TOEFL
Academic Talk: How glaciers shape the land
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Today we’re looking at glaciers — not as ice, but as tools that shape landscapes.
A glacier moves slowly downhill under its own weight. As it moves, rocks frozen into its base scrape the ground like sandpaper. This process is called abrasion, and it leaves long scratches in the bedrock that tell us which direction the ice moved.
Glaciers also pluck rocks from the ground. Meltwater seeps into cracks, refreezes and pulls pieces of rock away as the glacier advances.
The result is a distinctive U-shaped valley. Rivers, by contrast, tend to carve V-shaped valleys. So if you see a wide valley with steep sides and a flat floor, it’s a good clue that ice was once there.
When glaciers melt, they drop the material they were carrying, forming ridges called moraines. These can even trap water and create lakes.
1.What is the talk mainly about?
2.What is abrasion?
3.What shape of valley do glaciers typically create?
4.What are moraines?
5.Why does the professor mention the scratches in bedrock?
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