ESL Exercises - Desert Exercise

 

Situation While you are driving alone through the desert, your camper breaks down late in the afternoon, and you cannot fix it. You discover that the road you are traveling on is closed to traffic. There is no hope of anyone driving by to help you. There are no telephones nearby. Your best solution is to walk back to a service station, which you remember passing. You calculate that you have driven about one hour and fifteen minutes at an average speed of 80-kilometers (50 miles) per hour. You will only be able to travel at night because of the intense heat and burning sun.

Vocabulary

1. stranded	left in a place with no way to get out
2. desert	large open area without water or trees
3. camper	van or pickup truck equipped for sleeping
4. breaks down	stops working
5. traffic	cars, trucks, etc. on the road
6. Solution	answer to a problem
7. (to) calculate	(to) work with numbers
8. mess kit	utensils used for cooking and eating in a small pack
9. canteen	metal container for water
10. flare	device for making a fire to use as a signal
11. first-aid kit	small box containing medical equipment
12. insect repellent	something used to keep insects away
13. thermos	special container to keep liquids hot or cold
14. compass	instrument for finding directions

The Camper has the following items in it:

mess kit	insect repellent
dozen eggs	tent
can opener	flare gun
sleeping bag	flashlight
book of matches	thermos of hot coffee
dozen flares	camping stove
portable radio	compass
wool blanket	fresh vegetables
can of gas	beach umbrellas
first-aid kit	fresh fruit
large utility knife	canned food

DISCUSSION

Work in groups. Share your answers with the class.

1. Because of the limitations of space and weight, you can only carry five items.
1. Decide which five items to take.
2. Arrange these five items in order of importance.


2. Most of the items in the camper can fit into two categories:
1. camping gear, and
2. food. Put these items into their categories.


3. Calculate the distance and the approximate amount of time needed to walk that distance.



4. What alternatives are there for solving this situation, other than walking back to the service station.



5. Can you think of any items missing from the list that you might need? Name them.

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