Joy English
Joy English
← Volver a la lección

Joy English · Nivel B1 · Naturaleza y parquesjoy-english.com

Valle de la Muerte: tierra, plantas y animales

Nombre:Fecha:

Lee un fragmento de un reportaje de VOA Learning English sobre la tierra, la fauna y los primeros habitantes del parque nacional del Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley).

Life in Death Valley National Park

In other parts of Death Valley, there are lines in the rock. The lines are evidence of the past presence of water. The area was deep under an ocean for many thousands of years.

Much of Death Valley is flat and extremely dry. In fact, scientists believe it is the driest place in the United States. In some areas the ground is nothing but salt. Nothing is able to grow in this salty ground.

However, it would be wrong to think that nothing lives in Death Valley. The valley is full of life. Wildflowers grow very quickly after even a small amount of rain. Some desert plants can send their roots down more than 18 meters to reach water deep in the ground.

Several kinds of birds live in Death Valley, as do mammals and reptiles. Visitors might see the dog-like animal called the coyote, or wild bighorn sheep, or other animals like the desert jackrabbit, the desert tortoise, and a large reptile called a chuckwalla. Many different snakes live there too. Some are dangerous, like the one sidewinder rattlesnake. It is an extremely poisonous snake with long sharp teeth, or fangs.

Throughout history, Native Americans found ways to survive in Death Valley. Rock art and other remains show that humans lived in the valley as far back as 9,000 years ago.

Death Valley is a huge place. It extends more than 225 kilometers across the southern part of California into the neighboring state of Nevada. The valley is part of the Mojave Desert.

Comprende el texto

Lee el texto. Elige la respuesta correcta.

  1. What do the lines in the rock show?
    • a) That people once built roads there
    • b) That there was water there in the past
    • c) That the area once had a lot of snow
  2. What do scientists believe about Death Valley?
    • a) It is the largest desert in the world.
    • b) It is the hottest city in California.
    • c) It is the driest place in the United States.
  3. Plants cannot grow in the salty ground.
    • a) True
    • b) False
  4. What happens to wildflowers after even a small amount of rain?
    • a) They grow very quickly.
    • b) They lose their colour.
    • c) They die.
  5. Why do some desert plants have very long roots?
    • a) To hold the sand in place
    • b) To reach water deep in the ground
    • c) To protect themselves from animals
  6. Which animal does the text describe as extremely poisonous?
    • a) The chuckwalla
    • b) The desert tortoise
    • c) The sidewinder rattlesnake
    • d) The coyote
  7. How long ago did humans live in the valley, according to the evidence?
    • a) About 900 years ago
    • b) Only since the 1800s
    • c) As far back as 9,000 years ago
  8. Death Valley is completely inside the state of California.
    • a) True
    • b) False

Palabras en contexto

Elige la mejor respuesta, o escribe una palabra del texto.

  1. "The valley is full of life." This means that ...
    • a) it is crowded with tourists
    • b) many plants and animals live there
    • c) it is a dangerous place
  2. A coyote is described as a dog-like animal. This means it ...
    • a) belongs to a dog
    • b) looks similar to a dog
    • c) is afraid of dogs
  3. Fangs are long, sharp ___.
  4. Rock art and other ___ show that people lived in the valley long ago.
  5. "It extends more than 225 kilometers." Extends means ...
    • a) stretches
    • b) falls
    • c) moves
  6. Death Valley is part of the Mojave ___.

Respuestas

Comprende el texto

  1. b) That there was water there in the pastEl texto dice que las líneas son una prueba de que antes había agua: la zona estuvo una vez bajo un océano.
  2. c) It is the driest place in the United States.El texto dice: scientists believe it is the driest place in the United States.
  3. a) TrueEl texto dice: Nothing is able to grow in this salty ground.
  4. a) They grow very quickly.Las flores silvestres crecen muy rápido incluso con una pequeña cantidad de lluvia.
  5. b) To reach water deep in the groundAlgunas plantas hunden sus raíces a más de 18 metros para llegar al agua que hay en lo profundo del suelo.
  6. c) The sidewinder rattlesnakeLa serpiente de cascabel sidewinder es una serpiente extremadamente venenosa con dientes largos y afilados.
  7. c) As far back as 9,000 years agoEl arte rupestre y otros restos muestran que ya había seres humanos allí hace 9,000 años.
  8. b) FalseEl valle se extiende por el sur de California hasta el estado vecino de Nevada.

Palabras en contexto

  1. b) many plants and animals live thereEl autor explica que en el valle viven flores silvestres, plantas del desierto, aves, mamíferos y reptiles.
  2. b) looks similar to a dogEl sufijo -like significa parecido a. Un animal dog-like se parece a un perro.
  3. teethEl texto explica la palabra: long sharp teeth, or fangs.
  4. remainsRemains son las cosas que quedan después de mucho tiempo, como herramientas o edificios antiguos.
  5. a) stretchesExtend aquí significa extenderse o alcanzar una cierta distancia.
  6. DesertLa última frase dice: The valley is part of the Mojave Desert.

Joy English · práctica de inglés gratuita · https://joy-english.com/es/reading/death-valley