THE LARGEST LAKE IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES IS THE GREAT SALT LAKE,...

Exercise 1:

The largest lake in the western United States is the Great Salt Lake, an island saltwater

lake in northwestern Utah, just outside the state capital of Salt Lake City. Rivers and

streams feed ____ (1) the Great Salt Lake, but none drain out of it; this has a major

influence on both the salt content and the size of the lake.

Although the Great Salt Lake is fed by freshwater streams, it is ____ (2) saltier than the

oceans of the world. The salt comes from the more than two million tons of minerals that

____ (3) into the lake each year from the rivers and creeks that feed it. Sodium and

chloride- the components of salt- comprise the large majority of the lake’s mineral

content.

The Great Salt Lake can vary tremendously from its ____ (4) size of 1,700 square miles,

depending on long-term weather conditions. During periods of heavy rains, the size of the

lake can swell tremendously from the huge amounts of water flowing into the lake from

its feeder rivers and streams; in 1980 the lake even ____ (5) a size of 2,400 square miles.

During periods of dry weather, the size of the lake decreases, sometimes drastically, due

to evaporation.

1. A. in

B. into

C. from

D. for

2. A. actually

B. essentially

C. strictly

D. accurately

3. A. flood

B. stream

C. locate

D. flow

4. A. ordinary

B. normal

C. standard

D. typical

5. A. came

B. met

C. reached

D. obtained