Stonehenge, in the south of England, is an ancient stone circle that was built thousands of years ago at around the same time as the pyramids in Egypt. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since                     ¹ ________________ and it is visited by up to ² ________________ people every year. Come on a guided tour and see this incredible place!

Reviews

‘Our guide told us that the stones around the edge of Stonehenge are called sarsens and the largest ones weighs more than 40 tons and is ³ ________________ feet high. They think the sarsens came from quarries 25 miles away. However, the smaller ones, which are called bluestones and are in the middle of the circle, were from the Presell Hills in Wales. I asked the guide if that was far away and he said it was about ⁴ ________________ miles away! I can’t imagine how the stones were transported to Stonehenge because they didn’t have any vehicles or machinery.’ Nick 14

‘The guide told us about the remains of a large prehistoric village that was discovered by archeologists last year. It’s less than ⁵ ________________ miles from Stonehenge and they think it’s where the builders lived when they were constructing the stone circle. He said that they’d found lots of animal bones and pieces of broken pottery. I asked her if they’d had parties there and she thought that was exactly what had happened.’ Cara, 14

‘Stonehenge was a place where the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, was celebrated. The guide told us that people still come today to celebrate it. they meet very early in the morning and watch the sun rise over the stones. He said it was the most beautiful thing in the world. He asked me if I’d ever seen it. I haven’t, but I’d really like to see it next June ⁶ ________________.’ Jane, 15

Task 1. Complete the text with the numbers below.

Task 2. Read the text, and mark the sentences true (T) or false (F).

1. The pyramids in Egypt are older than Stonehenge.                         __________

2. Stonehenge was built by UNESCO.                                         __________

3. Different types of stones were used by the builders.                         __________

4. Some of the stones were carried a great distance.                        __________

5. Experts have known about the village near Stonehenge for years.         __________

6. They believe that the builders who lived there used to have parties.         __________

7. Celebrating the summer solstice at Stonehenge is an old tradition.         __________

8. Jane went to Stonehenge last June.

6. UNIT 6. Preserving our heritage