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Task 2. Look at the adverbs from Task 1. Can all of them form the degrees
of comparison? Form the degrees of comparison where it is possible.

Task 3. Form degrees of comparison of the following adverbs. Mind that
not all of them can do that.
Carefully, ever, soon, often, usually, fast, early, loud, well, happily, quickly,
much, here, yesterday, lately, beneath.

Discussion

Task 1. Read and memorize the following words:
floor – дно (океану) prominent – відомий, видатний,
помітний
linear - вузький, довгий, витягнутий adjacent to – бути прилеглим, який
примикає, суміжним, сусіднім
margin – шельф, край gently sloping – похилий, пологий
ridge - гірський кряж, гірський хребет; plain - рівнина
пасмо гір; вододіл
scenery – ландшафт, вид boundary – кордон, межа
trench – океанська западина, каньйон fraction - частина; частка

Task 2. Read the text. Talk about the major features of the ocean basins.
Pay special attention to the pronunciation of the following words and word-
combinations, transcribe them: boundary, canyons, plateaus, oceanographers,
continental shelf, adjacent, abyssal plains. What are the three major regions of the
ocean floor and some features associated with each?

If all water were drained from the ocean basins, a great variety of features would
be seen, including linear chains of volcanoes, deep canyons, extensive plateaus, and flat
plains. In fact, the scenery would be nearly as diverse as that on the continents.
Oceanographers have gradually mapped significant portions of the ocean floor. From
these studies they have defined three major regions: continental margins, deep-ocean
basins, and oceanic (mid-ocean) ridges.
The continental margin is that portion of the seafloor adjacent to major
landmasses. It may include the continental shelf, the continental slope, and the
continental rise. Although land and sea meet at the shoreline, this is not the boundary
between the continents and the ocean basins. Rather, along most coasts a gently sloping
platform, called the continental shelf, extends seaward from the shore. The boundary
between the continents and the deep-ocean basins lies along the continental slope,
which is a relatively steep drop off that extends from the outer edge of the continental
shelf to the floor of the deep ocean.
Between the continental margins and oceanic ridges lie the deep-ocean basins.
Parts of these regions consist of incredibly flat features called abyssal plains. The ocean
floor also contains extremely deep depressions that are occasionally more than
11,000 m deep. Although these deep ocean trenches are relatively narrow and represent
only a small fraction of the ocean floor, they are nevertheless very significant features.
Other trenches parallel linear island chains called volcanic island arcs. Dotting the
ocean floor are submerged volcanic structures called seamounts, which sometimes form
long narrow chains. Volcanic activity has also produced several large lava plateaus.
The most prominent feature on the ocean floor is the oceanic or mid-ocean
ridge. This broad elevated feature forms a continuous belt that winds for more than

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