Scribd
Upload
64 views

AD5 Reading Task OCT 2020

Sand consists of tiny grains that originate from the erosion of rocks by forces like water and wind. The color and composition of sand provides clues to its geological origins, with white sand often containing coral remnants and black sand being of volcanic origin. Sand is created on beaches through the transport of eroded materials from rivers and oceans waves, with the largest fragments settling near shore and finer particles carried further out. Over time, layers of compressed sand can form sandstone, continuing the geological cycle. While sand gets a bad reputation at times, it plays a vital role in coastal protection that is often overlooked.

Uploaded by

Luis
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
64 views

AD5 Reading Task OCT 2020

Sand consists of tiny grains that originate from the erosion of rocks by forces like water and wind. The color and composition of sand provides clues to its geological origins, with white sand often containing coral remnants and black sand being of volcanic origin. Sand is created on beaches through the transport of eroded materials from rivers and oceans waves, with the largest fragments settling near shore and finer particles carried further out. Over time, layers of compressed sand can form sandstone, continuing the geological cycle. While sand gets a bad reputation at times, it plays a vital role in coastal protection that is often overlooked.

Uploaded by

Luis
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

AD5 - READING TASK – OCTOBER 2020

You are going to read a short article. Five sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the
sentences A-F the one which fits each gap (1-5). There is an extra sentence you do not need to use.

Sand: as children we play on it and as adults we relax on it. 1._________But we don’t often look at it. If we did,
we’d discover a story of a geological past and a history of marine life that goes back thousands, and in some
cases, millions of years.

What exactly is sand? Well, it is larger than fine dust and smaller than shingle. In fact, according to the most
generally accepted scheme of measurement, grains qualify if their diameter is greater than 0.06 of a millimetre
and less than 0.6 of a millimetre. Depending on its age and origin, sand can consist of tiny pebbles or porous
granules. 2. __________ They have come from the eroision of rocks, or from the skeletons of marine organisms,
which accumulate on the bottom of the oceans, or even from volcanic eruptions.

Colour is another clue in sand’s origins. If it is dazling white, its grains may come from nearby coral. On Pacific
islands, jet black sands form from volcanic minerals. Red iron oxide sands are often found on beaches along the
coast of North Africa. Yellow sands in Germany and Poland are the remains from the Ice Age. The most precious
sands are in Namibia, Angola and Zaire, where diamond deposits on some beaches make it worth collecting the
sand and selling it. Most of the world’s sand, though, consist mainly of largely transparent quartz.

Rain is an important force in the creation of beaches. It washes eroding rock into streams and rivers and down to
the sea. 3. __________ The largest fragments fall quickly to the bottom of the sea while smaller particles remain
suspended and only settle slowly in deeper water, which is why the sandy beach on the shoreline so often turns
to mud further out. More sand is generated on the seabed or in the ocean waters themselves, and later carried to
the shore by the churning of the waves. For example, calcium carbonate which disolves in water eventually
becomes too concentrated to remain a solution any longer and forms into greyish-white, egg-shaped grains. As
for sand made up from the remains of marine organisms, these can include both plant and animal debris. Their
colour ranges from cream to orange.

In the great slow cycle of the earth, sand that was once rock can turn to rock again, as layers and layers of
sediment slowly compress into sandstone. And sandstone exposed to the wind and rain can erode once more
into its component grains. It can be difficult to date the sand on your beach accurately, but it is possible to get a
general idea of whether or not the sand is ‘young’ or ‘old’. 4. __________ This is the case on the island of
Kamoama in Hawaii, where a beach was created by a volcanic eruption in 1990. Lava spilled into the sea and
exploded into glassy droplets. Usually, the older the granules, the finer they are and the smoother their edges.

It seems that when the poet William Blake saw infinity in a grain of sand he was not far wrong. Sand is an
irreplaceable industrial ingredient with many uses. 5. __________ Sand cushions our land from the sea’s impact
and geologists say it often does a better job protecting our shores than the most advanced coastal technology.

A. By the time it reaches it, hard quartz is usually predominant.

B. Its grains may have the shape of stars or spirals, with jagged or smooth edges.

C. However, it has one vital function you might never even notice.

D. If the individual fragments still have sharp edges, you can be sure they were formed recently.

E. It is something we complain about when it gets in our sandwiches and praise when it’s moulded into
castles.

F. There are people who collect sand as a hobby and they are called arenophiles.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy