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Satellite Watches Mexico City Sink

scienceMay 9, 2026·142 words·2 min read

This is a A2 (elementary) English article about satellite watches mexico city sink. Read the article below, then check the key words and test your understanding with 5 exercises. You can also listen to the audio and tap any word to see its meaning.

How to practice
Key Vocabulary

Tap any underlined difficult word to see its definition in your language and hear it pronounced.

Exercises

Multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and ordering tasks check that you understood what you read.

Dictation Practice

Listen to each sentence, then type what you hear word by word. Trains your ear and spelling.

Memorize Practice

Read a sentence, then reconstruct it from memory by filling in the blanks. Active recall locks vocabulary in.

Read & Listen

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Satellite Watches Mexico City Sink
Mexico City is sinking very fast. New pictures from space show this clearly. Some areas drop more than two centimetres every month. A satellite called NISAR took the pictures. NASA (the US space agency) and India's space agency built it. The worst sinking is near the airport and an old city monument.
Why is this happening? The city was built on an old lake bed. The ground is soft. People pump too much water from below. The soft ground then shrinks. About half of the city's water comes from underground. The water level there is falling fast.
The damage is easy to see. Old churches lean. Pipes break and lose lots of water. About 40 per cent of the water is wasted this way. Scientists want to save buildings. But stopping the sinking is very hard. People still need water every day.

Key Vocabulary

n.
a machine that goes around Earth
n.
a tall stone built to remember
n.
below the surface of the earth
v.
take out water using a machine
v.
get smaller; press together
v.
tilt to one side
n.
tubes that carry water
v.
lost; not used
Vocabulary Translations· 8 words · 12 languages

Every definition is context-aware — translated based on how the word is used in this article, not a dictionary.

satelliten.

a machine that goes around Earth

vệ tinhsatélite人工衛星uydusatélitesatelitaقمر صناعيsatellietспутник卫星위성
monumentn.

a tall stone built to remember

đài tưởng niệmmonumento記念碑anıtmonumentopomnikنصب تذكاريmonumentпамятник纪念碑기념비
undergroundn.

below the surface of the earth

dưới lòng đấtsubsolo地下yer altıel subsuelopod ziemiąتحت الأرضondergrondsиз-под земли地下지하
pumpv.

take out water using a machine

bơmbombeiamポンプで汲み上げるpompalıyorbombeanpompująيضخّونpompenвыкачивают抽(水)퍼올리다
shrinkv.

get smaller; press together

co lạiencolhe縮むbüzülürse encogekurczy sięينكمشkrimptсжимается收缩줄어들다
leanv.

tilt to one side

nghiênginclinam-se傾くeğiliyorse inclinanpochylają sięتميلleunen schuinнаклоняются倾斜기울다
pipen.

tubes that carry water

ống nướccanosパイプborulartuberíasruryأنابيبleidingenтрубы管道수도관
wastev.

lost; not used

bị lãng phíé desperdiçado無駄になるboşa harcanırse desperdiciajest marnowaneيُهدرwordt verspildтратится впустую被浪费낭비되다

Check Your Understanding

Question 1: True or False

1

The city was built on an old lake bed.

2

Only the airport is going down.

3

About 40 per cent of the city's water is wasted.

4

Stopping the sinking is easy.

Question 2: Multiple Choice

Why does the soft ground keep sinking?

Question 3: Multiple Choice

How much of the city's water is wasted because of broken pipes?

Question 4: Matching

Tap a word, then tap its meaning.

Question 5: Fill in the Blank

People ______ water out from below the ground.

Dictation Practice

Sentence 1 / 200/6 words

Memorize Practice

Sentence 1 / 20

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