Gibraltar
Grades 5+
March 16, 1969. A small, private event is taking place at the foot of Gibraltar’s Rock. It is the wedding of John Lennon of Beatles fame and Yoko Ono, a Japanese artist. Only a few friends and family members are in attendance. After the ceremony, the couple holds a press conference, during which they give pieces of their wedding cake to reporters.
Why have a wedding here at Gibraltar?
It’s more a question of why not have a wedding here. Gibraltar is one of the world’s most popular wedding and honeymoon destinations for celebrities. Sean Connery, the first James Bond, got married here – twice!
The Rock, as Gibraltar is often called, offers a unique setting for the ceremony, and breathtaking backdrop for wedding photos and videos.
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The Rock’s history goes back to the Jurassic-era, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Over millions of years, shells of sea creatures were deposited on the seafloor. Layers of shells became compacted by the weight of the sediments deposited on top of them. And over time, they became cemented together to form the Rock we see today.
Yes, the Rock of Gibraltar is made of dead tiny sea creatures.
It is a huge limestone outcropping that stands out from the surrounding countryside. Jutting out into the strait between Europe and Africa, the Rock is covered in a dense vegetation of trees and shrubs.
More than a setting for weddings, Gibraltar and the Rock offer an important place for military and commercial activity. Together they guard the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It’s now a British territory, but humans have occupied it for thousands of years. In fact, it is honeycombed with manmade caves where weapons and other items are stored.
Nor are humans the only residents. The Rock is home to a variety of wildlife, including its macaque monkeys. There are only about 300 left, the last of their kind. Their numbers have dwindled because of habitat loss, disease, and predation by humans and other animals. Their fight for survival is both sad and inspiring.
Gibraltar Activity 1
a) Are SAM the MAN pronouns singular, plural, or both?
b) How can you tell which they are?
c) Determine if the underlined words are determiners or pronouns.
d) Decide if the underlined words are singular or plural.
1. It’s more a question of why not have a wedding here.
2. Lennon and Ono gave wedding cake to all the reporters.
3. Some of the reporters surely kept their piece of cake as a souvenir.
4. The most famous residents of the Rock are not human.
5. Sadly, the monkey population has declined until almost none of the animals remain.