The Dead Sea

Famous Places
The Dead Sea
Pre-Reading Warm Up Questions ☀

The Dead Sea 1. Have you ever heard of the Dead Sea? Look at a map
of the Middle East and locate it.
2. What countries surround the Dead Sea?

The Dead Sea is a 400-square-mile body of water that is found in
the Middle East, bordered by Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank. It is 3. Why do you think it is called the Dead Sea?
called the Dead Sea because no major life form can live in it. 4. What is the climate like in the Middle East?
5. What is a spa? Have you ever been to a spa? What

The Dead Sea is over 1,300 feet below sea level, which makes it the
health benefits can a spa provide?
lowest point on earth. It has the saltiest water - six times saltier than
the oceans - and the highest concentration of minerals of any body
of water in the world. Although several rivers and streams flow into
it, nothing drains out of it because of its low elevation. Water can
only escape through evaporation, which occurs daily in the hot
Middle Eastern climate. When water evaporates, it leaves behind
salt and minerals, and this makes the remaining water very dense.
The Dead Sea is so dense that people can float on it without any
effort. The area is the largest natural spa in the world, and people
travel great distances to relax in its warm waters and experience
cosmetic mud baths and mineral treatments.
The area is also a center of health research. The minerals found in

the Dead Sea have beneficial health effects, such as improving
circulation and relieving the pain of rheumatism. The reduced
number of allergens, the healing qualities of the sun, and the higher
atmospheric pressure found at such a low elevation are some of the
COMPREHENSION ✍
other reasons why research is done here.
A. True or False. Read the statements below. If the
The modern-day water demands of the countries that surround the statement is true, write T beside the sentence. If it is
false, write F. If it is false, correct the information.
Dead Sea are having a negative effect on it. Its level continues to
drop as these countries take water from the rivers that flow into it. 1. The Dead Sea is a 4000 square mile body of water.
The area it covers is getting smaller quickly and the situation is
2. Several rivers and streams drain out of the Dead Sea.
becoming serious. One proposed solution is to pump water from the
nearby Red Sea into it to maintain its level. 3. People can float very easily in the Dead Sea.
4. Many people travel to the Dead Sea to improve their

health.
5. The area of the Dead Sea is slowly increasing.
1
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Famous Places
The Dead Sea
B. Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner. Then write the answers in complete sentences.
1. Where is the Dead Sea located?

2. Why is it called the Dead Sea?
3. How is the Dead Sea different from other bodies of water?
4. Why does nothing drain out of the Dead Sea?
5. Why can people float in the Dead Sea without any effort?
6. Why do so many people travel great distances to go to the Dead Sea?
7. Why has the Dead Sea become a center for health research? DISCUSS
8. Why is the level of the Dead Sea dropping?
1. Many people travel to the Dead Sea because
of its beneficial health effects. Would you
VOCABULARY REVIEW ✍
like to travel there? Do you find that being in
A. Match the words on the left with correct meaning on the right. water is relaxing?
_____ 1. drain a) lessen or remove pain or suffering 2. Do you know of any other places around the
_____ 2. evaporate b) suggested world where people go to improve their
_____ 3. dense c) attempt, try health?
_____ 4. float d) flow away, remove water, empty
_____ 5. effort e) height 3. Do you know anyone who suffers from
_____ 6. cosmetic f) study rheumatism or other joint and muscle
_____ 7. research g) stay on the surface of water; not sink diseases? What kind of treatments do they
_____ 8. beneficial h) something to improve beauty have?
_____ 9. relieve i) make healthy
_____ 10. heal j) dry up, disappear into the air, turn to vapor 4. The level of the Dead Sea is continuing to
_____ 11. proposed k) helpful, good drop. Can you think of any possible
_____ 12. elevation l) thick, closely packed together solutions to this problem?
B. Choose the correct word from the left column above to complete the following sentences.
1. Before you can learn to swim, you have to learn to ___________________.

2. This is a big problem, but he has ___________________many solutions, so we’re not too worried.
3. There are doctors all over the world doing ___________________to find a cure for cancer.
4. My sink will not ___________________. I’d better call a plumber to fix it.
5. The ___________________industry makes billions of dollars a year because people are always trying to make themselves
look more beautiful.
6. Eating a lot of fruits and vegetables everyday is very ___________________to your health.
7. If you forget to turn down the stove, the water in the pot will ___________________.
8. I am going to take an aspirin. I hope it will ___________________my headache.
9. At first he wasn’t a very good student, but he has made a lot of ___________________this term and he is doing much better
now.
2
Famous Places
The Dead Sea
ANSWER KEY
Please note: The reading for this topic is also available in full-page format at the end of the lesson (page 4).
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
1 - 4. individual answers
5. A spa is a place with a spring of mineral water that has medicinal benefits; it can also refer to a resort or place that
provides health and beauty treatments. (& individual answers)
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
A. True or False
1. F 2. F 3. T 4. T 5. F
B. Written Answers
1. The Dead Sea is located in the Middle East, surrounded by Israel, Jordan and the West Bank.
2. It is called the Dead Sea because no major life form can live in it.
3. The Dead Sea has the saltiest water and the highest concentration of minerals of any body of water in the world.
4. Nothing drains out of the Dead Sea because of its low elevation. It is over 1,300 feet below sea level, the lowest point
on earth.
5. People can float easily in the Dead Sea because the water is full of salt and minerals and is very dense.
6. Many people travel great distances to go to the Dead Sea because of the health benefits. (They want to relax in the
warm waters and to have cosmetic mud baths and mineral treatments.)
7. The Dead Sea has become a center for health research because the minerals found in it have beneficial health effects,
there are a reduced number of allergens in the water, the atmospheric pressure is higher there, and the sun in the hot
climate has healing qualities.
8. The level of the Dead Sea is dropping because the countries that surround it continue to take water from the rivers that
flow into it.
VOCABULARY REVIEW
A. Matching
1.d 2. j 3. l 4. g 5. c 6. h 7. f 8. k
9. a 10. i 11. b 12. e
B. Choose the correct word

1. float 2. proposed 3. research 4. drain
5. cosmetic 6. beneficial 7. evaporate 8. relieve 9. effort
3
Famous Places
The Dead Sea
The Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is a 400-square-mile body of water that is found in the Middle East, bordered by Israel, Jordan, and
the West Bank. It is called the Dead Sea because no major life form can live in it.
The Dead Sea is over 1,300 feet below sea level, which makes it the lowest point on earth. It has the saltiest water
- six times saltier than the oceans - and the highest concentration of minerals of any body of water in the world.
Although several rivers and streams flow into it, nothing drains out of it because of its low elevation. Water can
only escape through evaporation, which occurs daily in the hot Middle Eastern climate. When water evaporates,
it leaves behind salt and minerals, and this makes the remaining water very dense.
The Dead Sea is so dense that people can float on it without any effort. The area is the largest natural spa in the
world, and people travel great distances to relax in its warm waters and experience cosmetic mud baths and
mineral treatments.
The area is also a center of health research. The minerals found in the Dead Sea have beneficial health effects,
such as improving circulation and relieving the pain of rheumatism. The reduced number of allergens, the
healing qualities of the sun, and the higher atmospheric pressure found at such a low elevation are some of the
other reasons why research is done here.
The modern-day water demands of the countries that surround the Dead Sea are having a negative effect on it. Its
level continues to drop as these countries take water from the rivers that flow into it. The area it covers is getting
smaller quickly and the situation is becoming serious. One proposed solution is to pump water from the nearby
Red Sea into it to maintain its level.
4

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Famous Places

The Dead Sea

Pre-Reading Warm Up Questions ☀

2. What countries surround the Dead Sea?

5. What is a spa? Have you ever been to a spa? What

The area is also a center of health research. The minerals found in

4. Many people travel to the Dead Sea to improve their

5. The area of the Dead Sea is slowly increasing.

1. Where is the Dead Sea located?

1. Before you can learn to swim, you have to learn to ___________________.

B. Choose the correct word

The Dead Sea

other reasons why research is done here.

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