Week 13: Living in Deserts

 Hello, we have Monday off of school, but remember to do the homework.

Anyways, the test will be scheduled for Friday this week so it will be the same as usual.

Lastly, we will finally have another reading worksheet due this week so remember to record.

Vocabulary List:

1 barren  (adj.): unable to support plant life; empty 

 2 survive (v.): to continue to live, especially through difficult conditions 

 3 climate (n.): the typical weather patterns of a region 

 4 cloak (n.): a long, loose piece of clothing worn over other clothes 

 5 conservation (n.): the protection of nature and resources

 6 camel (n.): a large desert animal with one or two humps

 7 edge (n.): the border or outer limit of something

 8 harm (n./v.): injury or damage; to cause damage 

 9 sunburn (n.): red, painful skin from too much sun 

 10 yurt (n.): a round, portable tent used by nomadic people 

 11 nutrient (n.): a substance that provides nourishment for growth 

 12 oasis (n.): a fertile spot in a desert where water is found 

 13 heatstroke (n.): a dangerous illness from being too hot for too long 

 14 ostrich (n.): a large flightless bird with long legs 

 15 pollution (n.): harmful substances in the environment 

 16 precious (adj.): valuable; worth a lot 

 17 reed (n.): a tall, thin plant that grows near water 

 18 shade (n.): an area sheltered from direct sunlight 

 19 spread (v.): to extend over an area; to scatter 

 20 get stranded (phr. v.): to be stuck somewhere with no way to leave 

 21 traditional (adj.): following customs from the past 

 22 underground (adj.): beneath the surface of the ground 

 23 valuable (adj.): worth a lot; important 

 24 desertification (n.): the process where fertile land becomes desert

Living in Deserts-Story Summary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxDlziHeNdg&t=330s

There are many hot and cold deserts around the world.

A desert is an extreme place to live and it gets fewer than 10 inches or 25 centimeters of rain per year.

The soil (or ice) is dry, and a single rainfall could cause a flash flood.

Deserts are almost everywhere in the world.

You can find deserts in South America, North America, Asia, Australia, Africa, and Antarctica.

Many deserts are hot because there are not enough clouds to shield the ground from the Sun's heat.

Death Valley, California is famous as the desert that people recorded a temperature of 132 degrees Fahrenheit or 56 degrees Celsius.

However, most of Antarctica is a cold desert.

Temperatures in Antarctica can be as low as -128 degrees Fahrenheit or -89 degrees Celsius.

Deserts can be filled with danger, but some people have survived in deserts for a long time.

For hundreds (or thousands) of years, people have found ways to protect themselves against the dangers of heatstroke and dehydration.

They build shelters for shade, and they travel during the cool night.

The nomadic people of East Asia's Gobi Desert move from place to place to find resources.

They live in yurts which the carry with them.

Some other nomadic people build homes with bricks or mud and straw.

The people of Coober Pedy, Australia, near the Great Victoria Desert, dig underground rooms to make their homes.

Long ago, the people who live in deserts had very traditional lifestyles.

However, modern technology have helped them live with air-conditioned buildings and water pumps.

This is what has happened in the Sonoran Desert in Phoenix, Arizona.

The San people of the Kalahari Desert in Africa know which plants store water.

They use long reeds to suck up water from the underground, and store it in ostrich eggshells.

Most people who live in deserts live near an oasis.

An oasis has enough water to grow crops, olive trees, and date trees.

Often, a desert can go on for hundreds of miles with no shade from plants.

It is a barren landscape that might have a dangerous dust storm strike.

Desert people often have loose-fitting clothing to protect themselves.

The Tuareg people have lived in the Sahara Desert in Africa for hundreds of years.

They have carried items for trade across the desert, like gold and spices, to get supplies.

People have also been using camels for hundreds of years to travel through the desert.

Camels can drink 25 gallons or 95 liters of water in minutes, and they don't need to drink again for days.

Camels were really important for desert transportation just one hundred years ago.

Some human activity, like cutting down trees and bringing in grazing animals, can make deserts bigger.

That is called desertification, but when the opposite happens, like people planting more trees and plants, it is called greenification.

Most kinds of plants cannot grow in weak soil.

Without plants to hold the soil in place, it can dry out and blow in heavy winds.

Some people find valuable resources in deserts like oil and precious metals like gold, but taking it can cause pollution which can spread to the rest of the world.

Conservation scientists, volunteers, rangers, and engineers are trying to plant healthy trees, crops, and are protecting parks.

Week 13	Homework 回家功課
Monday May 4th	1. Week 13 Vocabulary #9-16x3 + definitions x1 2. Write 5 sentences
Tuesday May 5th	1. Week 13 Vocabulary # 17-24 x3 + definitions x1 2. Write 5 sentences
Wednesday May 6th	1. Shared Worksheet
Thursday May 7th	1. A2 Level Worksheet
Friday May 8th	1. Week 14 Vocabulary #1-8 x 3 + definitions x1 2. Write 5 sentences