A team explores the Lut Desert in Iran, considered the hottest spot on Earth, where temperatures reached 70.7°C (159.3°F) in 2005. The desert is vast and mostly inaccessible due to extreme heat and lack of resources. The team faces harsh conditions, including temperatures as high as 45°C (113°F) in the shade and 73.7°C (146.6°F) on the soil, and struggles to cope with the heat, which causes equipment to malfunction and makes it difficult to breathe. Despite the challenges, they discover signs of life, including migratory birds, grasshoppers, and desert foxes, and conduct experiments to demonstrate the extreme conditions. The Iranian government bans visiting the desert in June, July, and August due to the extreme heat, and the team must be careful to avoid dehydration and sunburn.
| Term | Definition | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Inaccessible | Difficult or impossible to reach or enter | The Lut Desert is mostly inaccessible due to extreme heat and lack of resources. |
| Migratory | Relating to animals that move from one place to another at certain times of the year | The team discovers signs of migratory birds in the Lut Desert. |
| Malfunction | To fail to work properly | The equipment malfunctions due to the extreme heat in the desert. |
| Dehydration | A condition caused by losing too much water from the body | The team must be careful to avoid dehydration in the extreme heat of the desert. |
| Extreme | Very great or intense | The team faces extreme conditions, including high temperatures and lack of resources. |
| Harsh | Unpleasantly severe or rough | The team faces harsh conditions in the Lut Desert, including extreme heat and lack of resources. |
| Vast | Extremely large or extensive | The Lut Desert is vast and mostly inaccessible due to extreme heat and lack of resources. |
| Conduct | To carry out or perform an activity or experiment | The team conducts experiments to demonstrate the extreme conditions in the desert. |
| Struggle | To try hard to do something, but find it difficult | The team struggles to cope with the heat in the desert. |
| Extreme heat | Very high temperatures | The team faces extreme heat in the desert, with temperatures reaching 73.7°C (146.6°F) on the soil. |
Vocabulary Quiz
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The Lut Desert is considered the hottest spot on Earth, where temperatures reached 70.7°C (159.3°F) in 2005. What does “hottest spot” mean in this context?
- A) A place with the most beautiful scenery
- B) A location with the highest temperature
- C) An area with the most abundant wildlife
- D) A region with the most extreme weather conditions
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The desert is vast and mostly inaccessible due to extreme heat and lack of resources. What does “inaccessible” mean in this context?
- A) Easy to reach and explore
- B) Difficult to reach and explore
- C) Completely closed off to visitors
- D) Only accessible by foot
-
The team faces harsh conditions, including temperatures as high as 45°C (113°F) in the shade and 73.7°C (146.6°F) on the soil. What does “harsh” mean in this context?
- A) Mild and pleasant
- B) Severe and unpleasant
- C) Unpredictable and changing
- D) Unusual and unexpected
-
The team struggles to cope with the heat, which causes equipment to malfunction and makes it difficult to breathe. What does “malfunction” mean in this context?
- A) To work properly and efficiently
- B) To stop working or function incorrectly
- C) To work slowly and inefficiently
- D) To require frequent maintenance
-
The Iranian government bans visiting the desert in June, July, and August due to the extreme heat, and the team must be careful to avoid dehydration and sunburn. What does “dehydration” mean in this context?
- A) A condition of having too much water in the body
- B) A condition of having too little water in the body
- C) A condition of having a normal amount of water in the body
- D) A condition of having a balanced diet
Answer Key
- B) A location with the highest temperature
- B) Difficult to reach and explore
- B) Severe and unpleasant
- B) To stop working or function incorrectly
- B) A condition of having too little water in the body
Using the Present Perfect and Past Simple to Describe Completed Actions
| The present perfect is used to describe an action that started in the past and continues up to the present moment, or has a connection to the present. In contrast, the past simple is used to describe a completed action in the past. In the given text, we can see examples of both tenses used to describe different actions. |
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Quiz Time!
Choose the correct answer for each question.
1. The team ____________________ the Lut Desert in Iran.
A) has explored
B) explores
C) is exploring
D) explored
2. Temperatures ____________________ as high as 45°C (113°F) in the shade.
A) have reached
B) reached
C) reach
D) are reaching
3. The Iranian government ____________________ visiting the desert in June, July, and August.
A) bans
B) has banned
C) banned
D) is banning
4. The team ____________________ signs of life, including migratory birds and desert foxes.
A) discovers
B) has discovered
C) discover
D) discovered
5. The team ____________________ experiments to demonstrate the extreme conditions.
A) conducts
B) has conducted
C) conduct
D) conducted
Answer Key
1. D) explored
2. B) reached
3. A) bans
4. D) discovered
5. D) conducted
