Grammar: . Pronunciation tips:
LISTENING PRACTICE
Use the audio player at the bottom of the screen to listen to the slow audio version, or click on the picture on the right below for the normal-speed version.
Use the audio player at the bottom of the screen for the slow audio version.
FULL TEXT
Sailing Through the Panama Canal
Liam and Sofia were two young adventurers. They wanted to sail around the world. After many weeks on the ocean, they reached the Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal.
“Here we go!” said Sofia. “This canal will take us from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.”
Their boat slowly entered the first lock. These were the Gatun Locks, near the city of Colón. The lock gate closed behind them, and the water began to rise.
“Look! We are going up!” said Liam.
When the water reached the same level as the water in the next chamber, the front gate opened, and their boat moved to the next lock. They passed through three such chambers, each one higher than the last. After about two hours, they were 26 meters above sea level.
Now they sailed across a big lake called Gatun Lake. The water was calm and green. They saw birds, trees, and even a crocodile on the shore.
“This feels like sailing through a jungle river,” Sofia whispered. It took almost two hours to cross the lake.
After the lake, the boat entered a narrow valley called the Culebra Cut.
The mountains on both sides were very close. Liam had to steer carefully. “It feels like a secret corridor” he said.
Soon they reached the Pedro Miguel Lock. This lock slowly lowered their boat about 9 meters.
“It’s like going down a water elevator,” said Sofia.
Finally, they arrived at the last part — the Miraflores Locks.
There were two steps here. The boat slowly went down until it was back at sea level.
After about nine hours, they were free.
“The Pacific Ocean!” shouted Liam.
The sun was setting as their boat sailed out into the open sea.
“We did it,” said Sofia. “Next stop — the islands of the Pacific!”
NEW WORDS
Adventurer. Sail. Entrance. Enter. Canal. Rise. Boat Lock. Boat Lock Gate. Chamber. Lift. Reach. Level. Crocodile. Shore. Valley. Steer. Corridor. Shout.
Canal
Boat Lock
Lift
Reach
Level
Crocodile
Shore
Valley
Steer
Corridor
Shout
The Panama Canal Locks
TEST YOUR VOCABLARY – Name the image
ANSWERS: Reach. Lift. Adventurer. Sail. Canal. Entrance. Boat lock. Crocodile, Shore. Valley. Steer. Corridor. Shout. Level
TEST YOUR LISTENING SKILLS – ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW
Use desktop mode on mobile devices
QUESTIONS (Use audio player at bottom of screen)
1 What adventure did Liam and Sofia want to do?
2 The Panama Canal will take the two adventurers from where to where?
3 What happened after the lock gate closed behind them?
4 What happened after the water level reached the same level as the water in the next chamber?
5 What did they see on Lake Gatun?
6 Why did Liam say “It feels like a secret corridor” when they were sailing through the Culebra Cut.
7 What did Sofia say when their boat was lowered in the Pedro Miguel Lock?
8 Where did they reach after 9 hours through the Panama Canal?
ANSWERS (Hover your mouse – tap & hold then hit the “back” navigation arrow on phones- to reveal the answers).
1. They wanted to sail around the world.
2. This canal will take us from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean
4. The front gate opened, and their boat moved to the next lock
5. They saw birds, trees, and even a crocodile on the shore.
6 Because the mountains on both sides were very close
GRAMMAR TEST
Hover over the blank space (tap & hold then hit the “back” navigation arrow on phones) to reveal the answer
FILL IN THE BLANKS
Sailing Through the Panama Canal
Liam and Sofia were two young adventurers. They wanted to sail around the world. After many weeks on the ocean, they reached the Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal.
“Here we go!” said Sofia. “This canal will take us from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.”
Their boat slowly entered the first lock. These were the Gatun Locks, near the city of Colón. The lock gate closed behind them, and the water began to rise.
“Look! We are going up!” said Liam.
When the water reached the same level as the water in the next chamber, the front gate opened, and their boat moved to the next lock. They passed through three such chambers, each one higher than the last. After about two hours, they were 26 meters (85 feet) above sea level.
Now they sailed across a big lake called Gatun Lake. The water was calm and green. They saw birds, trees, and even a crocodile on the shore.
“This feels like sailing through a jungle river,” Sofia whispered. It took almost two hours to cross the lake.
After the lake, the boat entered a narrow valley called the Culebra Cut.
The mountains on both sides were very close. Liam had to steer carefully. “It feels like a secret corridor” he said.
Soon they reached the Pedro Miguel Lock. This lock slowly lowered their boat about 9 meters (31 feet).
“It’s like going down a water elevator,” said Sofia.
Finally, they arrived at the last part — the Miraflores Locks.
There were two steps here. The boat slowly went down until it was back at sea level.
After about nine hours, they were free.
“The Pacific Ocean!” shouted Liam.
The sun was setting as their boat sailed out into the open sea.
“We did it,” said Sofia. “Next stop — the islands of the Pacific!”
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