Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 3 • Lesson B: Natural wonders

Vocabulary
Natural wonders
archipelago (n)
beach (n)
coast (n)
continent (n)
desert (n)
glacier (n)
island (n)
lake (n)
mountain (n)
mountain range (n)
ocean (n)
rain forest (n)
reef (n)
river (n)

Adjectives of measurement
high (8,850 meters high) (adj)
wide (29 kilometers wide) (adj)

Units of measurement
Celsius (48°C / 48 degrees Celsius)
Fahrenheit (120°F / 120 degrees Fahrenheit)
0°C = 32°F
1 square kilometer = 0.386 square miles

© Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 3, Lesson B, Page 1

Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Numbers
6,529 = six thousand five hundred (and)
twenty-nine
7.7 = seven point seven

Other words
erupt (v)
reach (v)

Grammar
Questions with How + adjective . . . ?
You can use these adjectives in questions with How + adjective . . . ? In answers to questions
like these, you can repeat the adjective after the measurement:

• high

A How high is Mount Everest?

B It's 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) high.

• long

A How long is the Nile River?

B It's 6,695 kilometers (4,160 miles) long.

• wide

A How wide is the Grand Canyon?

B It's about 29 kilometers (18 miles) wide.

• deep

A How deep is the Pacific Ocean?

B It's about 11,000 meters (36,000 feet) deep.

© Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 3, Lesson B, Page 2

Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3
You can also use these adjectives in questions with How + adjective . . . ? But, in answers to
questions like these, do not repeat the adjective:

• large

A How large is the Sahara Desert?

B It's 9.1 million square kilometers (3.5 million square miles).

• hot

A How hot does it get in Death Valley?

B It can reach 48 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit).

© Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 3, Lesson B, Page 3