Wonders of the World, Part 2
外研部编版九年级英语上册《odule 1 Wonders of the world Unit 2.》精品课教案_4

外研版九年级上册Module 1 Wonders of the world Unit 2 The Grand Canyon was not just big.学生课前课外学习活动设计一、课前自学Module1Unit2单词below, shine, sign, silent, silver, sky, grey, go though, beside, reply, clear, fall away, stream, nearly, on top of, canyon, remain, by二、搜集关于世界奇迹的图片和资料,了解中国和世界上著名的自然和人文奇迹。
外研版九年级上册Module 1 Wonders of the worldUnit 2 The Grand Canyon was not just big.学生课堂学习活动设计Learning aims:1.知识目标:能够正确读出并识记本课中出现的重点词汇:below, shine, sign, silent, silver, sky, grey, go though, beside, reply, clear, fall away, stream, nearly, on top of, canyon, remain, by2.能力目标:能够运用恰当的阅读技巧获取事实性信息,读懂游记类短文,理解作者的写作意图。
能够运用表述事实的形容词和语言描述景观,制作海报,用所学的词汇和短语完成一篇关于游览经历的写作3.情感目标:了解中国以及世界各地著名的自然和人文景观,培养对神奇的大自然和伟大的人类文明的热爱之情。
I.Pre-readingStep1 Lead-in:(观看图片,用形容词描述,视频导出大峡谷)Describe the following wonders with the words.ancient modern natural deep high long widethe Changjiang River长江It is a ______wonder.It is 6, 397 kilometers ____, 2 kilometers ____and 150 meters_____.Empire State Building 帝国大厦It is 443meters .It was built in 1931, so it is a wonder.the Grand Canyon美国大峡谷It is a _______wonder. It is one of the seven wonders of the world.II. While-reading:Step 2 Fast readingScan the passage quickly and match the main idea with each part:Part 1 (Paragraph 1-2) ______Part 2 (Paragraph 3-4) ______Part 3 (Paragraph 5) ______A.What I saw when I was on the edge of Grand Canyon.B. Before I saw the Grand Canyon.C. The writer’s feeling after visiting the Grand Canyon.(Reading tip : learn to scan the whole passage to get the main idea of each paragraph.)Step 3 Careful reading(根据要求在文中“扫描”准确定位,找到答案)(一)Read Part 1(paragraph 1-2) carefully and finish the following.(通过本环节的阅读,了解看见大峡谷之前发生的事情,培养学生获取细节信息的能力,同时渗透阅读策略。
外研版新教材九年级M1Wonders of the world知识点

• • • • • • •
go through a gate beside the path look over the rocks remain by the canyon look across the Grand Canyon look to my left and to my right fall down the canyon
wonder
agree
though
remain reply
across; to; over; below; by; down; through; beside
Let’s call Wonders of the World and join in the discussion. • n. 奇观 (c.) • wonders of the world 世界奇观 I wonder how; I wonder why; I wonder where they are, the days we had the songs we sang together. • v. 想知道
sentences
• 1. Victoria Falls is about 1700 meters wide and 100 meters long. • 2. Far below me, the ground fell away, and down to a river. • 3. If you put the two tallest buildings in the world on top of each other at the bottom of the canyon, they still would not reach the top. • 4. Finally I looked to my left and to my right, and on both sides the canyon went far away for more than 200 miles.
广西九年级英语上册Module1WondersoftheworldUnit2TheGrandCanyonwasnotjustbig

Unit 2 The Grand Canyon was not just big. & Unit 3第2课时分层训练[Unit 2&Unit 3]Ⅰ.根据句意及首字母提示写出正确的单词1.The weather is fine and the sun is s________ brightly.2.Kate sits b________ Mary and they are deskmates.3.—Do you know the s________?—Yes, it means “No Parking”.4.The rain stopped and the clouds c________ slowly.5.The classroom is very s________ and the students are having an exam. Ⅱ.用方框中所给单词的适当形式填空grey; nearly; remain; reply; sky1.Look! Some nice birds are flying in the ________.2.It's ________ now. It's going to rain soon.3.I wrote to him several times, but he never ________.4.—What do you think of the village?—Great! I really want to ________ longer.5.The room is ________ empty. We can't see any furniture.Ⅰ.单项选择( )1.________ the bottom of the canyon, there are some beautiful flowers. A.On B.At C.To D.From()2.The CCTV Tower is about 405 metres ________.A.wide B.heightC.high D.long( )3.—We'd better go home right now. The sky is getting ________.—Okay, let's go!A.blue B.clear C.grey D.bright()4.—Is it going to be colder tomorrow?—Yes. The radio says it will be five________ zero.A.below B.with C.under D.up()5.—Who was the first one to ________ the top of the mountain?—It was me. When I ________, I found I was there alone.A.reach; arrived B.get; reachedC.arrive; reached D.get; arrived()6.I stood at the top of the mountain and ________. It was so beautiful below.A.looked through B.looked acrossC.looked down D.looked up( )7.—Have you seen the film Coming Home directed by Zhang Yimou?—Not yet. I'm ________ seeing it. It's said that the film is great!A.looking down onB.looking out forC.looking up toD.looking forward to( )8.—Oh, my god! I've left my keys in the room. I'll have to get in ________ the window.—It's dangerous. You'd better wait for your mum to come back.A.past B.overC.across D.through()9.2017·随州—Did you watch the football match on TV last night?—I wanted to, but my father ________ his favourite TV programme.A.watched B.watchesC.was watching D.had watched( )10.2017·黔南州 I don't know when he ________. If he ________ here, I'll call you at once.A.will come; arrivesB.will come; will arriveC.comes; arrivesD.comes; will arriveⅡ.补全对话,方框中有两项多余(L—Lucy; M—Mike)L: Hi, Mike! Where did you travel last summer vacation?M: I went to India with my parents.L: 1.________M: Yes. And there are many ancient buildings there, like Taj Mahal(泰姬陵).L: 2.________M: You're right. The white building attracts us a lot.L: 3.________M: We also took many photos of lotus flowers(莲花).L: Really? 4.________ Could you show the photos to me?M: No problem! By the way, where did you go?L: I went to China.M: There is a wonder called the Great Wall in China.L: Yes. 5.________ If you have a chance to go to China some day, I believe you will be shocked by the wonderful wall.A.The lotus flower is the national flower of India.B.It's the pride of Chinese people.C.We don't know how people made the building years ago.D.It's a wonderful country with a long history.E.I'll write a report about the ancient buildings in the world.F.What else did you do in India?G.It's one of the greatest wonders of the world.Ⅲ.完形填空Welcome to Grand Canyon National Park! The Grand Canyon is famous as a wonder of the natural world, and it __1__ is. Here are some tips for enjoying the Grand Canyon.● __2__ on the paths. Don't stand on the edge of the cliff(悬崖) for a better__3__. We saw people doing this! Don't run around in dangerous areas.●Bring enough __4__. The Grand Canyon has a very dry climate, especially in summer. You will drink __5__ than you can possibly imagine.● Wear the right shoes. __6__ you're going to walk any distance on the Rim Trail, you'd better wear closedtoe(不露趾的) shoes.● Weather. During July and August, storms can __7__.The South Rim is open all year round, and in winter and early spring, bring more clothes to stay __8__.● Don't feed the animals. Some animals here are really lovely and they are not __9__ humans(人类),but don't feed them. Some animals can bite if you get too close. Human food is bad for many of the animals. __10__ may die! So let the animals feed themselves.( )1.A. hardly B.already C.really D.almost( )2.A. Jump B.Stay C.Work D.Dance( )3.A. life B.reason C.look D.trip( )4.A. water B.food C.clothes D.money( )5.A. more carefully B.moreC.more slowly D.better( )6.A. Although B.SoC.Because D.If( )7.A. come up B.take offC.go away D.look out( )8.A. awake B.warmC.happy D.safe( )9.A. afraid of B.interested inC.angry with D.proud of( )10.A. You B.It C.We D.TheyⅣ.阅读理解The Great Salt Lake is the biggest lake between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean, and is one of the biggest salt lakes in the world.The Great Salt Lake is salty because it does not have any outlet(出口). Many small rivers are bringing in water with a little salt. In the Great Salt Lake, much of the water evaporates,_leaving the salt behind.The Great Salt Lake is too salty, so most of the living things can't live in it.The Great Salt Lake and its islands give famous scenery. When the sun goes down, the lake looks red and orange, and the evening sky looks very beautiful.Many visitors go to the Great Salt Lake with their families to spend holidays. Swimming, sunbathing and sailing are popular on the clean, white sand beaches. The water is very salty; people can easily float(浮). The Great Salt Lake is an interesting place. People can have fun there.( )1.Why is the Great Salt Lake salty?A.Because it's very big.B.Because it has small rivers.C.Because it has no outlet.D.Because it's near the sea.( )2.The underlined word “evaporates” means “________” in Chines e.A.聚集B.蒸发C.倾泻D.干涸( )3.When does the lake look red and orange?A.In the morning. B.At noon.C.In the evening. D.At night.( )4.People can easily float in the lake because ________.A.there is too much salt in the waterB.the water is very cleanC.there is too much waterD.there isn't enough water( )5.What is the best title of the passage?A.The Great Salt LakeB.The Great LakesC.The beautiful eveningD.The salty water详解详析【课前自主预习】单词闯关1.sky 2.remain 3.below; above4.shine; shone/shined 5.silent; silence6.beside; by/near 7.clear; clear8.nearly; almost 9.reply; answer短语互译1.从……出来 2.从……上方看过去3.突然向下倾斜 4.go through5.on top of 6.at the bottom of连词成句1. When I arrived, it was early morning and it was raining.2. There was nothing to see, but I knew it was there.3. You'll get there in five minutes.4. She has gone to the Great Wall.课文初探1—4 BABA【课堂互动探究】词汇点睛●1 above; overB 考查介词的用法。
Module 1 Wonders of the world Unit 2 全知识点同步练习(含答案)

Module 1 Wonders of the world Unit 2 全知识点同步练习(含答案)Unit 2 同步练习I.连词成句1.will, he, be, in, back, fifteen minutes(他将于5分钟后回来。
)2.opened, Jim, the door, got out of, and, the taxi(吉姆翻开车门,从出租车里出来了。
)3.tall, the boy, was, not, look over, enough, to, the wall(这个男孩个子不够高,不能从墙上看过去。
)4.people, there, were, in the doorway, standing, and, couldn’t, I, go through(有人站在门口,我过不去。
)5.came up, Susan, sat, and, beside, me(苏珊走过来,坐在我身边。
)II.单项选择()6.In cold winter, the temperature in my city often remains zero all day.A.underB.besideC.below()7.—Who was the first one to the top of the mountain —It was me. When I , I found I was there alone.A.reach; arrivedB.get; reachedC.arrive; reached()8.—We’d better go home right now. The sky is getting .—Okay, let’s go.A.blueB.clearC.grey()9.[ In the picture, he sits me, looking very happy.A.besideB.amongC.up()10.On the other side of the hill, the land falls and down to the river.A.offB.awayC.down()11.I don’t know whether he to my letter.A.answeredB.knewC.replied()12.Scientists found a big and old ship the bottom of the sea.A.atB.onC.to()13.—Why would you like to walk the forest —Because I want to try something exciting.A.acrossB.throughC.over()14. My friend’s new restaurant in Wanda Plaza(万达广场)two years ago, but I there so far.A.has opened; haven’t beenB.was open; haven’t beenC.opened; haven’t gone()15.I don’t know when he . If he here, I’ll call you at once.A.will come; arrivesB.will come; will arriveCcomes; arrivesIII.用方框中所给单词的适当形式填空sign; remain; clear; stream; nearly16.His grandfather is 90 years old, but he’s still in excellent condition.17.You should pay attention to the on the road so that you won’t get lost.18.The are so clean that we can see the bottom.19.When I opened the window, the smoke soon.20.Kim only in the library for half an hour yesterday.Ⅰ.根据句意及中文提示将单词的正确形式填写在横线上。
新外研版九上M1U2 The Grand Canyon was not just big 6

Module 1Wonders of the worldUnit 2 The Grand Canyon was not just big.一. 教学目标1. Function: Describing places and experiences.2. Structure: Comparison of past simple, present simple, future simple, present perfect, presentcontinuous, past continuous.3. Skills: 1) Expressing views and opinions.2) Reading and finding specific information .3) Describing a wonder of the world.5. Task: Making a poster about a wonder of the world or a place of interest you know.二、重点及难点:Grammar: Comparison of past simple, present simple, future simple, present perfect, present continuous, past continuous.ⅠTeaching model: Reading and writing.ⅡTeaching method: Interactive approachⅢTeaching aims: 1. To get information from the reading material about the Grand Canyon;.2. To know the way of writing you see and your feeling when traveling.ⅣKeys structure:·I looked over them, but it was silent and there was no sign of it.·I was looking across one of the wonders of the natural world—the Grand Canyon.·I looked down to the Colorado River.·Finally, I looked to my left and to my right...·The sun rose behind me and shone on the rocks. Far below me, the groundfell away and down to a river.Ⅴ.Teaching StepsStep 1 Warming up1.Read a short poem about “travel〞with a piece of nice music for the whole class , toarouse their interests about traveling.Ask: If you have free time, what would you like to do I like ...I like traveling, I think travel can make me feel relaxed and open my eyes, enjoy ourselves inbeautiful scenery and ...In my opinion, travel is a part of my life, so I’ll show you a short poem “Life is a travel〞2. Free talk:What do you know about these wonders Show some man-made and natural wonders. Let’s say something about the wonders.the Giant’s Causeway, Victoria Falls, the Terracotta Army, Three Gorges Dam, the Great Barrier Reef,the Great Wall, The Pyramids of Egypt, the Yellowstone National Park, the Pyramids in Egypt,...Step 2 Presentation〔Pre-reading〕1. Show the video of the Grand Canyon, ask “ What’s your feelings after seeing the video〞Let the Ss use some adjectives of this lesson, such as: fantastic, silent, huge, high,...write them on the blackboard, then read them together.2. Ask the Ss: From the title“The greatest wonder of the natural world.〞Can you guess “What will the writer tell us in the passage〞Step 3Reading.〔While-reading〕1.Play the flash, ask the Ss to divide the passage into three parts. ( group work)Part one: paragraph ________________; Part two: paragraph ________________Part three: paragraph __________________Match the meanings with the paragraphs:2. Answer the questions: ( group work)Read paragraph 1 and 2 answer the questions:(1)When did the writer arrive at the Grand Canyon____________________________________________________________(2)What was the weather like____________________________________________________________(3)What was the color of the sky before the writer arrived Why____________________________________________________________(4)What was the route of the writer before he saw the canyon____________________________________________________________Read paragraph 3 and 4 answer the questions:(1) What was the weather suddenly like when the writer was on the Grand Canyon____________________________________________________________(2) Which direction was the writer facing while he was looking over the Grand Canyon_____________________________________________________________(3)What did the writer find the ground was like_____________________________________________________________3. Listen to the passage carefully and read through the passage then complete the table.Where can you find these numbers from the passage4. Choose the correct answer:(1)Where does the passage most probably come from( )a) A magazine. b) A grammar book. c) A dictionary. d) A storybook(2) What is the writer’s purpose in writing this passage ( )a) To give facts about the natural world.b) To say how he feels about the natural world.c) To tell an interesting story about the Grand Canyon.d) To attract people to visit the Grand Canyon.Step4Complete the passage with the words in the box.In the dark, there is no (1)____________ of the Grand Canyon, and it is (2)____________. Butif you (3)____________ by the Grand Canyon as the (4)____________ gets brighter and look down about one (5)____________, you can see the Colorado River (6)____________ you. It looks like a silver (7)____________ as it passes (8)____________ the rocks at the bottom of the canyon. If someone asks you whether the Grand Canyon is the greatest wonder of the natural world, it may be easy to (9)____________.Step5 Learning to learnSome adjectives tell you facts, such as wide, deep, high and tall; some adjectives tell you the opinion of the author, like wonderful, huge and great. Learn to use them to talk about facts and give your opinion.Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in the box.1. The Changjiang River is about 6,300 kilometers _________.2. The Terracotta Army is a famous ___________ wonder in China.3. For my homework I have to write an article about the ________ of the world.4. Mount Qomolangma is the ________ mountain in the world.5. In my ________, the Great Wall is the greatest man-made wonder in the world.Step 6 Show time ( After-reading)Show some pictures, say “This summer vocation I visited Thailand. I have seen many beautiful sights, like...〞Write a passage and describe how you felt when you visited ...Say when you visited it.Say where it is.Describe its size.Say what interesting facts you know.Say what happened when you visited it.Say how you felt.Step 10 HomeworkFinish off the poster about a wonderful place.本课是我于2021年3月27日在“志远求进〞杯展示交流阶段活动中给九年级五班讲授的。
外研版初中英语初三上册Module 1 Wonders of the world知识讲解

Module 1 Wonders of the world词句精讲精练责编:词汇精讲1. wonder(1)作可数名词,意为“奇迹,奇观”。
例如:The Great Pyramid in Egypt is one of the wonders of the world. 埃及金字塔是世界奇观之一。
(2)wonder作及物动词,意为“想知道;对……感到怀疑”,常见的用法有:1)后接who, what,why,where 等引导的宾语从句。
例如:I wonder who she is. 我想知道她是谁。
She wondered what the child was doing. 她感到疑惑,孩子究竟在干什么。
I wonder why Ann is late. 我想知道安为什么迟到了。
I wonder where they have gone. 我想知道他们去哪儿了。
2)后接that 引导的宾语从句,表示“对……感到惊讶”,that常可省去。
例如:I wonder (that) she has won the race.我对她赢了比赛感到惊讶。
3)后接if 或whether 引导的宾语从句,常用来表示一种委婉的请求或疑问。
例如:She wondered whether you were free that morning. 她想知道你那天上午是否有空。
I wonder if he will succeed. 我不知道他会不会成功。
2. opinionopinion 名词,意为“意见,观点”。
例如:I don’t agree with your opinion. 我不赞同你的观点。
We should listen to the opinion of that old man. 我应该听那位老人的意见。
【拓展】in one’s opinion 意为“按照某人的意见,在某人看来”。
例如:In my opinion, he is wasting time and money.依我看,他是在浪费时间和金钱。
外研部编版九年级英语上册《odule 1 Wonders of the world Unit 2.》精品课教案_2

Ask the students to read the dialogue by themselves.
Read and then answer the questions. A4
1). Where is the Giant’s Causeway?
2). How wide is Victoria Falls?
2. The students will be able to understand the sentences in six basic tenses.
教具准备
Multi-media
师生活动过程
设计意图
Step 1 Lead-in
1. Talk about the summer holiday and traveling.
课时安排
1
课型
Reading
教学目标
1. The students will be able to understand the passage about the trip to the Grand Canyon;
2. The students will be able to understand the sentences in six basic tenses.
教具准备
PPT
师生活动过程
设计意图
Step 1 Lead in
Make theSstalk aboutthe difference between natural wonders and man-made wonder.
3). What wonders does Betty think aremore exciting?
module 1 Wonders of the world Unit 2

A. in; after
B. after; in
C. before; in
② I ____ my homework in two hours.
A. finished doing C. will finish doing
B. will finish do
4. “Yes,” he replied, “you’ll get there in five minutes.
arrived it was early morning and When I _________, was raining I looked to the east —the sky it ____________. got out of was becoming _____________. the car, grey I ______________ ___________ a gate and ____________ went through walked along a dark path. nothing to see but I knew it was there. There was _____________,
3) Which direction was the writer facing while he was looking over the Grand Canyon? a) South. b) North. c) East. d) West . P3: The sun rose behind me… 4) What is the writer’s purpose in writing this passage? a) To give facts about the natural world. b) To say how he feels about the natural world. c) To tell an interesting story about the Grand Canyon. d) To attract people to visit the Grand Canyon.
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VOICE ONE:This is Faith Lapidus.VOICE TWO:And this is Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we bring you the second of three programs about beautiful and unusual places in our world. Last week, we told about structures built hundreds or thousands of years ago. Today we tell about some of the great natural Wonders of the World. We do not have time to visit all these places, but here are a few from several different countries.(MUSIC)VOICE ONE:We begin our program today high in the southeastern mountains of Venezuela. Water falls from a mountain called Auyan-tepui (au-YAN tay-PWEE) or Devil Mountain. The water falls from a height of nine hundred seventy-nine meters. It ends in an area called Devil's Canyon. The water begins to fall in a tightly controlled stream. However it ends in a beautiful white cloud of water spray.This waterfall is the highest in the world. The local native people called it the Churun Meru. It is now called Angel Falls. An American pilot named Jimmy Angel saw the beautiful waterfall for the first time in the nineteen-thirties. He was flying alone in a small airplane looking for gold when he saw water falling from a great height. Some time later several friends said the waterfall should be named after Jimmy Angel.VOICE TWO:A small airplane is still the best way to enjoy this beautiful sight. You can also visit the area under the falls after a three-and-a-half-hour boat ride and a one-hour walk through thejungle. And you can see Jimmy Angel's little airplane if you visit Venezuela. It is considered a national treasure.(MUSIC)VOICE ONE:From a waterfall in Venezuela, we travel to another mountain. This one is in Japan. It is one of the most photographed mountains in the world. It is Mount Fuji on the island of Honshu. The Japanese call it Fujisan and they say it with love and honor.Mount Fuji is a sleeping volcano about three thousand seven hundred meters high. It is the tallest mountain in Japan. Since ancient times, the Japanese people have considered it a holy mountain. It has also been the favorite subject of thousands of artists. Its picture has even appeared on Japanese money.VOICE TWO:Mount Fuji is an almost perfectly shaped volcano. A crown of white snow covers the top of the mountain most of the year. Mount Fuji seems to rise sharply out of the ground into the shape most recognized as a volcano.A large area is missing from the side of the mountain. This is a result of its most recent explosion in seventeen-oh-seven. But the missing part of the mountain does nothing to decrease its beauty.Mount Fuji is much easier to enjoy than Angel Falls in Venezuela. On a clear day people can see it from both the major cities of Tokyo and Yokohama. The easiest way to see the famous mountain is on a train from Tokyo to Osaka. Or you could climb the mountain to get an even better look. Thousands of people climb Fujisan each summer.(MUSIC)VOICE ONE:Next, we travel to the desert of the southwestern United States. In fifteen forty, Spanish explorer Garcia Lopez de Cardenas was searching this desert area for gold. The desert area is almost flat, like a table.His exploration team had been traveling north from Mexico for several weeks. Suddenly one morning he and his group came to an area that stopped their exploration. They could not continue. In front of them was a huge hole cut in the ground.Most of this canyon was more than one thousand two hundred meters deep. It was more than three hundred kilometers long. This huge deep canyon extended as far as the explorers could see. It was very beautiful. The sunlight made deep shadows and seemed to change the shape of things every minute. The colors also changed with the movement of the sun and clouds. Often, some areas of the deep canyon appeared bright red. Other times they were a deep brown or purple.The exploration team tried for three days to reach the river far down in the canyon. They failed. They could also see no way to move around the huge canyon. A lack of supplies forced Captain Garcia Lopez de Cardenas to return to Mexico.VOICE TWO:That beautiful deep canyon is the Grand Canyon. It is a National Park that includes an area of almost five hundred thousand hectares. It is one of the most studied natural areas in the world. The high canyon walls are a record of the past written in rock. Explorers have found fossils of ancient creatures near the bottom of the Grand Canyon.People can see many kinds of animals in or near the great canyon. These include large deer. They do not fear the people who come to visit the Grand Canyon. The canyon, its animals, plants and rocks are protected in this special place.VOICE ONE:The Colorado River is at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The river took several million years to cut the deep canyon into the face of the Earth. It is still doing this today.Visitors today do not have a problem reaching the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the great Colorado River. Many people take long exciting trips in rubber boats on the river.Millions of people from around the world visit the Grand Canyon National Park each year. Many stay for less than a day. However, people leave with the memory of this beautiful natural wonder that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.(MUSIC)VOICE TWO:Next we travel across the Pacific Ocean. Our next natural Wonder of the World is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It extends more than two thousand kilometers along Australia's northeast coast. It is the largest group of coral reefs in the world.A reef is a limestone formation that is usually under water or just above it. The coral that forms the reef is made of the hardened remains of dead sea animals called polyps. Thousands of millions of living coral polyps and plants are attached to the reef. The coral is many different colors. The water near the reef is usually clear and visitors can see far down into the ocean.This natural formation supports many different kinds of fish, sea turtles, crabs, giant clams, birds and other wild life.Millions of visitors from around the world come every year to enjoy the Great Barrier Reef. Many people visit in boats that have glass bottoms so they can see the fish and the colorful coral. Others swim among the fish using underwater breathing equipment.Swimming along the reef is fun. But it can also be dangerous. The huge great white shark is one of the creatures that swims near the reef.VOICE ONE:Scientists believe the Great Barrier Reef is about thirty million years old. However, in recent years, people have caused problems for the reef. Some took coral from the reef. And boats dumped garbage or human waste.Now the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, an agency of the Australian government. Visitors are told it is against the law to collect any of the limestone or coral or to damage the reef in any way.Laws prevent oil companies from drilling for oil anywhere near the reef. The Australian government has also worked to make sure nothing is placed in the ocean that would harm the great reef. Scientists are working to make sure that Australia's Great Barrier Reef remains healthy and a true Wonder of the World for years to come.VOICE TWO:We would have liked to have enough time to tell about other great wonders of the world -- Victoria Falls, for example. This huge waterfall in southern Africa is on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Another great waterfall brings visitors to the border area between the United States and Canada. They come to see the famous Niagara Falls.We also wanted to tell about the huge volcano that exploded near the Island of Krakatoa in Indonesia. And the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest in Nepal, should be on any list of natural Wonders of the World.It is easy to visit most of these great natural wonders if you have a computer. If your computer can link with the Internet system you too can enjoy these beautiful sights. Have fun exploring.(MUSIC)VOICE ONE:This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Jill Moss. This is Faith Lapidus.VOICE TWO:And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week when we bring you the third part of our Wonders of the World series on EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.。