PRE-INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

Transcription

1 MACMILLAN CULTURAL READERS PRE-INTERMEDIATE LEVEL COLEEN DEGNAN-VENESS Italy MACMILLAN

2 1 Geography, Clmate 13 and Envronment 7 The Dolomte Mountans Geography Italy s a pennsula n the Medterranean Sea n southern Europe. A pennsula s land wth water on three sdes. The Italan pennsula s about 1,130 klometres long. It s the shape of a boot that s kckng a ball. The ball s the Italan sland of Scly. Scly s the largest sland n the Medterranean Sea. Sardna s Italy s second largest sland and Elba s the thrd. Seventy smaller slands n the Medterranean Sea belong to Italy, too. Medterranean s a Latn word meanng n the mddle of the Earth. The Medterranean Sea sts between Afrca, Asa and Europe, wth twenty-two countres along ts coast.

3 1 Mountans The Alps, mountans n the north, dvde Italy from the rest of Europe. The northern regons of Pedmont, Valle d Aosta, Lombardy, Trentno-Alto Adge and Frul-Veneza Gula share borders 14 wth France, Swtzerland, Austra and Slovena. In these regons, there are groups of French-Italans, German-Italans and Slovene-Italans. In the lower eastern part of the Alps are the beautful Dolomte Mountans. The Dolomtes are very dfferent n shape and colour from the rest of the Alps. In the foothlls at the bottom of the mountans there are many beautful lakes. These nclude the fve largest lakes: Garda, Maggore, Como (one of the deepest lakes n Europe at 400 metres), Iseo and Lugano. Around these lakes are olve groves 15 and lemon and orange groves. Just south of the Dolomte Mountans s the Po Valley. Here farmers grow potatoes, rce 16 and wheat. Wheat s used for makng bread. The Apennne Mountans run 1,130 klometres from the Cadbona Pass n the north, to Calabra n the south. Ths dvdes the country nto east and west. These mountans contnue on to the sland of Scly, makng the mountans about 1,500 klometres long. In the Central Apennnes, east of Rome, s the hghest part at 2,912 metres. Ths s called the Great Rock 17 of Italy. The western Alps are the hghest mountans Mont Blanc: 4,807 m Monte Rosa: 4,634 m The Matterhorn: 4,478 m Grand Paradso: 4,061 m I m from England but I ve lved n Italy wth my Italan husband and chldren for twelve years. We lve n Florence, n Tuscany, so we enjoy the cty s culture and the regon s beautful countrysde. In summer, we enjoy a walkng holday n the mountans. I thnk Italy s the best place to lve n the world! TESSA AN ENGLISH TEACHER 8

4 Coast Geography, Clmate and Envronment Italy has nearly eght thousand klometres of beautful coast along the Medterranean Sea. The Medterranean Sea s dvded nto a number of smaller seas. The Adratc Sea s between Italy and Eastern Europe, the Ionan Sea s to the south of Italy, the Tyrrhenan Sea s to the west and the Lguran Sea s between Italy and the south of France. Italy has beautful sandy 18 beaches mxed wth rocky coasts. The famous Italan Rvera s on the coast between south-east France and Tuscany on the Lguran Sea. There vstors fnd lovely lttle vllages, lke Portofno. The west coast, from Tuscany to Campana, has long, sandy beaches. The coasts of Baslcata and Calabra on the Tyrrhenan Sea are rocky wth some short beaches of whte sand. Most of the Adratc coast s flat and sandy so the beaches are very busy n summer. The coast between Treste and Croatan Istra s rocky. Some of the most beautful beaches are on the slands n the south. Lake Como 9

5 1 Volcanoes Between the Italan pennsula and Scly s the Strat of Messna. From there vstors can see Italy s famous volcano Mount Etna. Etna s the hghest actve volcano n Europe at The word volcano comes from the Aeolan Island Vulcano. Ths sland gets ts name from the Roman god Vulcan the god of fre. about 3,350 metres. South of Naples s the famous volcano Mount Vesuvus. Vesuvus bured 19 the towns of Pompe and Herculaneum n AD 79 when t erupted. Strombol s another volcano and one of the seven Aeolan Islands off Scly. Strombol s one of the most actve volcanoes n Europe. Mount Etna eruptng 10

6 Geography, Clmate and Envronment Clmate Most of Italy has a warm Medterranean clmate wth hot, dry summers and wet wnters that do not get very cold. But the summers n the mountans are short and not very hot. The wnters n the mountans are long and very cold wth snow. Ths s great for skers. The Alps protect 20 Lombardy and Lgura from northern Europe s very cold wnters, so wnters n northern Italy are rany but not cold. In wnter, the south stays warm because the sea brngs warm ar. Sometmes cold ar from northern Europe travels south and brngs snow to southern Italy s mountans. But people can contnue to enjoy relaxng on the beach because the temperature s comfortable, at about 13 C n the daytme. Scly gets about 2,500 hours of sun per year. In summer, central Italy gets wnds from Afrca called Srocco. Ths brngs hot weather. In northern Italy the temperature can rse as hgh as 34 C n summer. In the south summers are even longer, hotter and drer wth the temperature rsng as hgh as 40 C. Scly has become drer and drer over the centures because people have cut down trees n Scly s central and south-western forests. Now there are only three forests n northern Scly. Ths has resulted n less ran and dry rvers. Insde the Italan borders are two enclaves. An enclave s a naton nsde a larger naton. The frst of these s San Marno on the north-east sde of the Apennne Mountans between the regons of Emla-Romagna and Marche, and the other s Vatcan Cty n Rome. Envronment Italy has made many postve envronmental changes n the twenty-frst century. It s workng to make mountans safer for wldlfe, the seas safer for sea lfe and the ar n ctes cleaner for everybody. Natonal parks Italy s twenty-four natonal parks cover fve per cent of the country. Here specal laws protect the land and the wldlfe. In the twenteth century, fourteen speces 21 of anmal n Italy became extnct the anmals were klled and the speces no longer exsts. 11

7 1 Stelvo Natonal Park s the largest park n the Alps. It s n the regons of Lombardy and Trentno-Alto Adge. The park s home to many speces of anmal ncludng red foxes, wld boar, chamos, bexes and marmots, and to hundreds of speces of brd ncludng golden eagles. Over one hundred and ffty speces of flora plants and flowers are found here, too. Wth glacers and more than one hundred lakes, t s a wonderful place for walkng, clmbng and skng. Cyclsts n the Gro d Itala cyclng race22 often prepare for t here. It s hard work cyclng up Europe s hghest mountan road up 2,758 metres! A glacer 12

8 Geography, Clmate and Envronment An Apennne wolf A Marscan brown bear A chamos A golden eagle A wld boar An bex A red fox A marmot 13

9 The Grand Paradse Natonal Park was Italy s frst park n It s n the Pedmont and Valle d Aosta regons. It s full of hgh mountans, whch were made by glacers. The hghest mountan s 4,061 metres. Hgh n these mountans lves the bex. The bex was almost extnct n Europe so s now protected. Chamos, marmots and golden As well as the Natonal Parks, there are: 152 Regonal Parks 147 Natonal Nature Reserves 418 Regonal Nature Reserves 30 Marne Protected Areas (places n the Medterranean Sea where laws protect the sea and the sea lfe) eagles are protected here, too. Vstors enjoy skng n wnter and walkng here n summer. In the centre of Italy s the Natonal Park of Abruzzo. Here vstors can see mountans, rvers, lakes and forests. The park s home to sxty speces of anmal ncludng the Apennne wolf and the Marscan brown bear. These anmals were almost extnct but are now safe n the natonal park. Envronmental problems Italans love ther cars. Ths has made the ar n ctes unclean. In Mlan n 2008, a new law made drvers pay to drve nto the cty centre. People who do not want to pay use buses or trans to get nto the centre. Ctes lke Mlan and Rome have bkes that people can hre to travel round the cty. These thngs have helped to make the ar cleaner. Earthquakes 23 Laws have helped to protect anmals, plants and people but they cannot protect anyone or anythng from earthquakes. Unfortunately, Italy has small earthquakes several tmes a year. In 2009 a bg earthquake n Abruzzo klled 308 people. One of the worst earthquakes, n 1908, was n Messna and Reggo d Calabra. Over 72,000 people ded. Fortunately, very dangerous earthquakes do not happen very often, and the small possblty of one does not keep toursts away. Every year over forty mllon toursts vst Italy, and fnd a wde choce of geography to explore. And n the ctes they fnd some of the world s most mportant treasures archtecture, art and hstory! 14