Read the text again and complete the gaps with an appropriate word. Compare your answers with a partner.
Deserts
Deserts cover approximately 0) one quarter of the earth’s land surface and are home 1) ..... more than 500 million people in the world. They are also among the world’s most important eco-systems and are filled with thousands of rare and useful animal and plant species. As many of the world’s fragile environments are suffering because of climate change, it’s 2) ..... surprising that deserts are under threat too. In Iran’s Dasht-e Kavir Desert, for example, rainfall has 3) ..... dropping by 16% per decade. Reduced moisture and higher temperatures in areas that are already very dry means that animals struggle to survive, crops fail, water reserves dry up and as a 4) ..... life becomes generally more difficult for the people who live there. 5) ..... is perhaps more surprising, is that deserts are also expanding at an alarming rate! As populations 6) ..... bigger, especially in the areas of fragile land at the edges of deserts, fields are over-farmed and lose their nutrients and more trees are cut 7) ..... for firewood or to make space for development. This causes the soil to erode and become unusable, slowly but surely turning to desert. Damaging dust storms can also blow away soil and cause bone-dry sand dunes to ‘spread’ onto previously usable land. In the 8) ..... fifty years alone, the Sahara desert has spread by 65 million hectares. And non-desert areas are 9) ..... risk, too. 31% of Spain, for example, is under threat of desertification*. In fact, entire parts of the world could become uninhabitable, forcing people to flee to already crowded greener countries. So, what can be 10) ..... about this worrying situation? Well, unfortunately desertification is irreversible but we can all continue to help stop global warming simply 11) ..... using less energy. Or why not donate money to a project that plants trees to stop erosion in desert areas, or even 12) ..... part yourself?
- when land becomes dry, empty & unsuitable for agriculture
- To: be home to — «быть местом обитания, домом для». Пустыни — дом для миллионов людей.
- Not: it’s not surprising — «неудивительно». Если другие хрупкие среды страдают от изменения климата, угроза пустыням тоже ожидаема.
- Been: has been dropping — Present Perfect Continuous, has + been + форма на -ing. Описывается продолжающееся снижение количества осадков.
- Result: as a result — «в результате», устойчивое выражение следствия.
- What: What is perhaps more surprising — «что, возможно, ещё более удивительно». What вводит придаточное, которое служит подлежащим при is.
- Grow: grow bigger — «становиться больше». Populations — множественное число, поэтому в Present Simple окончание -s не требуется.
- Down: cut down — «вырубать». Здесь are cut down — пассивная форма: деревья вырубают.
- Last: in the last fifty years — «за последние пятьдесят лет». С Present Perfect has spread обозначается изменение за период до настоящего момента.
- At: at risk — «под угрозой, в опасности». Это устойчивое сочетание с предлогом at.
- Done: can be done — «может быть сделано». Пассивная конструкция: модальный глагол + be + причастие прошедшего времени.
- By: by using less energy — «путём использования меньшего количества энергии». После by ставится форма на -ing, обозначающая способ действия.
- Take: take part — «принимать участие». После or why not подразумевается начальная форма глагола, как в donate.
Deserts cover approximately one quarter of the earth’s land surface and are home to more than
As many of the world’s fragile environments are suffering because of climate change, it’s not surprising that deserts are under threat too. In Iran’s Dasht-e Kavir Desert, for example, rainfall has been dropping by
What is perhaps more surprising, is that deserts are also expanding at an alarming rate! As populations grow bigger, especially in the areas of fragile land at the edges of deserts, fields are over-farmed and lose their nutrients and more trees are cut down for firewood or to make space for development. This causes the soil to erode and become unusable, slowly but surely turning to desert. Damaging dust storms can also blow away soil and cause bone-dry sand dunes to ‘spread’ onto previously usable land.
In the last fifty years alone, the Sahara desert has spread by
So, what can be done about this worrying situation? Well, unfortunately desertification is irreversible but we can all continue to help stop global warming simply by using less energy. Or why not donate money to a project that plants trees to stop erosion in desert areas, or even take part yourself?
