Vietnam’s backbone: the Annamite Mountains

PRE-READING:

Look at the title, headings and pictures and predict the main ideas of the article. Then, write down three wh-questions about the text.

Ex: How high are the Annamite Mountains?

WHILE READING:

Set a time limit to read this article. An average reader can read at the speed of 250 words per minute. Note down your reading speed regularly to check your progress (ignore the spaces for now).

SKIMMING:

Within the time limit, read and summarize the main ideas of the paragraphs in your own words. Do not worry about unfamiliar vocabulary.

Vietnam’s backbone: the Annamite Mountains

Lying hidden along the Vietnam-Laos border is one of the best kept secrets of nature. Remote and mysterious, the Annamite Mountains are home to an extraordinary variety of wildlife with many species unique to this area.

The mountains

The Annamite Mountains are a range of mountains lying between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Known as Truong Son in Viet Nam, and as Sai Phou Louang in Laos, the mountains run parallel to the Vietnamese coast in a gentle curve, stretching over 1,100 km. The mountains divide the Mekong River basin from the East Sea. The eastern slopes are steep with many short rivers. ______________________________ (1). The highest point is at Ngọc Linh (Ngoc Pan), 2,598 m (8,524 ft), in central Vietnam (Quang Nam/Kon Tum). The Annamite Mountains and the surrounding area make up the Greater Annamites ecoregion.

National Highway 8A

Biodiversity

This area boasts an incredibly diverse range of rare habitats, animals and plants, with one of the greatest concentrations of endemic species in a continental setting anywhere in the world, including the beautiful and threatened douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus). The discovery of new mammals is a rare event, yet there have been an astonishing number of such discoveries in the Annamites. They include the large antlered muntjac, Annamite striped rabbit and the beautiful saola, sometimes nicknamed the Vietnamese unicorn because of its long straight horns and shy nature. ________________________________ (2).

Saola

As well as a variety of rare animals there is extraordinary plant diversity. In Pu Mat Nature Reserve in Vietnam 1,144 species of vascular plants have been recorded, while Cuc Phuong National Park has at least 1,799 such plants thriving in a spectacular limestone landscape.

A root of panax vietnamensis: Vietnamese ginseng

The number of endemic plants is also very high. ______________________ (3). One such plant is the Vietnamese ginseng (Panax vietnamensis; sam ngoc linh in Vietnamese). Long prized by the Xo Dang people in Quang Nam and Kon Tum as a medicine, it was discovered by a Vietnamese scientific expedition in 1973. The plant is unique to Ngoc Linh mountain and a few nearby areas and is now cultivated to protect it and develop its medicinal use.

Ethnic diversity

_______________________ (4). Each has distinctive and traditional music, language, dress and customs. The natural resources of the Greater Annamites are vital to all of these people.

Protection

The natural habitats and flora and fauna of the Annamite region are under threat. Pressure on space in the plains is pushing development in the mountain areas. ___________________ (5). Poaching threatens the wildlife.

In response to the uniqueness of the area and the dangers it faces, many protected areas including National Parks and nature reserves have been established. Now 14% of the Annamite ecoregion enjoys protected status.

Word count: 501 words

SCANNING:

Use your notes to identify where you can find the answers to the questions you made in the pre-reading stage.

STRUCTURE:

The following sentences have been taken from the article. Match the sentences with the spaces in the article. There is one extra sentence you do not need.

a. Clearance of land for farming and coffee plantations and illegal logging is further reducing the area covered by forest.

b. It is also home to other rare species such as the Indochinese tiger, elephant, and the Javan rhinoceros.

c. The western slopes are gentler with some large plateaus.

d. Ornamental plants, such as orchids, and medicinal plants command high prices in domestic and international markets.

e. This allowed the plants and animals to evolve into species that are found nowhere else on Earth.

f. More than 30 ethnic groups live in the Annamites.

POST-READING:

Glossary:

Pay attention to how the word is combined with other words in context. Do not learn the meaning of the word without sentences. Vietnamese should be the last resort after you have tried all the learning strategies.

• Species (n): a group of animals or plants of the same kind (Giống, loài)

• Ecoregion (n): an area defined in terms of its natural features and environment (Vùng sinh thái)

• Endangered species (n): the group of animals that are seriously at risk of extinction (Loài có nguy cơ bị tuyệt chủng)

• River basin (n): an area of land around a large river with streams running down into it (Lưu vực sông)

• (gentle/steep) slope (n): a piece of ground or a surface that is higher at one end than at the other (Sườn dốc (thoai thoải/đứng))

• Plateau (n): a large area of flat land that is higher than the land around it (Vùng đồng bằng cao nguyên)

• Diverse (adj): showing a great deal of variety; very different (Đa dạng, phong phú)

• Diversity (n): a range of different things (Sự đa dạng)

• Habitat (n): the natural environment in which a plant or animal lives (Môi trường sống tự nhiên, hệ sinh thái (của một loài thực vật hoặc động vật nào đó))

• Endemic (adj): native or restricted to a certain place (Đặc hữu, chỉ tồn tại ở một nơi nhất định nào đó)

• Douc langur (also douc monkey) (n): a langur with black, white, and orange fur, native to the tropical rainforests of SE Asia (Một loài voọc)

• Muntjac (n): a SE Asian deer, the male of which has tusks, small antlers, and a doglike bark (Loài hươu ở Đông Nam Á)

• Annamite striped rabbit (Thỏ vằn ở dãy Trường Sơn)

• Saola (n): a small two-horned mammal discovered in Vietnam in 1992, with similarities to both antelopes and oxen (Son sao la)

• Unicorn (n): a mythical animal typically represented as a horse with a single straight horn projecting from its forehead (Con kỳ lân)

• Vascular (plant) (adj): relating to or denoting the plant tissues (xylem and phloem) which conduct water, sap, and nutrients in flowering plants, ferns, and their relatives (Cây có mạch)

• Limestone (n): a type of white stone that contains calcium, used in building and in making cement (Đá vôi)

• Ornamental plant (n): a plant grown for its attractive appearance (Cây cảnh, cây kiểng)

• To command (v) (high prices): to deserve and get high prices because of the special qualities one has (Đòi giá cao)

• To cultivate (v): to prepare land for growing crops, or to grow a particular crop (Trồng trọt)

• Ethnic group (n): a group of people that are of a particular race (Dân tộc thiểu số)

• Distinctive (adj): different from other things and very easy to recognize (Đặc trưng)

• Flora and fauna: the plants and animals (Hệ động thực vật)

• Plains (n): a large area of flat dry land (Vùng đồng bằng)

• Plantation (n0: a large area of land in a hot country where crops such as tea, cotton, or sugar are grown (Đồn điền)

• Logging (n): the activity of cutting down trees in order to sell the wood (Sự đốn cây)

• Poaching (n): the illegal catching or hunting of animals (Sự săn bắt trái phép)

• National Park (n): an area of countryside, or occasionally sea or fresh water, protected by the state for the enjoyment of the general public or the preservation of wildlife (Công viên Quốc gia, Vườn Quốc gia)

• Nature reserve (n): an area of land where animals and plants are protected (Khu bảo tồn)

• Protected status (n) (Tình trạng được bảo vệ)

Phrasal verbs:

• To make up: to combine together to form something (Hình thành, tạo nên)

Grammar:

Look at these sentences from the article:

1. The plant is now cultivated to protect it and to develop its medicinal properties.

2. Pressure on space in the plains is pushing development in the mountain areas.

In English, we change the form of a word to show the grammar. For example:

develop                                       verb

developer                                   noun (somebody who develops something)

development                             noun

developing / developed          adjective

It is important to look at where you place the word in a sentence to select the correct word form.

Exercise:

Change the form of the words given to complete the gaps in the sentences.

1. Marine biologists are trying to solve the many ______________hidden in the oceans. (mysterious)

2. There were many ______________in the government over the new policy. (divide)

3. The _________________ of the saola was a significant event. (discover)

4. The wide variety of habitat has produced an incredible ____________ of species in the Annamites. (diverse)

5. We need to preserve our ____________ as they form part of our national identity. (traditional)

6. ____________ hunt the animals to sell for meat and medicine. (poaching)

To learn more about word formation and word families look at the grammar lesson “Word forms – Introduction”

Discussion:

Find a study friend to summarize the information about the Annamites. Try to use the vocabulary learned in the article in speaking and writing your summary.

Have you been in the Annamite Mountains? Share your experience of the landscape, the people, and the wildlife.

How can we protect the Annamite Mountains? Think about the needs of both humans and animals. Write a paragraph setting out your ideas.

Answers to structure

1. c

2. b

3. d

4. f

5. a

(Sentence e is not needed).

Answers to grammar

1. mysteries

2. divisions

3. discovery

4. diversity

5. traditions

6. poachers

This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).