(i) Two phrases which describe the desert as most people believe it is:
“dry, hot, waterless and without shelter”
“a flat, unchanging wasteland of dry sand”
(ii) Two phrases which describe the desert as specialists see it:
“a beautiful place”
“home of a variety of people, animals and plants”
The description of the desert as specialists see it is more apt as their description is based on actual studies, and not just on beliefs and assumptions.