The Reading / Listening - Antarctica - Level 5

Antarctica is rising because of a geological phenomenon called post-glacial uplift. A huge volume of ice has melted from the continent's glaciers. This has made it lighter. This consequently means it is slowly rising. The melting glaciers are causing sea levels around the globe to rise. Geologist Terry Wilson wrote: "Our measurements show that the solid earth that forms the base of 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 modelling to ascertain how rising sea levels could affect Earth. Levels could rise between 1.7 meters to 19.5 meters by 2500. Glaciologist Natalya Gomez 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 added: "This finding highlights the climate injustice toward nations whose emissions are low, while their exposure and vulnerability to sea-level rise is high."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Antarctica - Level 4 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. because of a geological
  2. post-glacial
  3. A huge volume of
  4. melting
  5. Our measurements
  6. the base of the Antarctic
  7. changing shape surprisingly
  8. reduced ice on
  1. show that
  2. ice has melted
  3. the surface
  4. quickly
  5. uplift
  6. glaciers
  7. ice sheet
  8. phenomenon

Paragraph 2

  1. Researchers used 3D
  2. ascertain
  3. people living in
  4. the potential cost of
  5. domino
  6. climate
  7. nations whose emissions
  8. their exposure and vulnerability
  1. are low
  2. to sea-level rise
  3. sea-level rise
  4. how
  5. coastal areas
  6. modelling
  7. effect
  8. injustice

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Antarctica is rising because (1) ___________________ phenomenon called post-glacial uplift. A (2) ___________________ ice has melted from (3) ___________________. This has made it lighter. This consequently means it is slowly rising. The melting glaciers are causing sea levels around the (4) ___________________. Geologist Terry Wilson wrote: "Our measurements show that the solid earth that (5) ___________________ of the Antarctic ice sheet is changing shape surprisingly quickly. The land uplift from reduced ice on the surface is happening (6) ___________________ than over thousands of years."

Researchers used 3D modelling (7) ___________________ rising sea levels could affect Earth. Levels could rise between 1.7 meters to 19.5 meters by 2500. Glaciologist Natalya Gomez wrote: "With nearly 700 million people living (8) ___________________, and the potential cost of sea-level (9) ___________________ of dollars,…understanding the (10) ___________________ Antarctic ice melt is crucial." She added: "This finding highlights the climate injustice toward (11) ___________________ are low, while their (12) ___________________ to sea-level rise is high."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Antarcticaisrisingbecauseofageologicalphenomenoncalledpost-gla
cialuplift.Ahugevolumeoficehasmeltedfromthecontinent'sglaciers.T
hishasmadeitlighter.Thisconsequentlymeansitisslowlyrising.Theme
ltingglaciersarecausingsealevelsaroundtheglobetorise.GeologistTer
ryWilsonwrote:"Ourmeasurementsshowthatthesolidearththatform
sthebaseoftheAntarcticicesheetischangingshapesurprisinglyquickly
.Thelandupliftfromreducediceonthesurfaceishappeningindecades,r
atherthanoverthousandsofyears."Researchersused3Dmodellingtoa
scertainhowrisingsealevelscouldaffectEarth.Levelscouldrisebetwee
n1.7metersto19.5metersby2500.GlaciologistNatalyaGomezwrote:
"Withnearly700millionpeoplelivingincoastalareas,andthepotentialc
ostofsea-levelrisereachingtrillionsofdollars,…understandingthedo
minoeffectofAntarcticicemeltiscrucial."Sheadded:"Thisfindinghighli
ghtstheclimateinjusticetowardnationswhoseemissionsarelow,while
theirexposureandvulnerabilitytosea-levelriseishigh."

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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