Ecuador
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Jose
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Todd
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Jose: Ecuador, what do you want to know about my country?
Todd: Well, can you talk about Ecuador like, um, you're from Ecuador?
Jose: Yes, yes!
Todd: How big is Ecuador?
Jose: 80% of Japan.
Todd: Oh, really! 80% the size.
Jose: The size of Japan.
Todd: OK, what is the landscape like of the country?
Jose: Ecuador is a country where you can experience, they say, all seasons in one day. You have so many microclimates because you have the Andes ranges, you have the coast and then you have two ranges, mountains, it's got actually, it's called the avenue volcanoes. It's got key mountains. It's very beautiful. You have these subtropical valleys and then you have, you go to the amazon basin. You have the jungle. So you have the jungle from the coast, the jungle also going to the Amazon, and you have this beautiful area in the Andes, so it's very, very nice.
Todd: Oh, I want to go!
Jose: Please, please come!
Todd: OK, when is the best time of year to Ecuador?
Jose: Also, as I said the micro climate, that means that it depends on where you want to go. You want to go to the Galapagos the best time is from November to April probably.
Todd: I don't want to go there now because you scared me because you said about the people going there.
Jose: Yeah, yes! But it's a very beautiful place. I mean if you go just like tourist, you're going to, it's fantastic, it's a unique place. You can actually swim with the sea lions and they are chomping next to you, very beautiful. But I can not separate nature and from the people, so that is my problem. I think Ecuador is a very interesting place to be.
Todd: Well, I would like to go. I'd like to go Ecuador and learn Spanish actually.
Jose: Yeah, there are so many schools actually. There is a big business. Lots of music and culture. Mm, very pretty girls. That is the part that you like.
Todd: Maybe!
landscape
OK, what is the landscape like of the country?
'Landscape' is a word that is used to describe the natural
terrain or land of an area.
Notice the following:
- England has a pleasant green landscape that is full of
trees.
- The landscape of the arctic is very different from that
of the desert.
microclimate
You have so many microclimates because you have the Andes
ranges, you have the coast.
A 'microclimate' is the weather of climate of a small,
specific area that is different from the climate of the
areas around it. For example, the climate at the top of a
mountain is very different from the climate in a valley or
on the coast.
Notice the following:
- People built cities in valleys because the microclimate
there was comfortable for living.
- We always seem to have nicer weather at the beach, I
think it is because the mountains create a microclimate
there.
Amazon basin
You have these subtropical valleys and then you have, you
go to the Amazon basin.
The 'Amazon basin' is an area of land in South America
where the Amazon River and its tributaries meet.
Notice the following:
- The Amazon Basin is situated mostly in Brazil.
- I have always wanted to go to the Amazon Basin, as I think it would be a wonderful place to visit.
unique
It's fantastic, it's a unique place.
'Unique' is a word used to describe something that is truly
original or different from everything else.
Notice the following:
- Every person in the world is unique.
- I think that painting is unique. It is one of a kind.
chomp
You can actually swim with the sea lions and they are
chomping next to you.
'Chomp' is an informal word that means to eat. It is usually
used to describe something eaten in a hungry or animal-like
way.
Notice the following:
- I was very hungry today. I chomped my way through a whole packet of cookies.
- Are you going to chomp all of that cake?
Vocabulary Quiz
unique • chomp
