Word Study

Ex. 1. a) Read correctly the following words. Mind the stress.

Northern Hemisphere Antarctica

Eurasia Australia

North America Africa

South America the Pacific Ocean

b) Read the following paying attention to the pronunciation of letter combinations with U. State their meaning. Consult the dictionary if necessary.

[jH] distribute Eurasia peninsula gradually

[A] much unevenly underlain abruptly under summit rugged

[L] four Australia

[W] surface

[au] south surround mountain round outline

Ex. 2. Use your dictionary and complete the following table.

Verb	Noun	Adjective
divide
	elevation
surround	existence
	glacier
		small

Ex. 3. Match English phrases and their Russian equivalents.

above the surface of the sea gentle slopes to be in existence forces of erosion a rugged relief to be unevenly distributed to join to be triangular in shape to be divided a narrow neck

существовать силы эрозии рельеф, характер местности быть неравномерно распределенным иметь форму треугольника отлогий скат быть размещенным соединяться, сливаться над уровнем моря узкий перешеек

Ex. 4. Identify the meaning of the words as they occur in the sentences below.

1. The sun rises in the east.

2. The river rises in the mountains.

3. Three or four valley glaciers rise from the snowfields on different sides of this large massive mountain.

4. In these mountains the forest zone rises to an elevation of about 6,000 feet.

5. The mountains extend 80 miles long and 30 miles wide along the south coast of the peninsula.

6. The extent of the subzone of the mixed and deciduous forests is negligible in Siberia.

7. The type of weather varies throughout the region.

8. All varieties of rocks are deformed by earth movement.

9. There are various types of natural vegetation on this island.

10. Our knowledge of glacier variations is mainly based on observations of their size and especially of their marginal variation.

Ex. 5. Add nouns to the following adjectives to form noun phrases.

Adjectives:	marine, inland, continental, northern, single, narrow, shallow, submerged, volcanic, gentle, steep, rugged, coastal, interior.
Nouns:	landmass, neck, rock, plain, relief, animal, mountain slopes, slope, desert, action, heartland, water, edge, hemisphere, shelf.

Ex. 6. Pair the verbs in column A with a suitable phrase in column B. You must find a match for every word but there is not necessary only one solution.

A	B
to divide to distribute to cover to be drowned to join to to end to vary to create to be to smooth to raise	above sea level abruptly in width the earth surface unevenly profiles of old mountains by volcanic action by water beneath the sea great land masses in existence

Ex. 7. Write out the equivalents in pairs.

r ise produce

beneath appear

extend below

main much

greatly chief

create top

extent height

emerge completely

summit length, area

entirely stretch

elevation appear

Ex. 8. Match the words with their appropriate explanations.

desert heartland cover fossil inland isthmus peninsula surface shelf surround

strip of land joining two larger bodies of land shut in on all sides piece of rock on a cliff face area of land, almost surrounded by water or projecting into the sea the outside of any object large area of land that is without water and trees, often sandcovered central, most important region in the country recognizable part, trace or imprint of a prehistoric animal or plant once buried in earth, now hardened like rock lie or extend over; occupy the surface of situated in the interior of a country, far from the sea or border

Ex. 9. How are these ideas expressed in the text.

1. Land and sea are very unevenly distributed.

2. Main land masses of the world.

3. Continents do not end abruptly at the shore of the ocean.

4. Mountains can be “old” or “young” according to the length of geologic time of their existence.

5. Typical characteristics of plains.

Ex. 10. Fill in the missing words in the sentences below. Choose from the following putting the verbs in the right tense.

create have raise vary underlie act drown compose

1. Nearly three-fourths of all the land surface … … by marine rocks.

2. Many of the continental heartlands … … at one time or another beneath the sea.

3. The continental shelf … greatly in width.

4. Some islands … … by volcanic action.

5. Certain islands … … of coral.

6. A hill … gentler slopes.

7. Old mountains … on by the forces of erosion for many years.

8. Some plateaus … far above sea level.

Ex. 11. Choose the best alternative to complete the following sentences.

1. Land and sea are very unevenly … .

a) composed

b) divided

c) distributed

2. The continents … above ocean basins.

a) appear

b) rise

c) merge

3. Eurasia and North America were once a … land mass.

a) large

b) single

c) uneven

4. Narrow necks of land are called … .

a) isthmuses

b) islands

c) hills

5. Most continents are triangular in … .

a) size

b) length

c) shape

6. Tongues of land that extend from continents into bodies of water are called … .

a) straits

b) peninsulas

c) necks

7. In many cases there is a large area offshore where the ocean water is quite … .

a) shallow

b) wide

c) narrow

8. The land under such shallow water is called … .

a) a strait

b) a continental shelf

c) a plain

9. An island is a body of land … surrounded by water.

a) almost

b) partially

c) entirely

10. An elevation above the surface of the earth with a small summit area is called … .

a) a valley

b) a mountain

c) a plateau.

Ex. 12. What prepositions are missing in the following article?