Gateway to the world A2 Unit 4 Reading

Read the text quickly and match the questions and answers.

A GREEN VILLAGE IN THE AMAZON

Hello from Puerto Nariño, Colombia! Puerto Nariño is a really special, eco-friendly village in the Amazon rainforest. There are no cars or buses here so you have to walk. The streets are very clean and you have to pay if you leave litter. People use rainwater to wash, and there is no electricity after midnight. Recycling is important here, and people make things from old plastic bottles, for example.

It isn’t easy to get here. First, you have to get to the small city of Leticia. Usually, I like to travel by bus or by train but there aren’t any roads to Leticia. You have to travel by boat or by plane. I took a flight from the Colombian capital, Bogotá. Then you have to get a boat from Leticia to Puerto Nariño. There are three boats a day and it takes about two hours. It’s exciting travelling along the Amazon river, with Peru on the left and Colombia on the right.

In Puerto Nariño there aren’t lots of places to go sightseeing, but you can go on a really cool excursion to Tarapoto Lake. It’s about 10km from the village. You can see pink dolphins and it’s also a good place to swim. We went with a tour guide who showed us lots of birds and animals.

Puerto Nariño is a beautiful place with really friendly people. However, it’s very hot, there aren’t a lot of different activities, and it’s not the kind of place you go on a package holiday. But I love it!

Complete the sentences with these words.

boat • excursion • flight • package holiday • plane • sightseeing • tour guide • train

1 I don’t like rivers or the sea, so I never travel by ______      .

2 She always takes a lot of photos when she goes _______             .

3 He’s a really good ________            – he knows a lot and he tells funny stories!

4 If you’re travelling by _____       , go to the airport early so you are not late for your______        .

5 I don’t travel by ____       often because there isn’t a station in my town.

6 You can go on a_______                 if you don’t want to book everything yourself.

7 The________           to the lake takes about six hours and we travel there by bus

A GREEN VILLAGE IN THE AMAZON

Hello from Puerto Nariño, Colombia! Puerto Nariño is a really special, eco-friendly village in the Amazon rainforest. There are no cars or buses here so you have to walk. The streets are very clean and you have to pay if you leave litter. People use rainwater to wash, and there is no electricity after midnight. Recycling is important here, and people make things from old plastic bottles, for example.

It isn’t easy to get here. First, you have to get to the small city of Leticia. Usually, I like to travel by bus or by train but there aren’t any roads to Leticia. You have to travel by boat or by plane. I took a flight from the Colombian capital, Bogotá. Then you have to get a boat from Leticia to Puerto Nariño. There are three boats a day and it takes about two hours. It’s exciting travelling along the Amazon river, with Peru on the left and Colombia on the right.

In Puerto Nariño there aren’t lots of places to go sightseeing, but you can go on a really cool excursion to Tarapoto Lake. It’s about 10km from the village. You can see pink dolphins and it’s also a good place to swim. We went with a tour guide who showed us lots of birds and animals.

Puerto Nariño is a beautiful place with really friendly people. However, it’s very hot, there aren’t a lot of different activities, and it’s not the kind of place you go on a package holiday. But I love it!

Answer the following questions in your own words according to the information given in the text. Do not copy from the text.

How is Puerto Nariño different from other villages?

A GREEN VILLAGE IN THE AMAZON

Hello from Puerto Nariño, Colombia! Puerto Nariño is a really special, eco-friendly village in the Amazon rainforest. There are no cars or buses here so you have to walk. The streets are very clean and you have to pay if you leave litter. People use rainwater to wash, and there is no electricity after midnight. Recycling is important here, and people make things from old plastic bottles, for example.

It isn’t easy to get here. First, you have to get to the small city of Leticia. Usually, I like to travel by bus or by train but there aren’t any roads to Leticia. You have to travel by boat or by plane. I took a flight from the Colombian capital, Bogotá. Then you have to get a boat from Leticia to Puerto Nariño. There are three boats a day and it takes about two hours. It’s exciting travelling along the Amazon river, with Peru on the left and Colombia on the right.

In Puerto Nariño there aren’t lots of places to go sightseeing, but you can go on a really cool excursion to Tarapoto Lake. It’s about 10km from the village. You can see pink dolphins and it’s also a good place to swim. We went with a tour guide who showed us lots of birds and animals.

Puerto Nariño is a beautiful place with really friendly people. However, it’s very hot, there aren’t a lot of different activities, and it’s not the kind of place you go on a package holiday. But I love it!

Answer the following questions in your own words according to the information given in the text. Do not copy from the text.

How did the writer travel from Bogotá to Puerto Nariño?

A GREEN VILLAGE IN THE AMAZON

Hello from Puerto Nariño, Colombia! Puerto Nariño is a really special, eco-friendly village in the Amazon rainforest. There are no cars or buses here so you have to walk. The streets are very clean and you have to pay if you leave litter. People use rainwater to wash, and there is no electricity after midnight. Recycling is important here, and people make things from old plastic bottles, for example.

It isn’t easy to get here. First, you have to get to the small city of Leticia. Usually, I like to travel by bus or by train but there aren’t any roads to Leticia. You have to travel by boat or by plane. I took a flight from the Colombian capital, Bogotá. Then you have to get a boat from Leticia to Puerto Nariño. There are three boats a day and it takes about two hours. It’s exciting travelling along the Amazon river, with Peru on the left and Colombia on the right.

In Puerto Nariño there aren’t lots of places to go sightseeing, but you can go on a really cool excursion to Tarapoto Lake. It’s about 10km from the village. You can see pink dolphins and it’s also a good place to swim. We went with a tour guide who showed us lots of birds and animals.

Puerto Nariño is a beautiful place with really friendly people. However, it’s very hot, there aren’t a lot of different activities, and it’s not the kind of place you go on a package holiday. But I love it!

Answer the following questions in your own words according to the information given in the text. Do not copy from the text.

What’s one place you can visit near Puerto Nariño? What can you do there?

A GREEN VILLAGE IN THE AMAZON

Hello from Puerto Nariño, Colombia! Puerto Nariño is a really special, eco-friendly village in the Amazon rainforest. There are no cars or buses here so you have to walk. The streets are very clean and you have to pay if you leave litter. People use rainwater to wash, and there is no electricity after midnight. Recycling is important here, and people make things from old plastic bottles, for example.

It isn’t easy to get here. First, you have to get to the small city of Leticia. Usually, I like to travel by bus or by train but there aren’t any roads to Leticia. You have to travel by boat or by plane. I took a flight from the Colombian capital, Bogotá. Then you have to get a boat from Leticia to Puerto Nariño. There are three boats a day and it takes about two hours. It’s exciting travelling along the Amazon river, with Peru on the left and Colombia on the right.

In Puerto Nariño there aren’t lots of places to go sightseeing, but you can go on a really cool excursion to Tarapoto Lake. It’s about 10km from the village. You can see pink dolphins and it’s also a good place to swim. We went with a tour guide who showed us lots of birds and animals.

Puerto Nariño is a beautiful place with really friendly people. However, it’s very hot, there aren’t a lot of different activities, and it’s not the kind of place you go on a package holiday. But I love it!

Answer the following questions in your own words according to the information given in the text. Do not copy from the text.

Does the writer like Puerto Nariño? Why / Why not?

A GREEN VILLAGE IN THE AMAZON

Hello from Puerto Nariño, Colombia! Puerto Nariño is a really special, eco-friendly village in the Amazon rainforest. There are no cars or buses here so you have to walk. The streets are very clean and you have to pay if you leave litter. People use rainwater to wash, and there is no electricity after midnight. Recycling is important here, and people make things from old plastic bottles, for example.

It isn’t easy to get here. First, you have to get to the small city of Leticia. Usually, I like to travel by bus or by train but there aren’t any roads to Leticia. You have to travel by boat or by plane. I took a flight from the Colombian capital, Bogotá. Then you have to get a boat from Leticia to Puerto Nariño. There are three boats a day and it takes about two hours. It’s exciting travelling along the Amazon river, with Peru on the left and Colombia on the right.

In Puerto Nariño there aren’t lots of places to go sightseeing, but you can go on a really cool excursion to Tarapoto Lake. It’s about 10km from the village. You can see pink dolphins and it’s also a good place to swim. We went with a tour guide who showed us lots of birds and animals.

Puerto Nariño is a beautiful place with really friendly people. However, it’s very hot, there aren’t a lot of different activities, and it’s not the kind of place you go on a package holiday. But I love it!

Read the text again and find words that have these meanings.

1. good for the environment (paragraph 1) ____              

2. rubbish that people throw in the street, etc. (paragraph 1) _____       

3. changing paper, bottles, etc. so they can be used again (paragraph 1) _______           

4. Large, intelligent animals that live in the sea and some rivers, and often jump out of the water. (paragraph 3)_______         

Look at the short texts. Which text(s) (1–6) is/are …

a about something that happened yesterday? ______  

b about something you must do? _______     

c about something you might want to book? _______     

d about something that happened today?______  

1 Buy tickets here You must buy a ticket before you get on the train. You can’t buy tickets on the train.

2 New excursion! Sightseeing by boat, with our tour guide Helen. We stop at Blackrock Castle and visit a beautiful beach. Price: £20, including castle ticket.

3 All passengers must show passports and tickets here. Then take your luggage to Desk C.

4 Hi Billy, My flight was late and I’m very tired! I didn’t get the bus from the airport. I’m in a taxi now. See you soon! Kate.

5 Green’s Travel Agency

This week:

- Travel to Russia by train for only £100!

- 30% off flights to Brazil!

6 Hi Mum and Dad, South Africa is amazing! I went sightseeing around Cape Town with a tour guide yesterday. I bought some cool souvenirs for you, and I took about 500 photos! Love, Connor

Put the letters in order to make travel and transport words.

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1 Buy tickets here You must buy a ticket before you get on the train. You can’t buy tickets on the train.

  [A, B, C]

A You can buy a ticket after you get on the train.

B If you booked your ticket online you can get it here.

C You have to buy a ticket first and then you can get on the train

2 New excursion! Sightseeing by boat, with our tour guide Helen. We stop at Blackrock Castle and visit a beautiful beach. Price: £20, including castle ticket.

  [A, B, C]

A You have to pay more if you want to visit the castle.

B You can visit a beach and a castle by boat.

C It costs £20 to visit the castle.

3 All passengers must show passports and tickets here. Then take your luggage to Desk C.

  [A, B, C]

A Somebody looks at your luggage here.

B You must show your passport and ticket at Desk C.

C You can go to Desk C after you show your passport and ticket.

4 Hi Billy, My flight was late and I’m very tired! I didn’t get the bus from the airport. I’m in a taxi now. See you soon! Kate.

  [A, B, C]

A Kate is travelling from the airport by taxi.

B The airport bus was late.

C The bus doesn’t go to the airport

5 Green’s Travel Agency

This week:

- Travel to Russia by train for only £100!

- 30% off flights to Brazil!

  [A, B, C]

A Green’s Travel Agency has cheap flights to Russia and Brazil.

B Some flights and train tickets are cheaper this week.

C You can get 30% off train tickets here

6 Hi Mum and Dad, South Africa is amazing! I went sightseeing around Cape Town with a tour guide yesterday. I bought some cool souvenirs for you, and I took about 500 photos! Love, Connor

  [A, B, C]

A Connor’s parents bought him some souvenirs.

B Connor took a lot of photos in Cape Town.

C Connor arrived in Cape Town today