Unit 9. Deserts

TO OUR CLASS
UNIT9: DESERTS
A. VOVABULARY
1. On a(n) .......... to the highland of Vietnam, Yersin discovered an ideal place, which is now Dalat.
A. slope
B. expedition
C. survey
D. route
2. There are rice fields ............... for hundred of miles in the Mekong Delta.
A. stretching
B. circling
C. remaining
D. separating
3. There has been so little ............... this month that the crops are dying.
A. haste
B. labor
C. water
D. rainfall
4. The .......... of the central Sahara Desert is very poor and estimated to include only 500 species of plants.
A. fauna
B. flora
C. Marine plants
D. tree
UNIT9: DESERTS
5. The Simpson Desert is .............. in the southeastern part of this eco-region.
A. put
B. placed
C. situated
D. stood
6. The tree great stretches of sandy deserts ........ the center of Australia.
A. include
B. hold
C. contain
D. surround
7. Mui Ne attracts a lot of tourists thanks to its scenic sand .........
A. dunes
B. beach
C. cactus
D. hummock
8. Humans also ............. to the growing of deserts.
A. cause
B. lead
C. comprise
D. contribute
9. .............. is a type of leafless plant that grow in hot dry regions.
A. oasis
B. cactus
C. antelope
D. gazelle
10. The road runs ............. with the railway.
A. loose
B. gently
C. parallel
D. steep
UNIT9: DESERTS
B. GRAMMAR: SO, BUT, HOWEVER & THEREFORE
1. BUT/ HOWEVER:  used to express contrast
a. BUT (conj.) always comes at the beginning of a clause.
Ex: We found an Information center, but it was closed
b. HOWEVER (adv.) often goes in front of or end position. It can also sometimes go in mid position or after the subject.
Ex: The Great Fire destroyed much of London. However, only six people lost their lives
Or: The Great Fire destroyed much of London. Only six people, however, lost their lives.
UNIT9: DESERTS
2. SO/ THEREFORE:  Used to express a result.
a. SO (conj.) always comes at the beginning of a clause
Ex: It hasn’t rained for ages, so the ground is very dry.
b. THERFORE (adv.) is a little formal. It often goes in middle position, but it can go in front or end position or after the subject.
Ex: There has been no rainfall for some time. The ground is therefore very dry.
Or: There has been no rainfall for some time. Therefore the ground is very dry.
UNIT9: DESERTS
C. COMPREHENSION.
Choose the word or phrase A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage.
A desert is a special (1) ........... where only certain kinds of plants and animals can survive. All deserts have very little water. This means that only animals and plants that can (2) .............. water for long periods of time can exist in the desert.
Plants in the deserts are particularly (3) ........... to the dry and hot environment. One well-known desert plant is the cactus. (4) .......... Many desert plants, this plant has very tiny leaves. As plants lose most of their water (5) .......... their leaves, the small leaves of the cactus help to cut down water evaporation. There are some desert plants that do not have leaves at all.
Some desert plants survive by avoiding the dry season (6) ...........
UNIT9: DESERTS
During the dry season, this plant remains a seed and does not (7) ................ from the soil at all. When the rain comes, this seed would grow very quickly into a plant. It would bloom rapidly and then (8) .............. Its seed before the dry season returns.
Desert animals have also learnt to adapt well to life in this region the camel, for example, (9) .......... well in the desert because water can be stored in its body. Other desert animals include rodents such as mice. These animals need very little water as they get all the water they (10) ........... from their food.
1A. section B. district C. part D. region
2A. do without B. keep off C. stay away D. give up
3A. convenient B. adjusted C. regulated D. adapted
4A. As B. Similar C. Like D. Just as
UNIT9: DESERTS
5A. by B. through C. out of D. from
6A. totally B. entirely C. altogether D. wholly
7A. rise B. arise C. awake D. emerge
8A. scatter B. throw C. fling D. cast
9A. exists B. survives C. remains D. subsists
10A. demand B. require C. request D. ask for
*Keys: 1.D 2.A 3.D 4.C 5.B 6.C 7.D 8.A 9.B 10.B