unit focus: countries around the world text focus ... · (the ti ny dot is sti ll nearly a thousand...

STAGE 3Unit focus: Countries Around The WorldText focus: Information Text

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Country ComparisonEvery country in the world is diff erent. Some have millions of people living there whereas others only have a few hundred. Some countries are very rich but others are not. Some things are free in some places but expensive elsewhere. Let’s have a look around the world.

ChinaandIndiabothhavepopulationsofover1.3billionpeople!TheUnitedStatesisthirdwith330million.That’sabigjump!Youcanseethedifferencewiththecirclesbelow.TheleastpopulatedcountryisVaticanCity.Thereareonly800peoplelivingthere(thetinydotisstillnearlyathousandtimesbiggerthanitshouldbe!).

POPULATION

Va� can City(800 people)

China(1,394,015,977 people)

United States(329,877,505 people)

UK(67m people)

Ge�ngadegreeatuniversitycanbeexpensive.Itdoesn’thavetobe,though.Somecountriesdon’tchargeforuniversityatall!

COST OF EDUCATION

UnitedStates:£20,000peryearNewZealand:£14,300peryearAustralia:£11,500peryearCanada£10,400peryearUnitedKingdom(ExceptScotland):£9,500peryear

So,whichcountriesarefree?

Scotland,Argentina,Greece,SwedenandFinland!

£££

££

£

Mostcountriesexperiencedifferenttemperaturesthroughouttheyear.SomecountriesontheEquatordon’thavetheseseasons.ButwherearethehottestandcoldesttemperaturesonEarth?

HOT AND COLD

ThehottesttemperatureeverrecordedonEarthwasatDeathValleyintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Thetemperaturereachedascorching54.4ConSunday16thAugust,2020.

Attheotherendofthescale,thecoldesttemperatureeverrecordedonthegroundwasinJuly1983.Thetemperatureplummetedto-89CinAntarctica.Sincethen,satelliteshavemeasuredtemperaturesaslowas-98Cininaccessiblespotscloseby!You’dbettertakeacoat!

Thereare7.5billionpeoplelivingonplanetEarthtoday.That’savastnumberofbodiestosupport.However,ifweweretoallstandshouldertoshoulder,wewouldallfitintothecityofLosAngeles!That’scomfortingtoknow!

A TIGHT SQUEEZE

VIVE LA FRANCEFrancewelcomednearly87millionvisitorsin2017.ThatmakesitthemostvisitedcountryonEarth!ThesecondmostpopularholidaydestinationwasSpainwith82millionpeopledroppingintosay“Hello”.TheUnitedStatescamethirdwith77million.

RETRIEVAL FOCUS1.Whereintheworldhasapopulationofroughly300millionpeople?

2.WhatisthecoldesttemperatureeverrecordedonEarth?

3. Ifeverybodysqueezedtogether,whichcitywouldweallfitinto?

4.Whichcountryhadthesecondhighestnumberoftouristsin2017?

5.WhenwasthehottesttemperatureonEarthrecorded?

VIPERS QUESTIONSI WhymightmorepeoplestudyatuniversityinArgentinaorGreecethaninAustraliaorCanada?

V Findawordwithadefinitioncloseto“droppedquickly”.

V Whatisa“destination”?

I Whymightsatelliteshavebeenabletodetecttemperaturesthatscientistsonthegroundcouldn’t?

E Whatistheeffectofshowingthedifferentpopulationsascirclesontopofeachother?

Answers:

1.TheUnitedStates(ofAmerica)

2.-98C

3.LosAngeles

4.Spain

5.16thAugust2020

I:Itisfree,whereasitisexpensiveinCanadaandAustralia

V:Plummeted

V:Somewherethatyouareheadedtoorarevisiting/theendofajourney

I:Thetextsaysthesatellitesfoundthetemperaturesininaccessibleplaces.Thismeansthatitwouldhavebeenhardforscientiststogetto.

E:Youcanseejusthowmuchsmallerorlargerthepopulationsare.

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http://www.literacyshedplus.com