Reading

PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE

A paragraph has got three parts: 

• The opening sentence: Introduces the topic.
• The body of the paragraph: Gives more information.
• The concluding sentence: Ends the paragraph.

1. Check out if this structure is applied in the texts on Australia’s geography.

Australia is a continent with landscapes consisting mainly of low plateaus sectioned off by rugged mountain ranges. The Great Dividing Range is the bigest mountain range, and starts in Central Victoria and ends in Northern Queensland, some several thousand kilometres in length, making it the fourth biggest range in the world. An area on the Victoria and New South Wales border receives more snow than the country of Switzerland. 

Other prominent mountain ranges include the Hammersley Ranges, the Flinders Ranges, the Macdonell Ranges, the Darling Ranges, and the King Leopold Ranges.

Northern Australia is located in the Tropics and the landscape consists of rainforest which leads into large areas of savanna grasslands which eventually merge into the central deserts. These deserts are the largest in the world outside of the Sahara. This part of Australia is called the Red Center, because of the unusual red colour of the sand.

Tasmania to the south is a mountainous island about the same size as Ireland or Sri Lanka located in the temperate climatic zone immediately below the Australian continent. One quarter of this island is protected wilderness and is similar in appearance to nearby New Zealand.

The Southwest corner of Australia is populated by Karri Forests which rate as some of the tallest trees on Earth.

A major contributor to air pollution in Australian cities is the motor vehicle, the number of which increases with rising populations. Motor vehicles are responsible for 80 to 90 per cent of carbon monoxide and lead emissions, and 50 to 80 per cent of hydrocarbon and nitrous oxide emissions. Although technological changes and regulations have get some emissions in check, ozone and nitrogen dioxide   have increased to unacceptable levels in the large cities. Photochemical smoke sometimes goes about national health guidelines in areas of Sydney such as the Southwest and around Melbourne. It is because of concerns about air quality that the NSW government has decided to limit housing developement in the Southwest of Sydney. However, since the pollutants flow there from elsewhere in the city, this may be a rather limited solution.

Water pollution resulting from flows of domestic sewage and urban run-off is also related to population levels (although it is also a function of treatment and urban design). Sydney's Nepeanendash; Hawkesbury river system is already under severe stress because of urban development. Nutrient, bacteria and virus levels are high because of inflows of sewage and agricultural run-off. Yet the NSW government is proposing to develop additional housing for thousands of families with the catchment of this river system, adding to its load.

2. Order these paragraphs to produce a coherent text:

-The area around Lake Como has got beautiful, steep mountains and green forests.

-Today, many people still come here because it’s a great place for a holiday.

-In the town next to the lake, there are lovely restaurants and discos.

-Lake Como in Italy is a popular tourist destination.

-People can enjoy different water sports on the lake.

-It is one of the biggest lakes in Italy and it’s one of the deepest lakes in Europe.

-In the past, rich people built beautiful villas near the lake so they could enjoy the area.

HONEYMOON

1. Read the following text and analyze how is the structure of this narration.

“Honeymoon is one of the most beautiful vacations for a newly married couple. The vacation should be planned to be in very beautiful and exotic places. Honeymoon is a time where the couples want to spend a cozy time. For feeling cozy one has to select a very beautiful destination.

Virgin Islands of New Zealand are one of the most exotic destinations for the honeymoon. Here a couple gets what they want. There you get all the coziness and the lonely time with your partner. The landscape too is very beautiful and attractive. Romance is in the air with the beauty of the beaches.

Here you can get good hotels providing many facilities at a very low cost when compared with other places. Thus this place is really exotic for the couples to spend some quality time together. So if you are planning for your honeymoon, do think about the exotic beaches of Virgin Islands.”

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