Family and Friends 6 (Reading 4)

Transport around the world

The environment is different all around the world. Some people live in places where there is lots of snow, some people live in deserts and some people live near the water.

People in all these different places around the world have developed all kinds of transport to help them travel around the environment they live in.

In desert areas, camels have traditionally been used as a form of transport. They are ideal for travelling across the desert because they can survive for a week or more without water. Also, their ears and noses can shut tightly to stop sand going into them and their feet don't sink into the sand either. They are known as 'the ship of the desert' because of their ability to carry heavy loads for long distances. There isn't any other animal that could survive so long in the desert, carrying heavy things.

The city of Venice was built on a group of 118 islands. There are 150 canals and about 400 bridges which connect the islands. The only way to get around is on foot or on the water. There are no cars or trucks. The gondola is a traditional Venetian rowing boat and for centuries gondolas were the main form of transport. Today, they are still popular with tourists but most local people travel by motorized waterbuses or private boats. These are faster than gondolas and

Large areas in Asia have thick forests that are difficult to explore on foot. For thousands of years, humans have used elephants to help them go into these places for farming and clearing land.

Elephants walk on their toes which means they can keep their balance even on wet mud. They are strong, so they can clear a path through plants and bushes. Today, people still use elephants to transport logs in areas where it's difficult for machines to go.