Countryside

◎供稿：英國大使館文化教育處

10 largest UK national parks

Name where Area(km2)When did it become a national park Cairngorms Scotland 4528 2003 Lake District England 2292 1951 Snowdonia Wales 2176 1951 Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Scotland 1865 2002 Yorkshire Dales England 1769 1954 South Downs England 1624 2010 Peak District England 1437 1951 North York Moors England 1434 1952 The Brecon Beacons Wales 1344 1957 Northumberland England 1048 1956

Many visitors to the UK only go to London and never see the rest of the country.This is a pity because it is very varied，especially in Britain’s national parks.

The Cairngorms in northern Scotland has the highest mountains and is good for skiing.There are plenty of interesting wild animals too，including deer and eagles.

A popular destination in England is the Lake District.Visitors have travelled here since 1847，especially to its biggest lake，Windermere.

Snowdonia，in Wales，was one of the first national parks，created in 1951.People still speak Welsh there，and you can visit castles and beautiful beaches.

On the south coast of England，you can find fossils from the Jurassic era—the first marine dinosaur was found here in the early 19th century.

Across the Irish sea is the Giant’s Causeway—volcanic rocks which look like a staircase.Legends say it was built by a giant called Finn McCool to walk to Scotland and fight his enemy.

There is so much to see，so get out into the British countryside!

Activity 1 True or False?

1.You can go skiing and climbing in the Cairngorms.

2.People have visited the Lake District for more than 150 years.

3.Snowdonia is one of the youngest national parks.

4.Dinosaurs lived in the sea in southern England.

5.The Giant’s Causeway was formed by a volcano.

Activity 2 Complete the gaps with the words from the box.

varied marine legends wild destination era

1.I didn’t like having lunch at school; the food wasn’t very ________ .

2.Dolphins are ________ animals.

3.Today we are living in the ________ of the Internet and social media.

4.She’s reading a book about Greek ________ .

5.We went on a safari to Africa—it was exciting to see ________ animals so close.

6.It is a long journey—we don’t arrive at our ________ until tomorrow.

Activity 3 Match a phrase on the left with a phrase on the right to make a complete sentence.

1.The Brecon Beacons a.a national park in 2010.

2.The South Downs became b.an area of 2176km2.

3.The Yorkshire Dales cover c.are in England.

4.Snowdonia was one of d.are in Wales.

5.The Peak District and Lake District e.the first national parks.