Listen to the article as you read along. Then read the article again by yourself and answer the questions.
Welcome to my home, the second largest island in Europe, and one of the most fascinating places in the world. Welcome to Iceland! The first people to live in Iceland arrived there from Northern Europe about 1,200 years ago. First Norway and then Denmark controlled Iceland for hundreds of years until its independence in 1918. At one time it was one of the poorest countries in the world, but it is now one of the richest. Fishing is a very important part of its economy. The population is only about 320,000 and most of its people speak a language called Icelandic. Many Icelanders also speak English very well. Reykjavik, the capital city, is home to about two-thirds of the people of Iceland, while about 19,000 people in the country are foreign workers. The climate is cold. The July high temperature is usually only around 10 degrees Celsius, and in winter about 3 or 4 degrees below zero. Iceland is known for its many beautiful glaciers - these are large mountains of ice and snow that you can see in both summer and winter. There are also many active volcanos, with the last major eruption of fire and rocks and smoke in 2011. This is Iceland, my home!
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