Natural Wonders of the World. Article with Geographical Names

Natural Wonders of the World

Article with Geographical Names

I Lead-in. Think of the answers to the questions.

a)    What are the most beautiful places for you to visit in your country?

b)    What are the three most beautiful places in the world in your opinion? Discuss your choice with other students.

II Look at the list on the natural wonders of the world. In pairs (or individually) rank them from number 10 (the least interesting) to number 1 (the most interesting) based on how interesting the places are for the people.

A.   the Niagara Falls

B.   Antarctica

C.   the Amazon River

D.   the Grand Canyon

E.    Gunung Mulu National Park

F.    the Galapagos Islands

G.   Mount Everest

H.   Serengeti National Park

I.      the Sahara Desert

J.     Victoria Falls

III Watch the video and put the natural wonders in the correct order (according to their place in the list of the natural wonders starting with 10). Did you have the same ideas as the speaker? Do you agree with the speaker’s choice? What would be your choice for the natural wonder number one? What two places would you like to visit and why?

For example: number 10- G

A.   the Niagara Falls

B.   Antarctica

C.   the Amazon River

D.   the Grand Canyon

E.    Gunung Mulu National Park

F.    the Galapagos Islands

G.   Mount Everest

H.   Serengeti National Park

I.      the Sahara Desert

J.     Victoria Falls

IV Watch the video again and fill in the gaps with the definite article where necessary. If no article is used write (-) in the blank.

10 - Mount Everest

Among the top 10 of such beautiful places is 1)_____Mount Everest. This is exactly the highest mountain worldwide which is 8,848 meters tall. Located on the border between 2)_____Nepal and 3)_____Tibet, this hill attracts climbers of any age. Not many folks are able to access the peak because of risks like altitude, health issues, and weather conditions. As a result several climbers have lost their life.

 9 - Gunung Mulu National Park

4)_____Gunung Mulu National Park in 5)_____Borneo, it is a UNESCO world heritage site. The park is known for great attractions of caves. Viewing millions of bats as they simply enter as well as leave the caves is an outstanding experience. The Sarawak Chamber in Lubang Nasib Bagus is the largest famous natural space or room on earth. This chamber is about 700 meters in length, 396 meters broad and also 70 meters tall.

 8 - Antarctica

6)_____Antarctica is the coldest, driest and also windiest in the world. The minimum heat recorded here was minus 87 degrees Celsius. And though 97% of the continent is touched with ice, it is the largest desert across the world. Without a human population within this continent the area is not governed by any specific nation. The only existing organisms here

are cold weather adapted beasts and also plants.

          7 - Amazon River

It is awesome to see 7)_____Amazon River in 8)_____South America as it is the second lengthiest river on earth. 9)_____Amazon River also has the biggest drainage bowl. This fantastic water measures a hundred to two hundred kilometres broad and no bridge since most of river flows via the Amazon woodland.

 6 - Niagara Falls

10)_____Niagara Falls is located in the boundary between 11)_____USA and 12)_____Canada and is yet another terrific natural wonder around the world.

5 - Galapagos Islands

 13)_____Galapagos Islands situated in the west of 14)_____Ecuador are comprised of 13 islands. The major attractions of these islands are the unique and also fearless animals. The most beasts frequently seen include huge tortoise, huge lions, great whales, giant penguins together with different bird species. The chief activities there are viewing the wildlife, snorkelling, leaping, and hill climbing.

4 - Serengeti National Park

15)_____Serengeti in 16)_____Tanzania together with Masai Mara in 17)_____Kenya yearly wildebeest migration is among the largest bulk movements of land mammals globally. This includes over a million untamed beasts including the lion, gazelle, and hyena among other wildlife. This pure wonder worldwide is just one of the greatest spectacles in the African continent.

 3-  Victoria Falls

Situated on the boundary between 18)_____Zambia and 19)_____Zimbabwe the drops are the ever longest on earth. It’s 1708 metres large with a height of a hundred and eight meters. The dropping of water is around 1,088 cubic metres per second. The foot of the drops is obvious during the dry season. You could hear the thunder miles and miles away.

 2 - Sahara Desert

20)_____Sahara Desert in 21)_____Africa is the largest hot desert on earth. The desert comprises of huge sand dunes as well as giant hard rocky plateaus.

          1 - Grand Canyon

22)_____Grand Canyon in the States is yet another beautiful all natural wonder of the world. The canyon which happens to be about 1500 meters deep is 277 miles long as well as 18 miles broad.

V Articles in geographical names. Study the rules and complete them with the examples in the gaps a- u using words in bold from task IV.

Definite article (THE) is used with:

•    countries (names include words union, state, republic,  kingdom, federation: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United Arab Emirates,   the People’s Republic of China, a) _____
•     countries (name is in plural): the Philippines, the Netherlands
•     oceans: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean
•     straits: the Strait of Dover , the Bosporus
•   seas: the Black Sea
•   rivers: the Thames, b) ________
•  waterfalls (a cascade of several waterfalls): c) _______
•  gulfs, harbours, bays (if the name contains preposition of): the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Aden 

BUT! In other cases no article is used: Persian Gulf, Hudson Bay

•  groups of islands: the Canaries, d) ________
•  plains, valleys, deserts: the Great Plains, the Mississippi Valley, e) __________
•   plateaus, canyons: the Colorado Plateau; f) _________

No article  is used with:

•        names of most countries: Japan, France, g) _________, h) _________, i) _________, j) _________, k) _________, l) _________, m) _________
•  ·       continents and geographical areas: Europe, n) _________, o) _________, p) _________
•       regions: Western Europe, Central America, South Asia, q) _________
•    states: Texas
•    individual mountains:  Kilimanjaro, r) _________
•    individual islands: Sicily,  Malta, s) _________
•    individual waterfalls: Victoria Falls
•   national parks: t) _________, u) _________

  VI Read the text about the Seven Wonders of the Natural World list first created by the TV channel CNN and Seven Wonders of the World website. Read the rules in task V and fill in the gaps with the definite article (the) where necessary.

 

The Seven Natural Wonders of the World

The Seven Wonders of the Natural World list was compiled by CNN and Seven Natural Wonders  in 1997. This list spans all 7 continents and includes some of the greatest heights of the earth and depths of the oceans. 

 The Seven Natural Wonders of the World

The Seven Wonders of the Natural World list was compiled by  CNN and Seven Natural Wonders in 1997. This list spans all 7 continents and includes some of the greatest heights of the earth and depths of the oceans. 

Number 1

 Situated in 1)______Arizona in  2)_____ USA, 3)______ Grand Canyon is truly awe-inspiring. The canyon, which measures up to a mile deep and some 18 miles wide at its broadest, was formed over time by the course of 4)______ Colorado River. Scientists estimate that the river first carved out its path more than 17 million years ago.

Number 2

5)______Parícutin is a cinder cone volcano located in 6)______Mexico . After erupting for 19 years, the volcano went quiet in 1952. Today the volcano is silent. Visitors can experience Paricutin by traveling to the nearby town of 7)______Angahuan that survived the eruption.

Number 3

  

8)______ Dead Sea is the lowest point on the planet. It is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and 9)______Israel and 10)______Palestine to the west. Its surface and shores are 429 metres below sea level. Tourists traveling to 11)______ Dead Sea  can also visit 12)______ Jordan Valley,  go cycling between farming villages, and hike to Petra. The Dead Sea attracts visitors from around 13)______ Mediterranean Sea. For them 14)______ Dead Sea is a place for rest famous for its oxygen-rich air and mineral-rich water.  People also use the salt and the minerals from 15)______ Dead Sea to create cosmetics.

Number 4

As 16)______ Zambezi River crosses the border between 17)______Zambia and 18)______ Zimbabwe, its waters descend 355 feet to form the astonishing 19)______Victoria Falls. The waterfall was named in 1855 after Queen Victoria, the then reigning English monarch. 20)______Victoria Falls is not the highest or the broadest waterfall on the planet, but it qualifies as the largest. 

Number 5

21)______ Harbour of Rio is a 19-mile stretch of land to the east of 22)______Rio de Janeiro, the second-largest city in 23)______Brazil. It was created by erosion from 24)______ Atlantic Ocean and is also known as 25)______Guanabara Bay. The Harbor is surrounded by mountains that include the famous 26)______Sugar Loaf Mountain at 1,296 feet (395 m) and 27)______Corcovado Peak at 2,310 feet (704 m). In 28)______ Harbor of Rio de Janeiro there are numerous islands including 29)______Paquetá Island,30)______Villegagnon Island, 31)______Governor's Island, 32)______Fundao and 33)______ Snakes Island.

Number 6

34)______ Maldives, officially 35)______ Republic of Maldives, is a South Asian island country, located in 36)______ Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of 37)______India and 38)______Sri Lanka. It is a chain of twenty six atolls. The majority of resorts offer scuba diving and a chance to see 1,100 species of fish, five species of sea turtles, 21 species of whales and dolphins, 400 species of molluscs. The islands are popular among honeymooners but also have family programmes.

Number 7

Last, but certainly not least, is the world's highest point. 39)______Mount Everest is one of the most iconic natural features of the globe. At 29,029 feet tall, it is ranked first among mountains. Today, those looking forward to climbing the mountain so still have to be in good physical condition and take great risks. Climbing the mountain is a hugely popular challenge for anyone looking to test themselves.

VII OVER TO YOU. Create your own list of seven natural wonders of the world paying attention to the use of articles with geographical names. You can include the natural wonders from your country. Give some information about the places you chose (what type of place it is (a mountain, a river), where it located, what makes this place so special. Include photos of the places.