Free printable PDF lesson plans, word banks, quizzes and games for EFL/ESL teachers
READING PRACTICE QUIZZES
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A Short Introduction to Iceland
Iceland is the second largest island in Europe and one of the most fascinating places in the world. Iceland has an interesting history. The very first people to live in Iceland arrived there from Northern Europe just 1,200 years ago. For hundreds of years, Iceland was a part of Norway and then Denmark until 1918, when it became an independent country. At one time it was one of the poorest countries in the world – however, now it is one of the richest and most modern countries in the world. Fishing is a very important part of its economy. Iceland is unusual for many reasons One of these is its very small population, which is only about 320,000. Most of the people there speak a language called Icelandic, but many people can also speak English quite well. Reykjavik, the capital city, is home to about two-thirds of the population of Iceland, while about 19,000 people in the country are foreigners – workers from other countries. The climate is very cold. The July high temperature is only around ten degrees Celsius, and in winter the high temperature is about three or four degrees below zero. Iceland is well-known for its many beautiful glaciers. These are large mountains of ice and snow that you can see in both summer and winter. In addition, there are nine large, active volcanoes located all over the island. Just a few years ago, in May 2011, one of these volcanoes exploded (in South-East Iceland) with enough fire, rocks and smoke to stop air travel in many European countries (countries such as Ireland, Scotland, Spain and northern Italy) for several weeks. 
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