12   I can talk about rivers and the sea

A    Water

RIVERS

wide river                                       narrow river

Rivers flow to the sea. A river can be wide (width n) and deep (depth n) or narrow and shallow. If it rains heavily, a river can burst its banks¹, which causes floods². If there is no rain for a long time, the river dries up³.

 

THE SEA and OCEANS

The tide comes in (high tide) and goes out (low tide) twice a day.

Boats float⁴ on the surface⁵ of the water.

In bad weather, a boat can capsize and sink⁶. People on the boat may be trapped underwater and may drown.

 

DIFFERENT AREAS OF WATER

Glossary

flow  move smoothly (like water).

burst  break open suddenly and violently.

ocean  a very big sea, e.g. the Atlantic Ocean.

tide  the regular change in the sea level caused by the moon and sun.

capsize  (used of boats) turn over in the water.

underwater  happening or existing below the surface of the water.

drown  die in water because you can’t breathe.

spotlight  cause V, N

To cause something is to make something (often unpleasant) happen.

The wind caused problems for cyclists.

The cause of something is the person or thing that makes it happen.

The police don’t know the cause of the accident. 

5     Complete the texts with a suitable word in the correct form.

We had some storms with very heavy rain last summer. The river which runs through the city (1) ____ its banks, and (2)   ____ serious floods. The water was quite (3) ____: it was two metres in some parts, and you could see people’s possessions (4) ____ in the water.

We had a terrible day sailing on a (5) ____ in the mountains last weekend. The wind was very strong, and suddenly our little boat (6) ____ and we ended up in the water. We swam to safety, but watched the boat slowly (7) ____ to the bottom. Later we discovered it was very dangerous there, and last year someone (8) ____.

1     burst 

2     caused

3     deep 

4     floating

5     lake 

6     capsized 

7     sink 

8     drowned

B    The coast

Our local beach¹ is mainly sandy, with a few rocks² and pebbles³ down by the shore. There’s a steep cliff⁴ rising above the beach, and children often play in the caves⁵ there. At the end of the bay there’s a small harbour⁶.

When the weather’s bad, the sailing boats⁷ are protected from the waves⁸ and the rough sea. We often see large ships⁹on the horizon¹⁰.

Glossary

coast  the area of land that is close to or next to the sea or an ocean.

shore  the land along the edge of the sea, a lake, etc.

steep  A steep hill or cliff goes up quickly from a low place to a high one.

protect sb/sth from sth keep sb/sth safe from sth. protection N.

rough  A rough sea has big waves. OPP calm.

8     Test yourself. Cover the text and look at the picture. What are the words?