Jigsaw reading. A lot of people like visiting national parks. Read Learning to learn note No. 5.
1) In home groups. Read one of the texts (A, В or C) about national parks. Which questions can you find the information about? Answer these questions.
• What are national parks for?
• How many national parks are there in Britain and in the USA?
• What are some of these parks? When did they appear?
• What can people enjoy there?
A America was the first country to start up “National Parks”, beginning with Yellowstone* in 1872. Now this and other parks together cover1 a large area of the country. Long before 1872, William Wordsworth,* the great English poet, wanted his native Lake District to become a special place. But only in 1951 did the first national park in England and Wales appear.2 It was the Lake District National Park.
Now there are thirteen national parks in England and Wales. They cover more than one tenth of the land area. 90 million visitors come to national parks every year.
The first aim3 of national parks is to protect the countryside; the second aim is to let people enjoy the countryside, enjoy trees, flowers, animals and birds.
В The USA is a larger country than Britain. There are more than sixty national parks in the USA. The Great Smoky Mountains,* the Grand Canyon* and Yellowstone Park* are the most popular of them. The Everglades, in Florida, is one of the most interesting places. Most of its territory is covered1 with grass. Open water is sometimes found, and there are a lot of islands with tropical plants. If you visit the Everglades, you can see a lot of alligators. Be careful, they are dangerous! They are protected, because the Everglades is a national park. Naturalists and tourists come to see water birds, bobcats,* bears and alligators.
C The Lake District is the largest national park in Britain. It is popular with walkers, cyclists and people who go boating. It is one of the most beautiful and attractive places in the country. It has Windermere, the longest lake in England, and Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England.
In 1810 William Wordsworth* described the beauty of the Lake District in his poems. The works of Wordsworth* and other romantic poets attracted visitors to the lakes. And now the Lake District is one of the most popular tourist places in Britain. Here you can enjoy fishing in the rivers and lakes, boating on the quiet waters or walking and cycling along the shores of the lakes. There’s something for everyone!
2) In expert groups. Compare your answers to the questions. Come to an agreement. Get ready to retell your text.
3) In home groups. Tell your group mates what you’ve read. While listening to your group mates, fill in the gaps in the article about national parks: first, make notes In your exercise book; then, write the whole article.
The first national park appeared in the USA in 1872. It was Yel-lowstone. In Britain the first national park appeared in 1949.
Now there are more than a dozen parks in the USA and ten parks in England and Wales. The aim of the national parks is to protect countryside and let people to enjoy plants, animals and birds. One of the most interesting parks in the USA is the Everglades in Florida. Water birds, snakes, alligators, wild-cats, fish, cypress trees are protected in the Everglades.
The Lake District is the largest national park in Britain.
It is one of the most popular places in Britain. It has the longest lake and the highest mountain in England.