high lands of small summit area, prominent (rising) above their surroundings. Plateaus are high lands with considerable summit areas, rising abruptly (steeply) above their surroundings on at least one side. Plains are low lands with little relief. In addition there are the smaller relief features such as hills and valleys, familiar to all.
Ex. 16. Give the English equivalents.
Северное полушарие; отделяться; влиять (действовать) на; создавать; пространства ровной земли; подниматься; возвышенности; полуостров; узкий перешеек; присоединяться; пересеченный рельеф; простираться (протягиваться); полностью окруженный водой; существовать, вершина; крутой склон; характерная черта; расположенный внутри страны; неравномерно.
