Marble hill
Read the article about the marble hills in Madaya township and fill the gaps with the words below. Note there are two extra words
swathes / deafening / appearance / importance / source
plundering / dangerous / handful / companies / variation
The (1)_______ sound of cutting and grinding machines, punctuated by the tapping of hammers and chisels, echoes around the hills next to Sagyin village, on the banks of the Ayeyerwady River in Madaya Township, about 30 miles from Mandalay. Dotted around the village are a (2)_______ of sculptors working on the marble statues, while several traders, most of them little more than a small shop, can be seen around the village and its surrounding area. Along the road from Mandalay to Mogok, a town itself renowned for its rubies, are dozens of small shops selling the marble statues, most of them some (3)______ on depictions of the Buddha.
The marble carvers in Sagyin work year-round. Along the road to the village, workers can be seen plying their trade, their faces covered in the thick powder from the marble, giving them the (4)______ of vampires. Hardly any of the workers wear masks to protect themselves from the plumes of dust.
These marble sculptors say the hills that have given them a livelihood for generations are disappearing, as large (5)_______ reap the rewards of the prized white rock.
The mounds, lined with jagged edges from where huge chunks have been hewn, are the country's prime (6)_______ of white marble - cherished as far back as the reign of King Mindon Min in the 19th century.
Ko Lay, his wife and their four children have carved a niche for themselves as the go-to sculptors for animals, making around US$360 for each elephant, lion or tiger figure.
As he fashions the haunch of a three-metre-tall feline that will one day guard the entrance to a Buddhist pagoda, he explains how important the hills are to everyone living in their shadow. "The entire village relies on them, but we're worried they'll disappear soon," the 48-year-old tells reporters, his whole body whitened with dust.
Like others here, he points the finger at shadowy Chinese and military-linked companies, who were granted decades-long licences over (7)_______ of land under the previous government. Locals have always regarded the marble-rich slopes as their own and accuse the outsiders of (8)______ their resources with explosives and excavating machinery.
When you are ready, complete the vocabulary exercise below
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