EXPLORATION 7
THINK AND DISCUSS
Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. The Italian explorer Marco Polo is famous for his journey through Asia. / Chinese explorer Zheng He led many ships across the sea to Africa.
2. I would love to explore our mysterious oceans! / I went to Bali once, but there are so many other islands in Indonesia worth exploring.
EXPLORE THE THEME
A Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. The Mariana Trench is an underwater valley that is 11 kilometers deep. It is special because the bottom of the trench is the deepest place on Earth.
2. Film director James Cameron made it to the bottom of the trench alone in 2012.
B located; experience; deep
Reading 1
PREPARING TO READ
A 1. region (Note: The term region is often modified by a location or direction or some other word stating a feature of the region. Examples: Arctic region, eastern region, desert region)
2. discover (Note: When you discover something, you are either the first to find it or you are personally finding out about something for the
first time.)
3. ancient
4. massive
5. hidden
6. underground
7. artifact
B Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. There is a tunnel in town that stretches from the train station to several different malls. Since it is underground, the temperature is usually cool inside.
2. I live in the northern region of my country. I’d like to explore some of my country’s islands down in the southern region.
C Answers will vary. Possible answer:
I think the cities were built in caves and used for hiding from other groups of people.
UNDERSTANDING THE READING
A 1. F (Explanation: Only 30 of 200 underground cities have been discovered.)
2. C (Explanation: The paragraph lists many facilities found in the city; there are no records stating how old the city is.)
3. A (Explanation: A man knocked down one of the walls in his home and was surprised to find a hidden room carved into the stone.)
4. E (Explanation: These artifacts suggest that the city is probably up to 5,000 years old.)
5. B (Explanation: This city’s large stone doors lead experts to believe that the city was built to protect its residents from enemies.)
6. D (Explanation: Derinkuyu was the largest known underground city in Cappadocia until 2013, when construction workers discovered a larger one.)
B derinkuyu: a resident in the city; 60 meters deep;
not given; 20,000 people; to protect residents (See Paragraphs B and C)
Below Nevşehir: construction workers; 110 meters deep; up to 5,000 years old; not given; to protect residents (See Paragraphs D and E)
C paragraph B: depth (Explanation: …deep enough for a 20-story building)
paragraph D: area; depth (Explanation: …an area big enough for 65 soccer fields; …deep enough to contain a 35-story building)
D Answers will vary. Possible answer: The city is as old as a wooly mammoth would be if it were still alive today！
DEVEOPING READING SKILLS
A 1. F (Explanation: He was born in Tangier, Morocco.)
2. F (Explanation: He left home at age 21.)
3. S (Explanation: He may also have visited Beijing.)
4. F (Explanation: After traveling…over a period of 29 years)
5. S (Explanation: He may have worked as a judge after he stopped traveling.)
6. S (Explanation: Battuta probably died in 1368 or 1369.)
B 1. F (See Paragraph A: 1963)
2. F (See Paragraphs A and D: a resident; construction workers)
3. S (See Paragraphs C and E: There are no records of how old Derinkuyu is; artifacts suggest that the city is probably close to 5,000 years old.)
4. S (See Paragraph B and E: Experts believe that both Derinkuyu and the city below Nevşehir were probably built to keep people safe during
times of war.)
2. S (See Paragraph F: Experts believe there may be more than 200.)
Video
BEFORE VIEWING
A Answers will vary. Possible answers: I think that the cave is as big as a 5-story shopping mall. / I think that it is deep and high enough to contain
a football stadium. (Note: The cave is about the length of 50 football fields, or 100 Olympic-size swimming pools. From the video, students will
learn that the cave is big enough to contain a whole city block of 40-story buildings.)
B 1. Vietnam
2. Natural (Explanation: The cave was created millions of years ago by river water.)
3. A team of British cavers
4. Answers will vary. Possible answers: unknown insect and fish species, crystals
C 1. vast
2. threat
3. heritage (Note: Students may be familiar with UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which are places that have been recognized for their cultural legacy.)
WHILE VIEWING
A c (Explanation: At the end of the video, we read that Edström wants to document the cave because it is under threat from tourism. He also
says, “Places like this are part of our heritage and need to be preserved.”)
B 1. a; 2. b; 3. b; 4. a
AFTER VIEWING
A Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. I would like to visit Son Doong. It’s beautiful inside, and I will be careful not to damage its special environment. / I don’t want to visit the cave. I think only a few scientists should be allowed inside for research. We need to preserve it.
2. Advantages: Tourists will pay money to see the cave. We can use the money to protect the cave. / When tourists learn about how special places like this are, they will want to protect them more.
disadvantages: Tourists will damage the cave’s special ecosystem and endanger the species that live there. / Many tourists will probably litter and cause damage to the cave’s environment.
B Answers will vary. Possible answer: The analogy described the size of the cave by stating that a city block of 40-story buildings could fit inside it.
Reading 2
PREPARING TO READ
A 1. extremely (Note: The adverb extremely is an intensifier of descriptive words, or adjectives and other adverbs.)
2. exist
3. universe
B Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. challenging, risk (Note: The adjective challenging means difficult to do; the verb risk means to put something in a dangerous situation.)
2. surface; run out (Note: Running out of something means using it until there is nothing left.)
3. creatures (Note: The noun creatures generally refers to living things, but it is often used especially for unusual, scary, or fictional living
things.)
C Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. Life definitely exists on other planets. I’m sure there’s intelligent life out there somewhere in the vast universe! / I don’t believe in aliens like we see in the movies, but maybe bacteria or algae exist on other planets.
2. Cold climates are difficult to live in. It’s extremely hard to grow crops and other plants in cold places. / I think living in desert areas must be
extremely difficult. Deserts are usually dry and don’t get much water.
D Answers will vary. Possible answers:
Blue holes are probably located very deep underwater. They’re probably very dark, too, when they’re not lit up like they are in the photograph. It would be easy to get lost inside. Also, all those sharp edges must make
exploration quite dangerous. (Note: The passage also mentions poisonous gases.)
UNDERSTANDING THE READING
A 1. d (Explanation: Paragraphs A and B explain that blue holes are underwater caves that form when the earth above falls in and water fills the space.)
2. c (Explanation: Paragraph C describes the different layers of a blue hole.)
3. b (Explanation: Paragraph D lists the ways blue holes are dangerous.)
4. a (Explanation: Paragraphs E to G describe the valuable data scientists can get from studying blue holes.)
B 1. underwater
2. the land above them fell in
3. calm
4. ancient life forms
C 1. At the top of the blue hole is a layer of fresh water, while below it is a layer of salt water. The top layer blocks oxygen from entering the blue
hole. (See Paragraph C)
2. The gas near the top of the blue hole is poisonous, and breathing in too much of it can sometimes lead to death. (See Paragraph D)
3. Bacteria / Brightly colored bacteria live in between the top and bottom layers. (See Paragraph C)
4. It is very dark in this part of a blue hole, so divers need to use a guideline when swimming. (See Paragraph D)
D 1. F (See Paragraph B: The hole forms when the earth above a cave falls in…)
2. F (See Paragraph B: Dean’s Blue Hole is over 200 meters deep.)
3. S (See Paragraph E: …such as the remipede, probably haven’t changed…)
4. S (See Paragraph F: …the bacteria in blue holes may be similar to forms of life that might exist on…Europa.)
5. F (See Paragraph G: …the oxygen-free environment…)
Writing
EXPLORING WRITTEN ENGLISH
A 1. discover; (would love to)
2. study; learn (would like to; want to)
3. visiting; see (would be interested in; want to)
4. take; (want to)
5. learning; visit (would be interested in; want to)
LANGUAGE FOR WRITING
B Answers will vary. Possible answers:
Things you want to do: visit South America
Two reasons why: see ancient sites; watch a soccer match live
Sentence: I would like to visit South America because I am interested in exploring some of its ancient sites and watching a South American
soccer match live.
WRITING SKILLS
C 1. First of all
2. A famous example
3. In addition
4. for instance
D Answers will vary. Possible answers:
I would like to visit South America because I want to see some of its historical sites. A famous example is Machu Picchu in Peru. I also would like to watch a South American soccer match live, such as the Boca Juniors against River Plate.
WRITING TASK
A Answers will vary. Possible answers: Southeast Asia, Europe, South America, Antarctica, New Zealand, New York City
B Answers will vary. Possible answers:
Topic Sentence: I would like to explore Africa.Supporting idea 1: See the wild animals
detail: Wild cats in the savannah
Supporting idea 2: See the monuments of Egypt
detail: Pyramids of Giza
Supporting idea 3: Visit its famous cities
detail: Lagos in Nigeria
REVISING PRACTICE
d, c, b, a
EDITING PRACTICE
1. I would like to visit the Amazon rain forest because there are many different types of animals there.
2. I would love to explore New York City because it is full of interesting art and culture.
3. My brother and I are interested in visiting Russia because we want to learn more about Russian history.
4. My sister would like to travel to every continent because she loves to learn about different cultures.
5. My parents would like to go to Turkey one day because they want to explore the underground cities.
