40 Read the text about the Earth.

Match the titles with the paragraphs.

1. Wearing a Coat of Water

2. Inaccurate Name

3. Special Event for the Planet

4. Getting an Extra Day

The Planet We Live on

A. 2. Inaccurate Name

The Earth is the fifth largest of the eight

main planets in the solar system. It is the only

planet that was not named after an imaginary

god like Neptune or Saturn. The word Earth

came from the Anglo-Saxon word erda which

means ground or land. Although the planet is

called Earth, only 29% of the surface is land.

The rest of its surface is made up of water. But

only 1% of this water is drinkable.

B. 1. Wearing a Coat of Water

From a distance, in space, the Earth is the

brightest planet in the solar system. This is

because a large amount of sunlight is reflected

by the water on the planet. There are four large

oceans on the Earth: the Pacific, the Atlantic.

the Indian and the Arctic. The Pacific Ocean is

the largest ocean, meeting the Arctic in the

north and Antarctica in the south. The oceans

contain 97% of all the water on the planet.

C. 4. Getting an Extra Day

It takes the Earth 365 and a quarter days to

move round the Sun. As we don't count an

extra quarter of the day at the end of a year, we

have an additional day every four years, 29th

February. These years are called leap years.

D. 3. Special Event for the Planet

In 1970, on the 22nd of April, people

started to celebrate Earth Day. Nowadays

people from over 192 countries show their

love and care for the planet on that day. They

plant trees, pick up roadside trash and take

part in 'green' projects. Thousands of differ-

ent activities and celebrations to honour our

home planet are held all over the world.