Singing Sands

10/10/2020 5:57:00 PM
A land of untouched remoteness: exploring the Gobi Desert. Image: Bradt Guides

Do you know?

  • In winter months, the Gobi Desert can get as cold as -40°C, while 45°C is the hottest temperature in summer. 
  • The Gobi Desert is not just one thing, but a combination of 33 separate deserts, each offering different landscapes and features.

Let's explore "singing sands" in the Gobi desert!

FACT: At around 1,300,000 square kilometers, the Gobi desert is the 6th largest desert in the world.

A land of untouched remoteness: exploring the Gobi Desert. Image: Bradt Guides

Listen and choose the correct answer.

  • When did Marco Polo cross the Gobi Desert?
  • Where is the Gobi Desert?

When did Marco Polo cross the Gobi Desert?

  • About 470 years ago
  • About 400 years ago
  • More than 700 years ago

The Gobi Desert is located in _____.

  • Malaysia
  • China
  • Korea

Complete the text you are listening to by dragging the correct word to each blank.

Marco Polo was an explorer. Over seven hundred years ago, he crossed the Gobi Desert. The Gobi Desert is in China. When Polo crossed the desert, he heard strange sounds. He heard low, humming sounds. The sounds could be heard from away. It seemed as if the were singing.

Polo did not know what was making the sand sing. No one knew. People thought something evil was making the sounds. 

Today, we know how the sounds are made. We know that nothing is making the sounds.

The noise is made when sand grains each other one after the other. The grains have a special makeup. They are a size. They are dry and round. They move at a certain speed.

Read and answer the following questions.

Animals In Gobi Desert. Image: Discover Mongolia

Marco Polo was an explorer. Over seven hundred years ago, he crossed the Gobi Desert. The Gobi Desert is in China. When Polo crossed the desert, he heard strange sounds. He heard low, humming sounds. The sounds could be heard from far away. It seemed as if the sands were singing.

Polo did not know what was making the sand sing. No one knew. People thought something evil was making the sounds. 

Today, we know how the sounds are made. We know that nothing evil is making the sounds.

The noise is made when sand grains bump each other one after the other. The grains have a special makeup. They are a certain size. They are dry and round. They move at a certain speed.

Source: Daily Warm-ups Grade 2

What has to happen for sand to make sounds?
  • The sand grains must move.
  • The sand grains must be round and wet.
  • The sand grains must be dry and square.
  • All answers are correct.

From the story, you can tell that sometimes if we do not know how something happens, we think it is ___

  • hot.
  • evil.
  • funny.
  • silly.

Put the right word in each blank. The sentences are from the text.

  1. The sounds could be heard from away. It seemed as if the were singing. 
  2. People thought something was making the sounds. 
  3. The noise is made when sand grains each other one after the other. 
  4. The grains have a special makeup. They are a size.

Put the right word in each blank. These are new sentences for the words in the text. 

  1. The dog wandered from home. 
  2. The film was about an genius who wanted to control the world.
  3. I my head as I was getting into the car.
  4. We have reasons for our decision.
  5. I like to feel the between my toes.