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Exploring the Past
There are lots of people who explore the past. This helps scientists to understand what is
happening on Earth today.
How Earth Was Made
Geologists are scientists who study rocks to learn how Eaeth was made and how it has
changed. They discovered that Earth is made of hot liquid rock that is covered by big pieces
of solid rock called plates. The plates can move, and when they crash into each other, they can
push up and make a mountain or a volcano, or they can cause an earthquake. Scientists study
how the plates move to try to tell when earthquakes will happen or when volcanoes will erupt.
Plants and animals in the Past
When anicient plants and animals died, they were buried under sand and mud. After a long
time, they went hard and changed into fossils. Palentologists are scientists who study fossils
to learn which plants and animals lived on Earth in the past. They have discovered fossilized
plants adn bones, teeth, eggs, and shells from fish, birds, insects, and other animals that live
up to 500 million years ago. These discoveries give us information about animals that lived
a long time ago-like dinosaurus!
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Discover!
Scientists have found fossils of ocean animals at the top of Mount Everest. This means that
the rocks on Mount Everest were once under the ocean and were pushed up.
How people Lived in the Past
Archaeologists study ancient places, buildings, bones, or objects, to learn about how
people lived in the past. These things tell us what skills and materials people had, what they
believed, and what cothes they wore.
Some old buildings , like the Great Wall of China, are easy to see. Sometimes, the things that
archaeologists look for have been buried for a long time, and they have to dig them up very
carefully.
Important Discoveries
Many ancient buildings and objects have been found in Centeal America, for example, in
Mexiko. By studind these discoveries, archaeologists have learned a lot about how the Mayan
people lived abourt 2,000 years ago, and how the Aztec people lived about 500 years ago.
At Mohenjo Daro, now in Pakistan, archaeologists have found houses from 4,500 years ago
with toilets and bathrooms!
Many importand discoveries have also been found in caves. In 2009, an archaologist called
Quirino Olivera found cave paintings more than 6,000 years old in the Andes. Cave paintings
at Kakadu National Park in Australia tell archaeologists about people and animals who lived
there up to 23,000 years ago.
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Activities
1 Write the words. Then complete the sentences.
sitoglgo
geologist
filsos
_____________
ruinsado ___________
lonvoca
itennac
ekhearquat _____________
___________
_____________
1
2
3
4
A geologist is a scientist who studies rocks.
Scientists study plates to try to tell when a ________ will erupt.
The ground moves there is an ________ .
When a plant or anomal dies, it can change into a ________ after a long
time.
5 Archaeologists study ________ buildings and objects.
6 A ________ is an animal that lives millions of years ago.
2 Order the words.
1 people / There / lots / are / the past. / who / explore / of
There are lots of people who explore the past.___________________
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2 rock / covered / Earth / is / big pieces / by / plates. / of / called
______________________________________________________
3 move, / an earthquake. / plates / cause / they / When / can
______________________________________________________
4 buried / When / mud. / died, / they /under / ancient animals / were
______________________________________________________
3 Match the halves of sentences.
1 Sometimes, the things that archaeologists for...
2 The Rosetta Stone...
3 Many ancient buildings...
4 In Pakistan, archaeologists...
5 Quirino Olivera...
6 Cave paintings in australia...
a
b
c
d
e
f
___
___
___
___
___
___
have found houses from 4,500 years ago.
tell us about people who lived there 23,000 years ago.
have been found in Central America.
helped people to learn about life in Ancient Egypt.
have been buried for a long time.
found ancient paintings in a cave in the Andres.
4 Complete the sentences.
discoveres believed million
clothes
information
objects
past
fossilized
1 Paleontogists have discovered fossilized plants and animals that lived
up to 500 ________ years ago. These ________ give us ________
about things that lived a long time ago.
2 Archaeologists study ancient ________ to learn about how people live
in the ________ . These things tell us what skills people had, what
they ________ , and what ________ they wore.