Science & discovery · News English
A hidden world under the ice
A new map shows valleys below Greenland’s ice.
Your goal: practise because for reasons.
What is below the ice?
How can scientists learn about land they cannot see?
1Greenland has a huge sheet of ice. There is land below it, but people cannot simply look down and see it. In a report published on 28 September, NASA described a new map of this hidden world. The map shows many valleys under the ice. A valley is a low area between higher areas of land.
2The researchers used information about the top of the ice. When ice moves over the land below, small changes appear on its surface. Satellites can measure these changes. Scientists use them to work out the shape of the ground underneath. They do not need to remove all the ice to study the land.
3The team mapped 1,943 valleys. About a third were new discoveries. Some known valleys also continue much farther inland than earlier maps showed. These results give scientists a clearer picture of Greenland.
4The work can help researchers understand how ice moves. Ice often flows along valleys. Learning where those valleys are may help scientists think about changes in the future. The map is a way to understand the landscape, not a photograph of bare ground.
Original teaching summary. Language examples and model answers are illustrative, not news quotations.
Word help · Three useful words
Read the meanings and examples. Choose one word to use in your own sentence.
valley
low land between higher areas
A river runs through the valley.
surface
the top or outside of something
The surface of the table is smooth.
hidden
not easy or possible to see
The key is hidden behind a book.
Check your reading · Three questions
Choose one answer for every question, then check. You can change an answer and check again.
Useful English: because for reasons
Use because + a subject + a verb to explain why. Example: I use a map because I am lost. The reason answers Why?
Name something you use. Explain why with because.
Model and help
Model: I use a notebook because I want to remember new words.
Alone: repeat without reading. Tutor: ask for one more example.
Speak: your ideas
Would you like to study ice, oceans or forests? Give a reason and one question you would ask. Speak for 45 seconds.
Labelled model answer
I would like to study forests because I like trees. I would ask how young trees grow.
This model is an illustrative learning example, not a news quotation.
Alone: record yourself or repeat once. Tutor: What would you need to learn first?
Mastery check · Three questions
Choose one answer for every question, then check. You can change an answer and check again.
Sources and reporting date
Original NASA report: 28 September 2026; published 2026-09-28T00:00:00-04:00. Image date is stated separately.
- NASA Earth Observatory: Uncovering the Valleys Hidden Below Greenland’s Ice
Original publication 2026-09-28T00:00:00-04:00