Reading
1. Quickly read the passage and choose the most suitable heading A, B, or C for each paragraph.
A. Nomadic children’s lives
B. The importance of cattle to the nomads
C. The nomads’s home
NOMADIC LIFE ON THE GOBI HIGHLANDS
1. ____________________
We don't live a normal life like many other people. We live a nomadic life. This means we move two or three times a year to look for new pastures - grasslands - for our cattle. The cattle provide most of our needs: dairy products, meat, and clothing.
2. ____________________
We live in a ger, our traditional circular tent. It keeps us cool in summer and warm in winter, even when the temperature drops to -50°C. It can be put up then taken down and transported.
3. ____________________
For most of the year, we are surrounded by vast pastures, rivers and mountains. We see few people from the outside world. When we are small, we play on our land and with the animals. The horse is our best friend. Any nomadic child can ride a horse. We learn from an early age to help in the family, from household chores to heavier work like herding the cattle. We also learn to be brave.
2. Match the descriptions with the words/ phrases from the passage.
| Words/ phrases | Descriptions |
| 1. a ger 2. dairy products 3. cattle 4. nomadic life 5. pastures | a. the life on the move b. a circular tent in which Mongolian nomads live c. grassland d. milk, butter, cheese e. cows, goats, buffaloes... |
3. Read the passage again and choose the best answer A, B, C, or D.
1. We live __________ other people.
A. a different life to
B. similarly to
C. the same life as
D. in exactly the same way as
2. We have to move in order to __________.
A. change our lifestyle
B. look for better weather
C. look for food for our cattle
D. be closer to the city
3. Our cattle can provide us with __________.
A. most of our needs
B. food only
C. means of transport only
D. anything we want
4. When we move to a new place, we __________.
A. have to make a new ger
B. put up the ger
C. buy a new ger
D. share a ger with our neighbours
5. Nomadic children __________.
A. play the same games as other children in the world
B. use nature and their animals as playthings
C. do not like toys
D. spend all their time helping with housework
6. Mongolian children in the Gobi learn __________.
A. to ride a goat
B. to live in the mountains
C. to be generous
D. to help with household chores
Speaking
4. Work in pairs. Interview your partner to find out what he/ she likes/ doesn’t like about the life of the nomads.
Example:
A: What do you like about their nomadic life?
B: Well, the children learn to ride a horse.
A: And what don't you like about it?
B: They can't live permanently in one place.
5a. Work in pairs. Discuss and find:
- two things you like about life in the countryside
- two things you don't like about life in the countryside
Explain your choice.
5b. Report your findings to the class.
Example:
Both of us love picking fruit in the summer. It can be hard work but very satisfying.
