Joy English
Joy English
← Torna alla lezione

Joy English · Livello B1 · Natura e parchijoy-english.com

Death Valley: terra, piante e animali

Nome:Data:

Leggi un estratto di un servizio di VOA Learning English sulla terra, sulla fauna e sui primi abitanti del Death Valley National Park.

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.

Capire il testo

Leggi il testo. Scegli la risposta corretta.

  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

Parole nel contesto

Scegli la risposta migliore, oppure scrivi una parola dal testo.

  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 ___.

Soluzioni

Capire il testo

  1. b) That there was water there in the pastIl testo dice che le linee sono una prova (evidence) della presenza passata dell'acqua: la zona un tempo era sotto un oceano.
  2. c) It is the driest place in the United States.Il testo dice: scientists believe it is the driest place in the United States.
  3. a) TrueIl testo dice: Nothing is able to grow in this salty ground.
  4. a) They grow very quickly.I fiori selvatici crescono molto in fretta anche dopo una piccola quantità di pioggia.
  5. b) To reach water deep in the groundAlcune piante spingono le radici a più di 18 metri di profondità per raggiungere l'acqua nel sottosuolo.
  6. c) The sidewinder rattlesnakeIl crotalo sidewinder è un serpente estremamente velenoso con denti lunghi e affilati.
  7. c) As far back as 9,000 years agoL'arte rupestre e altri resti mostrano che gli esseri umani vivevano lì già 9.000 anni fa.
  8. b) FalseLa valle si estende attraverso la parte meridionale della California fino allo stato confinante del Nevada.

Parole nel contesto

  1. b) many plants and animals live thereL'autore spiega che nella valle vivono fiori selvatici, piante del deserto, uccelli, mammiferi e rettili.
  2. b) looks similar to a dogIl suffisso -like significa simile a. Un animale dog-like assomiglia a un cane.
  3. teethIl testo spiega la parola: long sharp teeth, or fangs.
  4. remainsRemains sono le cose che restano dopo molto tempo, come attrezzi o edifici antichi.
  5. a) stretchesExtend qui significa allungarsi o arrivare fino a una certa distanza.
  6. DesertL'ultima frase dice: The valley is part of the Mojave Desert.

Joy English · esercizi di inglese gratuiti · https://joy-english.com/it/reading/death-valley