E: Describe a Historical Wonder

Read the information about the New Seven Wonders of the World. 

What does it mean to be a “wonder of the world”? Both the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the New Seven Wonders are examples of humankind's greatest achievements. They include historical sites that show the incredible things we are capable of creating. Of the original Seven Wonders, only the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt, still exists, so Swiss Canadian filmmaker and adventurer Bernard Weber started the New Seven Wonders of the World project. He wanted the greatest achievements of the last 2,000 years to be recognized now and remembered in the future. He also wanted regular people to decide on these new wonders by voting over the phone and internet. The project began in the year 2000, and the results were announced in 2007 with nearly 100 million votes. The new wonders include the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum in Rome, and the Taj Mahal in India.

Complete the description with adjectives from the box. 

amazed       amazing      ancient       famous      huge       interested       stronger

The Great Wall of China was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is really (1) __________ - some parts were built in the 3rd century BCE - and it is (2) ___________ - it is more than 20,000 kilometers (12,430 miles) long. Architecturally, it is an (3) ___________ construction. The Chinese built the wall over the centuries to protect their country. At the beginning of the 13th century, China was attacked by Genghis Khan’s army, because Khan wanted China to be part of the Mongol Empire. His grandson, Kublai Khan, finally achieved this in 1276. Because of historic events like this, China continued to make the wall (4) ___________ and better up to the 17th century. It is now one of the world's most (5) _________ landmarks. I was very (6) _________ to read about the Wall’s history and I was (7) _________ when I saw it.

1. In your notebook, write a description (150-180 words) of the site. Use your own words, including adjectives, to describe your reaction to the site. Use the paragraph in F to help you.

2. Share your description with a partner. Talk about the information that is interesting or surprising to you.

3. How can your partner improve the description? Use your partner’s comments to make corrections and improvements.