Try It Part 2
Continue reading and then determine the meaning of the highlighted words. Remember to use some of the tips that you learned for figuring out the meaning of unknown words.
Think about:
- Context clues
- Synonyms and antonyms
- Prefixes and suffixes
Read the following excerpt from the Newsela article "Unwrapped mummies reveal effects of climate change"opens in new window, and complete the follow-up activities.
Signs Of Aging
4 Hundreds of mummies have been unearthed since 1917. More are being uncovered regularly. But lately, there has been a problem. The specimens — more than 100 are held at a museum of the Universidad de Tarapacá in Arica, Chile — have started to decay. "The tissue change is reflected in the appearance of dark and bright spots," Marcela Sepulveda, an archaeologist at the Universidad de Tarapacá, explained in an email.
5 Indoors, the change has been slow, but outdoors, mummies are being discovered already damaged, Sepulveda said. "When you excavate mummies you can see that degradation is already there," she said. And the suspected reason? A changing climate.
6 The Earth is slowly getting warmer and storm and weather patterns are changing. Scientists blame some of these changes on humans burning oil, gas and coal.
7 Arica is often referred to as the driest place on Earth. Now locals say that is changing. According to Sepulveda, the city has seen increases in precipitation (rain and snow) and humidity lately. "Everybody say(s) that here," she said. Indeed, weather historian Christopher Burt wrote about Arica in 2013. He said then that weather records from 1971 to 2000 suggest that lately it has been wetter than usual.
– Newselaopens in new window, March 18, 2015
