How the Forests Became Coal?

10/10/2020 5:58:00 PM
Image: mining-technology.com

Do you know?

  • 37% of the world’s electricity and over 70% of the world’s steel is produced using coal.
  • Coal is the second most-consumed fossil fuel in the world, behind petroleum.

Let's explore more in the following passage!

FACT: The United States has more coal than any other fossil fuel resource. 

Coal-fired power station. Image: wired.com

Listen and answer the questions.

  • Coal is formed from ____.
  • How long does it take plants to turn into coal? 

Coal is formed from ____.

  • dirt
  • plants
  • oil

How long does it take plants to turn into coal? 

  • 10 years
  • 100 years
  • millions of years

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

Coal is a black rock used for energy. It is made from plants. These plants lived millions of years ago. These plants even before the dinosaurs! Earth looked much different back then.

There were many . There were many forests. There were many plants that covered the world. After many years, the plants died. Then they formed a layer at the swamp bottom. Layer after layer of dead plants built up.

Floods and wind the plants under lots of . Soon, the plants were buried very deep underground.

Mountains formed over the buried plants. The mountains were very heavy, and they squeezed the plants!

Deep underground, the Earth is very hot. The heat from the Earth and the weight of the mountains to squish the plants.

After many years, the plants turned into the black rock we call . This process takes millions of years!

Read the text and answer the following questions.

Image: mining-technology.com

Coal is a black rock used for energy. It is made from plants. These plants lived millions of years ago. These plants existed even before the dinosaurs! Earth looked much different back then.

There were many swamps. There were many forests. There were many plants that covered the world. After many years, the plants died. Then they formed a layer at the swamp bottom. Layer after layer of dead plants built up.

Floods and wind buried the plants under lots of dirt. Soon, the plants were buried very deep underground.

Mountains formed over the buried plants. The mountains were very heavy, and they squeezed the plants!

Deep underground, the Earth is very hot. The heat from the Earth and the weight of the mountains continued to squish the plants.

After many years, the plants turned into the black rock we call coal. This process takes millions of years!

What happens before mountains form over plants? 

  • Mountains squished the plants.
  • Wind and floods buried plants underground.
  • The Earth's heat melted the plants.
  • The plants turned into the black rock we call coal.

Which idea best explains how old the plants are? 

  • The author says plants and swamps used to cover the Earth.
  • The author says the plants lived before dinosaurs.
  • The author says the plants are now underground.
  • The author says the plants were buried very deep underground.

What is this article mostly about? 

  • We have mined too much coal.
  • Plants turn into coal over many years.
  • Swamps have disappeared from the Earth.
  • Why we need coal.

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

  1. These plants even before the dinosaurs!
  2. Floods and wind the plants under lots of . 
  3. After many years, the plants turned into the black rock we call . 
  4. The heat from the Earth and the weight of the mountains to squish the plants.
  5. There were many . There were many forests.

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

  1. In the rainy season, floods and make it very difficult for cars and trucks to ply the roads.
  2. Many miners have suffered from the effects of dust in their lungs.
  3. Do you think ghosts ?
  4. If the rain , we'll have to cancel tonight's plans.
  5. Ostriches dig a small hole in the sand to their eggs.
  6. I've been digging in the , planting seeds.