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The 2000's
 Conflict Over the Three Gorges Dam

Conflict Over the Three Gorges Dam
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.72

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    archaeological, completion, cubic, navigate, navigation, controversy, controversial, hazardous, nuclear, provides, disastrous, commercial, man-made, ports, homeland, dates
     content words:    Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River, Lake Superior, Gorges Dam

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Conflict Over the Three Gorges Dam
By Sharon Fabian 		  
1     Is it a good idea? Is it a bad idea? Ever since the Three Gorges Dam was first proposed back in 1919, it has been a source of controversy. Finally in the 1990s, China decided to go ahead with plans to build the dam. In 1994, construction began.
 
2     The dam is on the Yangtze River, the third longest river in the world. It is huge. When finished, it will be the largest hydroelectric power plant on earth. It is so large that it is one of the few man-made objects that can be seen from space!
 
3     The dam is built of concrete and is over one mile long and 600 feet high. At the bottom it is over 300 feet wide, at the top over 100 feet. Thirty-five million cubic yards of concrete were needed to build the dam.
 
4     The reservoir behind the dam is also huge. Water in the reservoir could reach a depth of over 500 feet. The reservoir is over 400 miles long, longer than Lake Superior. It will hold 9 cubic miles of water.
 
5     For China, the completed dam will be a source of pride, but it has also been a source of controversy.

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