Located in the north-east of Italy, Venice is known     1     "The Floating City". It is made up of over 100 small islands,     2     are connected by waterways and bridges. Unfortunately, water is also putting Venice in great     3    (dangerous). Saltwater is     4     ( slow) damaging the bases of Venice's buildings. The Floating City is, in fact,sinking.

More problems     5     (cause) by floods, which usually hit the city each winter. But these floods could now be a thing of the past thanks to a new flood prevention project.     6     (lie) in the middle of a lagoon, Venice was often hit by seawater caused by rain and strong winds every year, which travels through the     7     (nature) gaps to Venice.Dozens of gates have been built to hold back the sea until now. Each of these gates is 20 meters wide, with     8    longest about 30 meters long. In the event of a big rise in the water level, the gates will be raised to separate the city from the sea.

But only time will tell whether this project is the right solution. The important thing is that action is being taken    9    (protect) this unique city for future    10     (generation). And if it works, it means a longer, drier future for Venice.