The Reading / Listening - Antarctica - Level 4

Antarctica is rising because of a phenomenon called post-glacial uplift. Huge volumes of ice have melted from the continent's glaciers, making it lighter. This means it is slowly rising. The melting glaciers are causing sea levels to rise. A geologist wrote: "Measurements show that the…Antarctic ice sheet is changing shape surprisingly quickly. The land uplift from reduced ice on the surface is happening in decades, rather than over thousands of years."

Researchers used 3D models to estimate rising sea levels. They could rise by 19.5 meters by 2500. A glaciologist wrote: "With nearly 700 million people living in coastal areas, and the potential cost of sea-level rise reaching trillions of dollars…understanding the domino effect of Antarctic ice melt is crucial." She wrote about "the climate injustice toward nations whose emissions are low, while their…vulnerability to sea-level rise is high."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Antarctica - Level 5 or  Antarctica - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/one-of-earths-continents-is-rising-up-and-the-effects-could-be-huge
  • https://bgr.com/science/antarctica-is-rising-out-of-the-ocean-and-it-could-change-everything/
  • https://www.wionews.com/science/antarctica-is-rising-from-ocean-and-losing-weight-heres-how-it-will-impact-earth-751995


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. a phenomenon called
  2. Huge volumes of ice
  3. This means it is slowly
  4. melting
  5. changing shape surprisingly
  6. The land uplift from reduced ice
  7. happening
  8. rather than over
  1. in decades
  2. glaciers
  3. quickly
  4. thousands of years
  5. rising
  6. post-glacial uplift
  7. on the surface
  8. have melted

Paragraph 2

  1. Researchers used 3D
  2. estimate
  3. They could rise
  4. people living in
  5. understanding the domino
  6. climate
  7. nations whose emissions
  8. their vulnerability to sea-level
  1. are low
  2. by 19.5 meters
  3. rise is high
  4. injustice
  5. models
  6. effect
  7. rising sea levels
  8. coastal areas

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Antarctica is rising because (1) ___________________ called post-glacial uplift. Huge volumes of ice have melted from (2) ___________________, making it lighter. This means it is slowly rising. The (3) ___________________ causing sea levels to rise. A geologist wrote: "Measurements show that the…Antarctic ice sheet is changing (4) ___________________. The land uplift from (5) ___________________ the surface is happening in (6) ___________________ over thousands of years."

Researchers used 3D (7) ___________________ rising sea levels. They could rise by 19.5 meters by 2500. (8) ___________________: "With nearly 700 million people living in coastal areas, and (9) ___________________ of sea-level rise reaching trillions of dollars…understanding the (10) ___________________ Antarctic ice melt is crucial." She wrote about "the (11) ___________________ nations whose emissions are low, while their…(12) ___________________ -level rise is high."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Antarcticaisrisingbecauseofaphenomenoncalledpost-glacialuplift.H
ugevolumesoficehavemeltedfromthecontinent'sglaciers,makingitli
ghter.Thismeansitisslowlyrising.Themeltingglaciersarecausingseal
evelstorise.Ageologistwrote:"Measurementsshowthatthe…Antarcti
cicesheetischangingshapesurprisinglyquickly.Thelandupliftfromred
ucediceonthesurfaceishappeningindecades,ratherthanoverthousan
dsofyears."Researchersused3Dmodelstoestimaterisingsealevels.T
heycouldriseby19.5metersby2500.Aglaciologistwrote:"Withnearly
700millionpeoplelivingincoastalareas,andthepotentialcostofsea-le
velrisereachingtrillionsofdollars…understandingthedominoeffectofA
ntarcticicemeltiscrucial."Shewroteabout"theclimateinjusticetoward
nationswhoseemissionsarelow,whiletheir…vulnerabilitytosea-leve
lriseishigh."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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