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[C+] The Arctic vs. The Antarctic

LET'S UNLOCK WORDS AND PHRASES 🔐

conspire

[ kuhn-'spahyuhr ]

verb

- to plan secretly with other people to do something bad, illegal, or against someone's wishes

He felt that his colleagues were conspiring together to remove him from his job.

mammal

[ 'mam-uhl ]

noun

- any animal of which the female feeds her young on milk from her own body. Most mammals give birth to live young, not eggs

Humans, dogs, elephants, and dolphins are all mammals, but birds, fish, and crocodiles are not.

elevation

[ el-uh-'vey-shuhn ]

noun

- the height of a place above the level of the sea

The crop is not grown at high elevations/above an elevation of 3,500 feet.

precipitation

[ pri-sip-i-'tey-shuhn ]

noun

- water that falls from the clouds toward the ground, especially as rain or snow

The forecast is for dry, cloudy weather with no precipitation expected.

inhospitable

[ in-ho-'spit-uh-buhl ]

adjective

- not welcoming or generous to people who visit you

I'll have to cook them a meal or they'll think I'm inhospitable.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK! [ FULL CLIP ]

What is the video all about? Choose two statements that refer to the main ideas of the video.


1. The video discusses the differences and similarities between the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

2. The Arctic region, located in the Northern hemisphere, is defined by its ice-covered ocean and treeless permafrost landscapes.

3. Both polar areas are crucial for global climate, but they have unique landscapes and animal inhabitants.

4. Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, notable for its vast icy expanse and absence of permanent human residents.

LET'S TRY IT! - FIRST CUT

A. Script Completion

Direction: Watch the first cut of the video and complete the following lines below with the missing words or phrases. Write or type down your answers while listening.

⏱ 00:41 - 01:44

Let's talk about the Arctic first. The Arctic region consists of a vast, (1) - ocean surrounded by treeless permafrost. The area can be defined as the region between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole. If you were to (2) at the North Pole, everywhere you looked, in all directions, would be (3) . But standing at the North Pole is difficult to do for very long because it's in the (4) , covered by constantly shifting, frozen sea ice. If you were to fall into the water at the North Pole, you'd (5) that's 13,980 feet deep. Above the water, average (6) can be as low as -40 degrees Celsius, and the coldest recorded temperature is approximately -68 degrees Celsius. Despite these incredibly (7) conditions, humans have populated areas in the Arctic for thousands of years. Life in the Arctic includes (8) living in the ice, zooplankton and phytoplankton, fish and (9) mammals, birds, land animals, plants, and human societies.

LET'S PRACTICE - SECOND CUT

A. Script Completion

Direction: Watch the second cut of the video and complete the following lines below with the missing phrases.

⏱ 01:47 - 02:58

Antarctica is Earth's (1) continent, and it contains the geographic South Pole. It's the fifth largest continent on the planet at nearly (2) of Australia. Almost 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice at least one mile in (3) . Conditions in Antarctica are some of the most extreme in the entire world. On average, it's the coldest, windiest, (4) continent and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. You might think that it snows all the time at the Poles, but Antarctica is so dry, it's considered a (5) with annual precipitation of only 200 millimeters along the coast and far less (6) . The temperature in Antarctica has reached (7) Celsius. Because it's so harsh and hard to get to, there are (8) human residents on Antarctica, but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people (9) throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent. Even the most extreme animals (10) , and only cold-adapted organisms survive there, including many types of algae, animals, (11) , fungi, plants, and protista.

LET'S DO THE CHALLENGE - FULL CLIP

Direction: Answer the following questions based on the video and let's check your comprehension.

⏱ 00:05 - 04:09

  1. How can one easily differentiate between the Arctic and the Antarctic based on their surrounding features?

  2. Which polar region has polar bears and which one has penguins?

  3. How deep is the water at the North Pole?

  4. How do the polar regions affect the global climate?

  5. In your opinion, which of the two regions, the Arctic or Antarctic, would you consider more beautiful or intriguing, and why?