Page 78 - Prime Time 1-5 Leaflet

a 1
Vocabulary
Volcanic eruptions
1 Listen and say. Use the
picture and the captions to
tell the class what happens
when a volcano erupts.
Listening & Reading
2 a) Read the title of the text,
the introduction and the
first sentence in each
paragraph. What is the
text about?
Listen, read and check.
Volcano chasers
8
Ash and gas
fly up into the
atmosphere.
Rocks and
lava erupt out
of the crater.
When a volcano erupts, most people want to get as far away as
possible, as quickly as they can! German engineer Martin Rietze,
on the other hand, grabs his camera and tries to get as close as he
can and stay alive at the same time!
He’s so close that he can feel the heat burning his face even
through his gas mask. The lava flow is about a metre away and it's
getting closer every second. The ground beneath his feet is
shaking and there is a deafening roar like a plane taking off. He
can't stay this close for too long because the gases and acids will
destroy his camera, but Martin Rietze waits just long enough to
see flaming hot lava and ash explode out of the nearby crater –
and gets the perfect shot.
Martin is a freelance photographer whose stunning photographs
of volcanic eruptions are in high demand with newspapers and
magazines all over the world. He is one of a small but dedicated
group of volcano chasers. When a dormant volcano becomes
active, they book the first flight to be as near as possible to it, set
up camp and wait, sometimes for as long as two weeks. It takes a
lot of patience as a volcano can erupt at any time, night or day,
and clouds, fog and steam often block the view. The final results
though, like Martin's shots of volcanic lightning – a phenomenon
that still mystifies scientists – are definitely worth it!
When the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland erupted in 2010 and
ash clouds closed airspace over Northern Europe, Martin was
already on the scene for some of his most spectacular shots. After
spending three sleepless nights in freezing temperatures, Martin
got within three feet of the lava flow and even took photos of lava
fountains – jets of lava that shoot up as high as a thirty-storey
building! He didn't get any sleep because the volcano was
throwing out rocks the size of cars, so for most of the time he was
sheltering behind a large boulder!
Martin says that he's had more accidents when mountain climbing
than volcano chasing, but that doesn't stop him from taking
precautions because this is a job where safety is a priority. Goggles
and a gas mask provide protection from poisonous gases, but
gloves are just as important because fresh lava can be as sharp as a
knife. Volcano chasing is quite risky. As Martin admits, “One has to
know when it is safe to come near and when it is a matter of survival
to stay away – sometimes many kilometres away!”
Lava pushes through
vents in the side of the
volcano.
volcano, erupt, grab, heat, burn, lava
flow, ground is shaking, deafening roar,
take off, acid, flaming hot lava, freelance,
stunning photograph, in high demand,
dedicated, dormant volcano, steam,
block the view, mystify, be worth it, be
on the scene, spectacular shot, lava
fountain, jet of lava, shoot up, shelter,
boulder, take precautions, poisonous gas,
sharp, admit, matter of survival
Check these words