Text one:

Part one: Read the text carefully then do the activities A-Comprehension The huge and powerful Hurricane Katrina blasted into the southern Gulf Coast states of the USA with its full and mighty force on Monday. The lethal storm may have left hundreds dead and has caused catastrophic damage. Large areas of New Orleans are under water. Thousands of homes are without electricity and safe drinking water. President George W. Bush has declared a state of emergency. He has promised financial aid to help victims and to get the whole region back on its feet. The economic cost of the hurricane could be the highest in US history. The human cost is also continuing to rise. Many predict the death toll will be higher than the 256 killed by Hurricane Camille in 1969. Rescue services are experiencing difficulties as they try to save lives. They have to negotiate live power cables, toppled trees and dangerous debris. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco told in a news conference: The devastation is greater than our worst fears. Its totally overwhelming.
Wednesday August, 31st,, 2005 URL: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/0508/050831-katrina-e.html

Activity one: Choose the best title to the text a) Hurricane Dennis menaces U.S. coast b) What should one do to prepare for the hurricane? c) Hurricane Katrina kills hundreds Activity two: Say whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):
a) b) c) d) The storm may be the costliest in US history. Katrina may be the deadliest storm to hit the US in over four decades. Live power cables are helping efforts to reach survivors. Louisianas Governor said the storm wasnt as bad as she had feared.

Activity three: What do the underlined words refer to in the text?

a) b) c) d)
a)

with its full1 He has1 They have2 Our 2

Where did Hurricane Katrina hit? What did the deadly storm result in? Were Power and water supplies affected? What has President Bush promised?

Activity four: Answer the questions according to the text.

b) d)

c)

Activity four: What is the type of the text? Activity five: In which paragraph is it mentioned that? a)

b)

The number of people died When the hurricane happened.

.B- Text exploration 1. Match the synonyms 1. 2. 3. 4.

2.

Words Huge Blasted Lethal Aid

synonyms a) support b) slammed c) enormous d) deadly

Give the opposites of the following words keeping the same root Helpsafe -predictable -lifedamaged- human-forced 3. Complete the table adjective Nouns Powerful .......................... force Catastrophic .......................... .......................... devastation Rewrite sentence "b" so it means the same meaning as sentence "a".

4.

1) A- Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco told a news conference:The devastation is greater than our worst fears. B- Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco told a news conference 2) A-President George W. Bush has declared a state of emergency. B- A state of emergency. 3)- He has promised financial aid to help victims. 4) ..so as to 5. Combine the pairs using the correct connector(because-if-until)
-Katrina Hurricane was huge and powerful. -Katrina Hurricane has caused catastrophic damage. 6. Ask questions about the underlined words

a) The lethal storm has caused catastrophic damage. b) Hurricane Katrina blasted into the US southern Gulf Coast on Monday
7. Classify the following words according to the pronunciation of the final ed

Blasted-

caused/t/

declared/d/

promised-

killed /Id/

Part two: Writing

Your family lives in a house on a hill overlooking the ocean, near the equator. You have your own power supply from a wind generator and solar panels. You live in an area that receives hurricanes and when the hurricane season is upon you, you know to be prepared. Your family has an emergency kit ready permanently and you keep an eye on the weather forecasts. For the last few days, your family has been watching reports on the evening news of a low pressure system that has deepened considerably, turned into a tropical cyclone and is travelling across the ocean heading your way! The latest prediction is that it will hit the coast tomorrow morning. Everyone is warned to be on high alert and prepare for hurricane damage immediately. The hurricane is expected to bring severe wind for around 12 hours. Question: What do you and your family do to prepare for the hurricane? 2

Text two: Part one: Read the text carefully then do the activities A-Comprehension An ever-strengthening Hurricane Dennis has been upgraded to a category 4 hurricane with catastrophic winds nearing 250 kph. It is moving ominously close to Americas southern coastline and is expected to make landfall Sunday evening, local time. Fears are that Dennis will beat the same areas still trying to recover from the lethal Hurricane Ivan, which caused widespread devastation in last years hurricane season. Dennis is following a very similar path to its vicious predecessor. Ivan hit into coastal communities last year, killing at least 90 people and causing $7 billion of damage. Dennis is the earliest category 4 hurricane to develop in the Caribbean. It has already cost 20 lives as it traversed Haiti and Cuba, leaving wide scale destruction in its trail. Forecasters said Dennis is the most ferocious storm to hit the region in over 150 years. Florida Governor Jeb Bush said: It is a storm that is huge. The devastation that could take place is something we have already seen. Over 1.4 million people have already evacuated and gone inland. They have boarded up their properties and are now hoping Dennis does not unleash its power on their livelihoods. There are fears that Dennis is a precursor to a year of particularly destructive storms. Date: Jul 11, 2005
Activity one: Choose the best title to the text

a) b) c)

Hurricane Dennis menaces U.S. coast. Hurricane Ivan menaces U.S. coast. Hurricane Katrina kills hundreds.

Activity two: Say whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a) b) c) d)

An amazingly large hurricane will soon make landfall in America. Hurricane Ivan caused $7 million of damage last year. Dennis developed in the Atlantic Ocean, near Iceland. Over 1.4 million people have fled their homes for shelter inland.

Activity three: What do the underlined words refer to in the text?

a. b. c. d. a. b. c. d. e.

Which to its that They

1 1 2 2

Activity four: Answer the questions according to the text.

Is the hurricane Dennis following the same path as an earlier lethal storm? How fast are the disastrous winds? When did Hurricane Ivan strike? What has Hurricane Dennis caused? Why have over 1.4 million people already evacuated and gone inland?

Activity five: In which paragraph is it mentioned that?

a. It is the most ferocious storm in a century and a half to hit the area b. Dennis will not probably be the only destructive storm of the year. 3

.B- Text exploration

1. Match the synonyms Words synonyms

a) b) c) d)

upgraded catastrophic ominously vicious

1. 2. 3. 4.

ferocious forebodingly elevated calamitous

2. Complete the table adjective Nouns .................................

Coastal .. ..
.............................

Destruction damage
storm

3. Rewrite sentence "b" so that it means the same meaning as sentence "a" 1-a- Florida Governor Jeb Bush said: Over 1.4 million people have already evacuated. 1-b- Florida Governor Jeb Bush said that. 2-a- Dennis will beat the same areas 2-b-The same areas.......................................................................... 4. Ask questions about the underlined words a) Ivan hit into coastal communities last year, b) Ivan killed at least 90 people 5. Underline the stressed syllable: catastrophic-coastal- devastationdamage(n)
Part two: Writing

Topic one: It is now 7.30 pm on the day of the predicted hurricane. The winds were terribly strong this morning and coming from the east pieces of buildings and tree branches were flying everywhere, trees were being flattened and the rain kept coming down. Just after lunch, the eye of the storm crossed over you it was strangely calm and the sun was shining. Then Bam!! The winds came howling again, this time from the west, and more rain fell. More flying materials and the storm surge came in. Everything within 1 km of the coast flooded there were fish in the streets. Now the 3-winds are dying down, but the rain is still falling. Question: What damage did your home suffer? Topic Two: Write the different tasks and duties the following people have when a deadly hurricane hits. What extra things do you think these people could do? The countrys leader /The city mayor /The head of the national weather forecast center /Neighbors /Police officers /Fire fighters /Coastguards /TV news reporters

Text three Part one: A-Comprehension: Read the text carefully then do the activities The death toll in the Burmese cyclone may reach 80,000. There are 22,000 confirmed deaths and up to 60,000 people still missing. The killer storm struck the country on Saturday and caused widespread destruction. Millions of people are without electricity, food or clean drinking water. Reporters say the capital, Rangoon, looks like a war zone. Hundreds of homes have been flattened by the winds, and uprooted trees are blocking the streets. This is making it difficult for emergency supplies to reach people in need. Residents say it is the worst storm to hit their city in living memory. United Nations disaster experts say it will take many days to find out exactly how many people died in the deadly winds. The current fear is that diseases such as cholera will break out as people drink dirty water. The normally secretive Burmese government is allowing aid agencies to help with relief efforts. It seems the damage to cities, towns and rural communities is too great for the government to cope with alone. A UN spokesperson said Burmas military rulers were, "having as much trouble as anyone else in getting a full overview of the destruction. Naing Aung from the Forum for Democracy in Burma said: International expertise in dealing with natural disasters is urgently required.The military regime is ill-prepared to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone. There are now fears that the cyclone will further push up world rice prices. Rice has already increased in price by 75 per cent in the past year. Burma is a key exporter of the food staple to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Date: May 6, 2008
Activity one: Say whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F): a) b) c) d) Rangoon residents say it is the worst storm they can remember. Burmas government is keeping many secrets about the cyclone. The government has a very clear idea about how big the damage is. The price of rice has increased by 75 per cent in the past 12 months.

Activity two: What do the underlined words refer to in the text?

a) It ..1

b)Their..1

Activity three: Answer the questions according to the text.

a) How many people died?

b) When did the storm hit the country? c) Has everyone affected by the Burma cyclone been found luckily? d) Did the cyclone damage the electricity supply? Activity four: In which paragraph is it mentioned that? a) People are afraid that dirty drinking water will spread diseases.

b) The government is not equipped to help Burmas cyclone.

Activity five: Give a title to the text .B- Text exploration

1.

Find in the text words closest in meaning to the following a-number of dead1 b-damage1c-crushed1 d-lethal1

2. Complete the table Verb Noun Adjective destruction ...................... To help . ...................... ...................... need ...................... 3. . Combine the pairs using the correct connector: (as a result/which) a- Hundreds of homes have been flattened by the winds b-The killer storm struck the country 4. Ask questions about the underlined words

a) The killer storm caused widespread destruction. b) There are 60,000 missing people.
5. Rewrite sentence "b" so that it means the same meaning as sentence "a" 1-a- Hundreds of homes have been flattened by the winds. 1-b-The winds.. 2-a- Residents said: it is the worst storm to hit our city in living memory. 2-b- Residents said that

6.

Reorder the sentences to make a coherent paragraph

a. In this sense, a cyclone is any weather system except a tornado b. in which the air pressure at the earth's surface is relatively low. c. Cyclone is often used to mean a violent, swirling windstorm. d. To scientists, however, the term cyclone more commonly refers to the weather system in which this type of storm occurs. 7. Classify the following words according the pronunciation of final ed Confirmed- caused- flattened- United- died

Part two: Writing Topic one: Write a paragraph about the things you would do before-during and after a cyclone Use the following points to help you.

Topic two: What can you do to help those in need in Burma? Text four: Part one: A-Comprehension: Read the text carefully then do the activities

A powerful earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale has killed at least 3,000 people in Pakistan and India. The violent and devastating quake struck with such force that it reduced whole villages to rubble, triggered deadly landslides and flattened a steel-reinforced-concrete apartment building. Large swathes of Pakistani and Indian Kashmir suffered the full force and intensity of the trembler and areas as far afield as New Delhi, Kabul and Dhaka also reported being rocked. A Pakistani army spokesman called the devastation a national tragedy. Officials are warning the death toll will climb dramatically as searches frantically continue over the coming days and outlying areas report their casualty figures. Thousands of mud huts and cheaply built houses and buildings simply crumbled in the magnitude 7.6 quake. Many buildings were not constructed to high earthquake standards and specifications and had little chance of surviving intact. One apartment block that was almost completely obliterated was the upmarket Margala Towers in Islamabad. Television news footage shows it to be a concertinaed heap of stone and steel after the 75-apartment complex collapsed like a deck of cards. Hordes of frantic rescuers are currently conducting the painstaking search for survivors as they strip away the concrete and twisted metal with their bare hands. Scores of dead bodies as well as those that survived are being pulled out. A local official predicted there would be massive casualties. Date: Oct 9, 2005
Activity one: Say whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F): a) The quake enlarged whole villages to rubble and triggered landscapes. b) An upmarket apartment complex was almost completely obliterated. c) Heavy machinery is stripping away the twisted steel and concrete. d) It is impossible to pull people out from the apartment. Activity two: What do the underlined words refer to in the text? - it 1 - their 1 -they 2 - their 2

Activity three: Answer the questions according to the text. How many people are killed? Where did the earthquake hit? Were Kabul in Afghanistan and Dhaka in Bangladesh rocked? Is the death toll expected to go up? e) Why the buildings could not survive in the devastating earthquake? f) Are the rescuers doing their best?

a) b) c) d)

Activity four: In which paragraph is it mentioned that?

a) Officials are predicting a dramatic climb in casualty figures. b) All buildings in the area are not built to earthquake-proof specifications.
Activity five: Give a title to the text

B- Text exploration. 1. Match the synonyms Words a) g Measurin devastati crumbled specificati synonyms 1. require ments 2. disintegr ated 3. destructi ve 4. ng Registeri

b)
ng c) d) ons

2. Complete the table Verb Noun adjective .. .. powerful .. force .. To survive .. .. 3. Combine the pairs using the appropriate connector(because/but) A-They were not constructed to high earthquake standards. B-Thousands of houses and buildings simply crumbled in the magnitude 7.6 quake. 4. Rewrite sentence "b" so that it means the same meaning as sentence "a"

1-a- Officials warned: the death toll will climb dramatically 1-b- Officials warned. 2-a- Hordes of frantic rescuers are conducting the search for survivors. 2-b- the search for survivors 3-a- The violent and devastating quake struck with such force that it reduced whole villages to rubble. 3-b-.so.that 5. Reorder the sentences to make a coherent paragraph a) Earthquake is a shaking of the ground caused by the sudden breaking and shifting of large sections of the earth's rocky outer shell. b) Earthquakes are among the most powerful events on earth, and their results can be terrifying. c) A severe earthquake may release energy 10,000 times as great as that of the first atomic bomb. Rock movements during an earthquake can make rivers change their course. d) Earthquakes can trigger landslides that cause great damage and loss of life. e) Large earthquakes beneath the ocean can create a series of huge, destructive waves called tsunamis that flood coasts for many miles 5. Classify the following words according their final s Villages -landslides swathes- areas- days- houses- buildings Part two: Writing Topic one: It is a normal weekend morning and your family is enjoying breakfast in your apartment. You live in a big city on a Pacific Island. Your pet cat all of a sudden appears really agitated and then suddenly a loud rumbling sound is heard and everything starts shaking

violently. The TV goes off; things are falling off shelves, light fitting crashes from the ceiling and your Mum screams earthquake! Question: What does the family do? Topic two: What message would you give to those affected by the earthquake?

Text five:
Part one: A-Comprehension: Read the text carefully then do the activities President Bush is under pressure because of his lack of action after Hurricane Katrina. He has been unable to deal with the most basic issues in responding to one of Americas greatest ever disasters. He was very defensive in front of TV cameras yesterday. He casually said he was satisfied with the national response to the tragedy. Many people in the affected areas are asking why it took him five days to visit the area. He did not even visit New Orleans, perhaps to avoid the anger and rage of the citys refugees. In New Orleans, law and order have broken down. Armed gangs control the streets. Soldiers have shoot-to-kill orders to prevent looting. Tens of thousands of people are still stranded without food, water and medical supplies. Old people are quietly dying in the superdome, where they were told to take refuge from the hurricane. The worlds only superpower seems powerless to cope with the growing crisis. Even though authorities predicted the scale of destruction, the response has been slower than that for a Third World disaster. Date: Sep 3, 2005 Activity one: Say whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F): a) b) c) d) President Bush was defensive in front of TV cameras. President Bush said he was not satisfied with relief efforts. Stranded people have enough food and water. The worlds only superpower seems powerless to cope.

Activity two: What do the underlined words refer to in the text? - his 1 - He1 - they 2

Activity three: Answer the questions according to the text. a) b) c) d) e) Has President Bush responded quickly after Hurricane Katrina? How long did it take President Bush to visit affected areas? Did President Bush visit New Orleans? Why have Soldiers shoot-to-kill orders ? Was the scale of devastation predictable? Activity four: In which paragraph is it mentioned that? a) b) The Third World receives disaster relief quicker than New Orleans. President Bush is under pressure because of his lack of action.

Activity five: Give a title to the text 9

B- Text exploration. 1. Find in the text words closest in meaning to the following - Absence1 - biggest1 - stay away from1 - shelter2

2. Give the opposites of the adjectives keeping the same root Controlled 3. Complete the table
Verb To predict .. To prevent Noun

-predictable-

satisfied-

powerful

-affected

satisfied
.

Adjective . .

4. Rewrite sentence a so that it means the same as a 1-a- President Bush is under pressure because of his lack of action. 1-b-because he.. 2-a-. He casually said that he was satisfied with the national response to the tragedy. 2-b- He casually said:.. 3-a- Even though authorities predicted the scale of destruction, the response has been slower than that for a Third World disaster. 3-b-..but. 5. Use the words given to fill in the gaps : may- dark- usually storm- the- reach Hurricane is a powerful, swirling (1). that begins over a warm sea. Hurricanes form in waters near (2).. Equator, and then they move toward the poles. The winds of a hurricane swirl around a calm central zone called the eye surrounded by a band of tall,(3). clouds called the eyewall. The eye is (4).. about 10 to 20 miles (16 to 32 kilometers) in diameter and is free of rain and large clouds. In the eyewall, large changes in pressure create the hurricane's strongest winds. These winds can (5). nearly 200 miles (320 kilometers) per hour. Damaging winds (6).. extend 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the eye. 6. Classify the words according to the pronunciation of final s Issues -disasters- areas -refugeessoldiersgangs/S/ /Z/ /IZ/ thousands

Part two: Writing Topic one: Use the notes to write a composition about what you do to prepare your home for a hurricane. Board and/or tape all the windows with plywood and alligator tape /Bring all outside items indoors / / shelter yourself on the first floor of your home or even in the bathtub. /Do not go outside during a hurricane. When all seems calm and quiet outside, beware/.Unless told to evacuate, you will have to decide for yourself if you should stay in your home or try to head for safer ground. Topic two: It is one week later and the hurricane has totally gone but the damage to your neighborhood and the environment hasnt. 10

Question: How did you help after the hurricane?

Text six:
Part one: A-Comprehension: Read the text carefully then do the activities While death tolls rise alarmingly higher each hour, Colin Powell did his best yesterday to fight off accusations that aid donations from the American government are stingy. He said America will do more to help the tsunami victims, but didnt say when. In his interview with ABC he trod carefully, It will take us a while to make a careful assessment of what is needed ... This is indeed an international tragedy, and we are going to do everything we can. What America has proved it can do well is move an army and supplies equivalent in size to the city of Pittsburgh to Iraq in a matter of days. It can also spend $300-$500 million in one night dropping Cruise missiles on Baghdad. Compare these two facts with Powells delaying response and the paltry initial $15 million, and you can see war, death and destruction are more important than humanitarian concerns. Affected countries need money, water and medicine now. Assessments can wait. The current death toll stands at 50,000 dead, with that number predicted to double with communicable disease from a lack of drinking water and the destruction of sanitation infrastructure. The sheer geographic scale of the disaster, affecting ten countries, is stretching aid agencies to the limit. Indonesia is worst hit, with 27,000 dead, followed by Sri Lanka, which has so far suffered 18,000 deaths. Four East African countries are now reporting casualty figures, with more than 100 killed by the tsunamis in Somalia. In Sri Lanka one million people are now homeless and have no safe drinking water. The cleanup operation in the Maldives could be higher than its annual GDP, such is the devastation. The United Nations has said it is the most expensive natural disaster ever. Aid agencies have said it will require the largest charitable world response ever. Weds Dec 29 Activity one: Say whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F): a) b) c) d) e) Tsunami death tolls have stopped rising. America has offered extremely generous support to tsunami victims. The death toll of 50,000 is predicted to double. The sheer scale of the disaster is stretching aid agencies to the limit. The disaster has touched many countries.

Activity two: Complete the table The country Sri Lanka .. The death doll 27,000 dead .. 100 killed 11

Activity three: What do the underlined words refer to in the text? - his 1 - he 1 - it 1 - which 2 - its 2 - it2

Activity four: Answer the questions according to the text. How much money did America spend in one night dropping Cruise missiles on Baghdad? b) How much money did America donate to help tsunami victims? c) How many people died in Tsunami? d) Did the people of Sri Lanka have safe drinking water? e) How many countries were influenced by the Tsunami? a) Activity five: In which paragraph is it mentioned that? a) In an interview with ABC about aid, Colin Powell trod carefully. b) The cleanup operation in the Maldives could be higher than its annual GDP Activity six: Choose the best title to the text a) Killer tsunamis strike Asia b) 50,000 Dead-Us Token Aid c) What is a tsunami B- Text exploration. 1) Match the synonyms words a) Alarmingly b) Paltry c) Communicable d) casualty 2) Synonyms 1) fatality 2) Contagious 3) Contemptible 4) gravely

Give the opposites keeping the same root

Needed-charitable-do-help-careful-predicted-safe-home-expensive-natural 3) Complete the table Noun .. tragedy

Adjective Communicable Charitable Geographic .. 4)

Rewrite sentence a so that it means the same as a

1-a- Colin Powell said:America will do more to help the tsunami victims. 1-b- Colin Powell said that. 12

2-a- The United Nations said: it is the most expensive natural disaster ever. 2-a- The United Nations said that.. 3-a- America has not offered generous support to tsunami victims. 3-b-A generous support. 5) Reorder the sentences to make a coherent paragraph

a) Tsunamis may build to heights of more than 100 feet (30 meters) when they reach shallow water near shore. b) They can travel great distances while diminishing little in size and can flood coastal areas thousands of miles or kilometers from their source. c) called tsunamis, also known as seismic sea waves. d) Some people call tsunamis tidal waves, but scientists think the term is misleading e) An earthquake on the ocean floor can give a tremendous push to surrounding seawater and create one or more large, destructive waves f) because the waves are not caused by the tide. g) In the open ocean, tsunamis typically move at speeds of 500 to 600 miles (800 to 970 kilometers) per hour. 6) Classify the following words according to the pronunciation of final s tsunamis- donations- victimsdeaths

TollsPart two: Writing

Topic one: Use the following notes to write a composition about what should be done to prepare in advance for a tsunami and after.

What do we do before a tsunami Know if your local area could be struck by a tsunami. Talk with your family and prepare an emergency plan. Identify safe places close to your home and school-a place that is at least one kilometer inland or 35 meters above sea level

What do we do during tsunami Stay calm Leave the area immediately if you are at the beach or near a river when a strong earthquake occurs. Go at least one kilometer inland or 35 meters above the sea level. Dont do to the river or beach to watch the waves

What do we do after a tsunami Stay calm Listen to and follow instructions from the radio. Help others who may need if you can.

13

Topic two: America likes war more than helping humanitarian catastrophes. What do you think?

Text seven

Killer tsunamis strike Asia

Monday December 27, 2005

Pre-Intermediate + BNE: The worlds biggest earthquake in 40 years hit southern Asia yesterday causing wide scale death and destruction across swathes of Southern and South-East Asia. The quake, which measured 8.9 on the Richter Scale, occurred off of the Northeast coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, and unleashed killer tidal waves that swamped towns and communities across the region. It washed away whole communities and has so far cost 11,000 lives. The enormity of the tsunami means the death toll will rise. The tsunami, reported to be ten metres high, have devastated large parts of the Maldives, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. All of these places were packed with Christmas holidaymakers, many of whom it is feared have lost their lives. In Tamil Nadu, India, five thousand fishermen are missing. In Thailand hundreds of holidaymakers were swept out of their hotel rooms. The governments of Sri Lanka and the Maldives have declared national states of emergency. The waves traveled at hundreds of kilometers per hour and left the people of the affected areas with very little time to move to safer ground. 2. TRUE / FALSE: Students look at the headline and predict whether they believe the following statements are true or false: (a) The worlds biggest earthquake in 40 years hit Asia yesterday. T / F (b) The magnitude of the earthquake was a powerful 7.2 on the Richter Scale. T / F (c) The earthquake unleashed killer tidal waves. T / F (d) The death toll of 11,000 is not set to rise. T / F (e) The tsunami was reported to be fifty metres high. T / F (f) Hundreds of Christmas holidaymakers lost their lives. T / F (g) Governments have declared national states of emergency. T / F (h) The waves traveled at 65 kilometers per hour. T / F 3. SYNONYM MATCH: Students match the following synonyms from the article: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) earthquake hit occurred unleashed swamped packed holidaymakers emergency affected set off crisis trembler jammed / crammed tourists strike happened damaged flooded 14

ANSWERS
TRUE / FALSE: (a) The worlds biggest earthquake in 40 years hit Asia yesterday. T (b) The magnitude of the earthquake was a powerful 7.2 on the Richter Scale. F (c) The earthquake unleashed killer tidal waves. T (d) The death toll of 11,000 is not set to rise. F (e) The tsunami was reported to be fifty metres high. F (f) Hundreds of Christmas holidaymakers lost their lives. T (g) Governments have declared national states of emergency. T (h) The waves traveled at 65 kilometers per hour. F SYNONYM MATCH: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) earthquake hit occurred unleashed swamped packed holidaymakers emergency affected trembler strike happened set off flooded jammed / crammed tourists crisis damaged

Text eight: Hope for Haiti event raises

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1001/100123-hope_for_haiti.html

millions

THE ARTICLE
From http://www.BreakingNewsEnglish.com/1001/100123-hope_for_haiti.html

Some of the biggest stars in entertainment gathered on Friday night to help raise money for Haiti. The event, called Hope for Haiti Now, was organized by actor George Clooney. He persuaded dozens of singers, sports stars and actors to answer telephones in a telethon to raise money for the earthquake-hit country. Rock and pop legends performed on both sides of the Atlantic. Madonna, Mary J Blige, Shakira and Sting sang in New York, while Jay-Z, Rihanna and U2s Bono took part in a concert in London. A special moment came when Haitian-American singer Wycle fJean sang for his nation. The event was televised on every major TV network and streamed on websites around the world. George Clooney told MTV about why he organized the event: "It's a big world out there, and we all have a lot of responsibility to look out for people who can't look out for themselves, he said. He explained what he asked the stars to do, saying: "You got about 130 to 140 actors, athletes, singers and television hosts, and they're all coming up not to be on TV, but simply to answer the phones." He said so many stars were willing to help. Clooney went on to say that the telethon's main goal was to "raise money, period. Thats it. He added: If I thought that we could all pickup shovels and go in there and not be in the way, I think a lot of people would do that." Stars hope the telethon will raise $1 billion for the earthquake victims. 15

1. TRUE / FALSE:

Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F). a. All of entertainments biggest stars gathered to raise money for Haiti. T / F b. George Clooney got just over a dozen stars to participate in a telethon. T / F c. Concerts took place in the USA and England. T / F d. The telethon was shown on all of the big TV networks. T / F e. Clooney told reporters we all have a responsibility to help. T / F f. The stars on the telethon did not come just to appear on TV. T / F g. The main goal of the telethon is to raise awareness of the victims. T / F h. Clooney said all the stars will go to Haiti with shovels. T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH:
1. gathered 2 raise 3. Legends 4. Took part 5. televised 6. Responsibility 7. Simply 8. Willing 9. Period 10. Victims

Match the following synonyms from the article.

a. collect b. superstars c. full stop d. aired e. basically f. got together g. casualties h. participated i. prepared j. duty

Text

nine : Natural Disasters

http://www.listenAminute.com/n/natural_disasters.html

THE LISTENING TAPESCRIPT

I dont know about you, but I think there are more natural disasters now than before. Every time I turn on the news theres some kind of disaster. There are bushfires in Australia and California, earthquakes in China, hurricanes in Mexico and droughts in Africa. Im sure global warming is creating more natural disasters. Im lucky. Where I live, we dont really have natural disasters. Ive never experienced anything like the things on TV. Japan has many natural disasters. They have earthquakes, typhoons, flooding, volcanoes, all kinds of things. They are lucky they have the money to deal with them. There are countries in Africa that arent rich. When a natural disaster hits them, everyone suffers terribly.

Text ten: A big earthquake hits Italy

2009

8th April,

http://www.NewsEnglishLessons.com/0904/090408italy_earthquake.html
16

A giant earthquake hit a small town in Italy. It was a very old town with old buildings. Hundreds of people died. Now there are thousands of people without a house. The earthquake destroyed their house. Now they have to live in a tent. They dont know when they can have a real house again. The earthquake happened at 3.32am. There was destruction everywhere in the town. It was 100 km from Rome. Many rescuers came to help the people. Some people were pulled out from under the buildings. I was very happy because they were alive. It is amazing to see an earthquake. They are very, very powerful. They are much stronger than we are. Humans can build really strong buildings and roads and bridges, but the earthquake will destroy them. I think an Earthquake is very loud. Maybe its the loudest thing in the world .Louder than a hundred bombs. I never want to hear a real earthquake. If I hear an earthquake, that means I am in the earthquake. I like my house. I dont want an earthquake to destroy it. I will run away with my computer. Part two:Writing Topic one: Do earthquakes affect your country? What is the first thing you should do in an earthquake? What do you think you would do if your town was flattened in an earthquake?

Text eleven: More earthquakes after Samoa tsunami

October, 2009
From: http://www.NewsEnglishLessons.com/0910/091002-samoa_tsunami.html

2nd

Fresh earthquakes are continuing to cause panic in Samoa and Tonga. The two South Pacific islands are still trying to recover from the four tsunamis that hit them on Tuesday. The death toll from those killer waves is nearly at 200. Many Samoans refuse to return to their villages. They are staying in the mountains, afraid the sea will turn deadly again. Many of their villages were flattened by the tsunamis. They were caused by a huge magnitude 8 undersea quake. The aftershocks are registering over 6 on the Richter scale. Mother Nature can be cruel. The power of nature is something we cannot escape. Almost every day we see terrible natural disaster son the news. No one can protect themselves from a tsunami. It is one of the greatest forces of nature. Many people have no warning. They have very little time to get out of harms way .People living on flat areas have little chance of survival. The powerful wave destroys everything in its path. Warning systems do alert people to the danger, but there are only minutes to act.
Topic one: What do you think people can do to reduce the cost of earthquakes on human lives? Topic two: What message would you give to those affected by the earthquake?

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Text twelve: 100,000 feared dead in Haiti

2009

14th

January,

From: http://www.NewsEnglishLessons.com/1001/100114-haiti_earthquake.html
The huge earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday has caused terrible suffering and damage. It measured 7.3 on the Richter scale and lasted for one minute. It was the worst earthquake in Haiti for 200 years. The centre of the quake was just 16km from Haitis capital city Port-au-Prince. Haiti's President Rene Preval described the scene in the capital as "unimaginable". He fears the quake killed over 100,000 people. He told reporters: "Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. Around 80 per cent of its people live on less than two dollars a day. This is below the poverty line. Its so sad that natural disasters always affect the worlds poorest. People in Haiti were still trying to recover from hurricane damage. Four deadly hurricanes in 30 days killed 800 people in 2008. Lets hope the worlds rich nations help Haiti now. Many countries spend billions of dollars on wars that kill people. They now need to spend the same to help Haitians live.

Text thirteen: Indian heat wave kills 200

June, 2005

20

Over 200 people have died of sunstroke and dehydration in scorching heat wave that has swept much of India. The mercury rocketed up to 50 degrees Centigrade on June 19 in the state of Orissa. The heat has also meant the capital New Delhi has simmered all month in temperatures of over 40 Celsius. Sweltering conditions have forced many schools to remain closed in an extended summer vacation. To make matters worse, many states are experiencing power cuts, which means people cannot use their fans or air conditioners. There seems to be little respite or sanctuary from the blistering heat. Meteorologists attribute the searing temperatures to the late arrival of the summer monsoon rains on the subcontinent. This has made life almost unbearable for most Indians. Sanjay Bhal from West Bengal said: There is no escape. There is no refuge. I have never known such a savage sun. His neighbor Bidde Gupta similarly complained of being helpless. She said the sweltering hot spell seemed to have no end in sight. She also said: My house is like an oven. We are being roasted, even as we sleep, and these power outages only add to our misery. Weather forecasters predict the relentless heat to continue taking its toll until the end of June.

1. TRUE / FALSE:

Look at the articles headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F): a. Scorching temperatures have killed hundreds of people in India. T / F b. The mercury touched 50 degrees Celsius in one Indian state. T / F c. Schools have opened early so students have more time to study. T / F d. The heat has melted air conditioners and fans. T / F e. The heat wave is due to the early arrival of the summer monsoon. T / F f. A man from West Bengal said there are many heat wave refugees. T / F g. A woman compared her house to an oven. T / F h. Meteorologists say respite will come at the months end. T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH:
a. sunstroke pause b. scorching boiled

Match the following synonyms from the article:

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c. rocketed India d. simmered burning e. respite unforgiving f. meteorologists ferocious g. the subcontinent shelter h. refuge weather forecasters i. savage hyperthermia j. relentless shot

ANSWERS
TRUE / FALSE:
a. T b. T c. F d. F e. F f. F g. T h. T

SYNONYM MATCH: a. sunstroke hyperthermia b. scorching burning c. rocketed shot d. simmered boiled e. respite pause f. meteorologists weather forecasters g. the subcontinent India h. refuge shelter i. savage ferocious j. relentless unforgiving

Text fourteen: Bush creates core tsunami aid coalition

Thursday December 30 Intermediate + BNE: US President George W. Bush earlier promised to help countries affected by the tsunami disaster in the difficult weeks and months that lie ahead. He sent his condolences to those affected and said the American people are saddened by the terrible loss of life. He reacted to earlier accusations of American stinginess by increasing American aid to $35 million, reminding the UN that In the year 2004, our government provided $2.4 billion in food, in cash, in humanitarian relief 40 percent of all the relief aid given in the world last year, was provided by us. We're a very generous, kindhearted nation. However, taken on a per capita basis, among the worlds 30 richest countries, the USA comes last with just 0.14 per cent. President Bush said the United States is part of a core group that is heading relief efforts. India, Japan and Australia are the other countries. While the US can use its huge military presence in the region to help the tsunami victims, the other nations are geographically well placed to co-ordinate the clean-up and reconstruction. The death toll now stands at 80,000 people and is still rising, with the figure expected to exceed 100,000. We're facing a disaster of unprecedented proportion, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The United Nations say five million people are at risk from disease. Bush offered some optimism, saying, together the world will cope with their loss. We will prevail over this destruction. 2. TRUE / FALSE: Students look at the headline and predict whether they believe the following statements are true or false: (a) US President George W. Bush earlier promised to donate $1 million of his own 19

money to tsunami victims. T / F (b) He sent his condolences to those affected. T / F (c) He didnt like accusations that America was a stingy country. T / F (d) On a per capita basis, America tops the list of the wealthiest countries. T / F (e) The United States is part of a core group that is heading relief efforts. T / F (f) The U S can use its huge military presence in the region to help the tsunami victims. T/F (g) The death toll is not expected to exceed 100,000. T / F (h) The United Nations say five million people are at risk from disease. T / F 3. SYNONYM MATCH: Students match the following synonyms from the article: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) promised condolences stinginess relief generous core heading unprecedented cope prevail leading aid sympathies manage pledged center unheard-of tightfistedness succeed giving

ANSWERS
TRUE / FALSE: (a) F (b) T (c) T (d) F (e) T (f) T (g) F (h) T SYNONYM MATCH: (a) promised (b) condolences (c) stinginess (d) relief (e) generous (f) core (g) heading (h) unprecedented (i) cope (j) prevail pledged sympathies tightfistedness aid giving center leading unheard-of manage succeed

t fifteen Iceland volcano shuts down Euro

20

pace

From: http://www.NewsEnglishLessons.com/1004/100416-volcanoes.html

16th April, 2010

A volcano in Iceland has shut down a lot of Europes airspace. A giant ash cloud from the volcano means it is too dangerous for airplanes to fly. The ash gets into the airplanes engines and can cause great damage. The volcano erupted on Wednesday and has caused travel chaos all over the world. Thousands of flights could not take off in Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium and Scandinavia. People across the world with flights to these countries cannot travel until the cloud disappears. Scientists do not know when the ash will clear. A weather forecaster from Icelands meteorological office said the situation would continue for days, or even weeks. He pointed out that the same volcano erupted in 1821 and continued for two years. It is difficult to imagine what would happen if no planes could fly to most of Europe until 2012. Ferry and train companies would be very busy, and happy. Other people who are happy at the moment are sunset watchers. The ash in the sky is creating beautiful and spectacular sunsets. The whole world is watching this ash cloud.

Text sixteen: Chile quake made our days shorter

http://www.NewsEnglishLessons.com/1003/100303-chile.html

3rd March, 2010

From: The tragic earthquake that killed hundreds of people in Chile on February the 27th probably shortened our days. The huge 8.8 magnitude quake was one of the most powerful ever recorded. Experts say it was 500 times bigger than the one that hit Haiti in January. Richard Gross, a NASA scientist, believes the Chile trembler changed the Earths position. He said our planets axis moved sideways by 8cm. This shift is enough to make Earth spin faster, which would cut the length of a day by 1.26 microseconds. More than 700 people died in the terrible natural disaster. Aid agencies say over 2 million have been affected. Half a million homes have been damaged or destroyed. The NASA statistic is one that will cause people less concern than the ones affecting human lives. The figure is tiny our days are now 0.00000126 seconds shorter than they were before the earthquake. It would take nearly a million days for us to lose a whole second. Mr Gross said he is not sure if his calculations are correct because one-millionth of a second is too short to measure.

Text seventeen: Haiti in ruins after huge earthquake

2010

14th January,

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1001/100114-haiti_earthquake.html Television pictures are slowly beginning to show how great the damage is in Haiti following the huge earthquake on Tuesday. A magnitude 7.3quake, just 16km from the capital, hit the Caribbean nation as people were going home after work. It was the worst earthquake to strike Haiti in more than two centuries. Much of the country has been devastated. Many major buildings in the capital Port-au-Prince have collapsed, including the Presidential Palace and the UN headquarters. Haiti's President Rene Preval described the scene in the capital as "unimaginable". The Red Cross says up to 3 million people have been affected. Mr. Preval fears well over 100,000 people may have died. 21

Haiti's ambassador to the USA, Raymond Joseph, said there was "no way of estimating" how many casualties there were. Countries around the world are acting quickly to send whatever help they can to Haiti. US President Barack Obama has promised America will do all it can to help. He vowed "unwavering support" following a particularly cruel disaster. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. More than half its people live below the poverty line on less than two dollars a day. It is one of the poorest-equipped countries on Earth to deal with such a catastrophe. The nation was still trying to recover from being hit by four deadly hurricanes in 30 days in 2008. Its economy is in ruins and it has a long history of corruption and coups.

1. TRUE / FALSE:

Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F). a. The earthquake that hit Haiti was a magnitude 16 in strength. T / F b. Most Haitians were having their breakfast when the earthquake hit. T / F c. The Presidents palace was in ruins after the earthquake. T / F d. The article says Haitis president believes 3 million people are suffering. T / F e. Haitis ambassador to the US has a good idea of casualty figures. T / F f. President Obama spoke of the cruel nature of the earthquake. T / F g. Most Haitians are so poor they live on less than two dollars a day. T / F h. Haiti was hit by four different hurricanes in 2008. T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH:

Match the following synonyms from the article.

1. show a. fallen down 2 hit b. lethal 3. devastated c. guessing 4. collapsed d. reveal 5. unimaginable e. dead and injured 6. estimating f. help 7. casualties g. struck 8. support h. indescribable 9. deal with i. ruined 10. deadly j. cope with

ANSWERS
TRUE / FALSE:

a. F b. F c. T d. F e. F f. T g. T h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:
1. show a. reveal 2 hit b. struck 3. devastated c. ruined 4. collapsed d. fallen down 5. unimaginable e. indescribable 6. estimating f. guessing 7. casualties g. dead and injured 8. support h. help 9. deal with i. cope with 10. deadly j. lethal

Text eighteen: A flood occurs when an area of lowlying is covered by water. There are various kinds of flood. During a period of heavy rainfall, the soil and plants which grow in it are unable to absorb all the water, and so the excess water finds its way into streams, rivers, lakes and so on. If the amount of water is too great then a flood will follow .A river may flood from time to time naturally, and so
22

forms an area known as a flood plain. A flash flood is a flood that occurs after a sudden downpour. Coastal areas may also be flooded by a high tide caused by strong ocean winds. A tsunami is a flood caused by an underwater earthquake.

Text nineteen:

A hurricane is a powerful, rotating storm that forms over warm oceans near the equator. Another name for a hurricane is a tropical cyclone. Hurricanes have strong, rotating winds (at least 74 miles per hour or 119 kilometres per hour), a huge amount of rain, low air pressure, thunder and lightning. Hurricane winds blow in a counter clockwise spiral around the calm, roughly circular center called the eye. In the eye, which is roughly 20 to 30 miles wide, it is relatively calm and there is little or no rain. The eye is the warmest part of the storm. Surrounding the eye is theeyewall, a wall of thunderclouds. The eyewall has the most rain and the strongest winds of the storm. In addition to rotating with wind speeds of at least 74 mph, a hurricane travels relatively slowly across the ocean or land, usually at about 20 to 25 mph. Long spiral trainbands (bands of rain clouds) appear to spiral inward to the eye wall. Hurricanes can be hundreds of miles across. If this type of storm forms in the western Pacific Ocean, it is called a typhoon.The exact location of a hurricane is easily tracked by scientists, using satellite photos and RADAR. Since the direction, speed, and intensity of a storm can change quickly, predicting exactly where a storm will travel in the future is not easy. Hurricanes can travel from the ocean to the coast and on to land, where the wind, rain, and huge waves may cause extensive destruction. Generally, when a hurricane moves over land (or over cold ocean waters) the storm begins to weaken and quickly dies down because the storm is powered by warm water
Text twenty:
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A tsunami is a series of huge waves caused by the undersea displacement of a huge volume of water caused by an earthquake, volcano, rock slide, or other catastrophic event. Most tsunamis are caused by underwater earthquakes, but not all underwater earthquakes cause tsunamis - an earthquake has to be over magnitude 7.5 for it to cause a tsunami. About 90 percent of all tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean. A tsunami can travel at 700 kph (500 mph) - as fast as a jet flies. It can take only a few hours for a tsunami to travel across an entire ocean. When a tsunami hits a coastline, it can cause great destruction and loss of life. Many tsunamis can be detected before they hit land, and the loss of life could be minimized with the use of modern technology. The word tsunami comes from the Japanese word meaning "harbour wave." Tsunamis are sometimes incorrectly called "tidal waves" -tsunamis are not caused by the tides (tides are caused by the gravitational force of the moon on the sea). If you are on the beach and you see the water recede quickly and unexpectedly from the beach, run toward higher ground or inland -- there may be a tsunami coming. Also, if you are on the coast and there is an earthquake, there may be a tsunami, so run toward higher ground or inland. Many beaches have tsunami warning sirens -- do not ignore them. You can make a tiny model of a tsunami by dropping a rock into a bowl of water, causing ripples to propagate (travel) outwards from the site of impact. Another way is to slightly jolt the bowl of water and watch it slosh over the rim on one side.

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Text twenty one

Japan is beginning the cleanup after Fridays deadly earthquake and tsunami. The death toll is currently at 573 with hundreds more people missing. Most of the people died in the massive tsunami, which was up to ten meters high. Japans Fire and Disaster Management Agency says the number of destroyed buildings has reached 3,400, but that is expected to rise. In the quake-hit areas, around 5.57 million households currently have no electricity, while more than one million homes have had their water supply cut off. The mega-earthquake is the seventh largest ever recorded. It hit northeast Japan at 2:46 p.m. with a magnitude of 8.9 on the Richter scale. It was felt as far away as Beijing, China. The following tsunami has completely washed away large parts of Japans north. The damage is in tens of billions of dollars. Fifty three countries in the Pacific Rim were put on tsunami alert. Japans Prime Minister Naoto Kan said his main focus now is to stop a nuclear power plant from overheating. Scientists released radioactive steam from the plant to reduce the pressure inside it. Saturday, 12th March, 2011 Activity one: Choose the best title to the text a) Second explosion at Japan nuclear plant b) Japans quake, tsunami and atomic alert c) Killer tsunami strike Asia

From: http://www.NewsEnglishLessons.com/1103/110312-japan_earthquake.html

Activity two: Answer the following questions according to the text a) When did the disaster happen? (The exact date). b) How many people died after a day from Japans earthquake? c) Has everyone hit by the tsunami been found luckily? d) How high was the tsunami wave? Activity three: Say true or false according to the text. a) Water and power supplies were affected. b) The earthquake is the biggest ever recorded in Japan. c) The magnitude of the tremor was powerful 7.2 on the Richter scale 25

d) Buildings were swept away by the tsunami. e) Japan tsunami caused 7$ million dollars of damage. Activity four: What is the type of the text? Activity five: What do the underlined words refer to? a) b) c) d) Which 1 It 2 His 2 It 2

Activity six: In which paragraph is it mentioned that? a) A state of emergency has been declared at a nuclear power plant. b) Water supply was unavailable for one million homes. B-TEXT EXPLORATION Activity one: Find in the text words closest in meaning to the following Activity two: Ask questions about the underlined words a) The mega-earthquake hit northeast Japan. b) The damage is in tens of billions of dollars. c) Scientists released radioactive steam from the plant to reduce the pressure inside it. Activity three: 1-a-Japans Fire and Disaster Management Agency says:the number of destroyed buildings has reached 3,400. 1-b- Japans Fire and Disaster Management Agency says that 2-a-The tsunami has washed away large parts of Japans north. 2-b- large parts of Japans north 3-a- Japans Prime Minister Naoto Kan said that his main focus at the present was to stop a nuclear power plant from overheating. 3-b- Japans Prime Minister Naoto Kan said:.. Activity four: Reorder the sentences to make a coherent paragraph a) He described recent events as "the biggest crisis Japan has encountered in the 65years since the end of World War II". b) Officials say the blast did not damage the casing which houses the uranium fuel rods in the reactors core Japans prime minister Naoto Kan has told people there is no danger of a radioactive leak, but warned the situation to cool the reactors is still critical. c) Nuclear reactor 3 from the Fukushima plant suffered a similar explosion to that which hit reactor 1 on Saturday. d) Experts believe the latest explosion was caused by a build-up of hydrogen in the building that covers the core. e) A second explosion has occurred at the nuclear power plant that was damaged in Fridays catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. Activity five: Classify the following words according to the pronunciation of their ed Diedexpectedrecordedwashedreleased /t/ /d/ /id/

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Part two: Writing Topic one: Use the following notes to write a composition about what should be done to prepare in advance for a tsunami and after. What do we do before a tsunami? 1- Know if your local area could be struck by a tsunami. /2-Talk with your family and prepare an emergency plan./3-Identify safe places close to your home and school-a place that is at least one kilometer inland or 35 meters above sea level What do we do during tsunami? 1-In school - follow the advice of teachers and other school personnel. /2-At home - make sure you entire family is aware of the warning.evacuate your house if you live in a tsunami evacuation-Move in an orderly, calm and safe manner to the evacuation site or to any safe place outside your evacuation zone. Follow the advice of local emergency and law enforcement authorities. /3-At the beach or near the ocean -move immediately to higher ground- DO NOT wait for a tsunami warning to be announced-Stay away from rivers and streams that lead to the ocean as you would stay away from the beach and ocean if there is a tsunami. /4-Hotels. Find refuge in the upper floors of these hotels. 5- Do not stay in Homes and small buildings located in low lying coastal areas. 6-Stay away from all low-lying coastal areas is the safest advice when there is a tsunami warning. 7-You are on a Boat or Ship-8-do not return to port if you are at sea and a tsunami warning has been issued for your area. What do we do after a tsunami? 1- Stay calm/2-Listen to and follow instructions from the radio. /3-Help others who may need if you can.

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Secondary school Ain Babouche/3rd exam of English/2nd years/lit and philo Part one: Read the text carefully then do the activities A-Comprehension The Australian state of Queensland is facing an uphill struggle to recover from its recent flood. It could take years before things are back to normal. Large areas of the state are still under water. Thousands of homes have been flooded and many people are now without a roof over their heads. Many more homes are without power and people are relying on food and water handouts. State Premier Anna Bligh told reporters the flood is the worst natural disaster in Queenslands history and that reconstruction would be of "post-war proportions". She said: "Queensland is reeling this morning from the worst natural disaster in our history and possibly in the history of our nation.We've seen three-quarters of our state having experienced the devastation of raging flood waters.

One good piece of news to emerge from the flood is that the flood waters werent as high as feared. The water peaked at 4.46m, below the 5.4m of the 1974 floods. Nevertheless, around 30 Brisbane suburbs now look like giant lagoons. There is a huge amount of debris in the water, ranging from the entire walkway that lined Brisbanes business district waterfront, to a floating restaurant smashed to pieces after crashing into a bridge. So far, the reported death toll is 15, but dozens more people are missing. Brisbanes mayor Campbell Newman warned residents it would take a long time to return to normal. He said: The clean-up effort, ultimately, will take many; many monthsThe reconstruction effort on people's homes is going to take much longer.
13th January, 2011
From: http://.BreakingNewsenglish.com/1101/110113-queensland floods.html

1. a)

Say whether these statements are true or false. Millions of homes have been flooded. 28

b) c) d) 2. a) b) 3. a- Its 1 4. a) b) c)

A 1974 flood in Queensland was around a meter higher than this one. A lot of Brisbanes business district is now floating down the river. The death toll isnt likely to be more than 15 people. In which paragraph is it mentioned that? Not everyone in the flood affected areas has electricity. Around 75% of Queensland has suffered in the floods. What or who do the underlined words refer to? b-She 2 c-He 2 Choose the best title to the text: World floods How to deal with floods Queensland facing major reconstruction

5. Answer the questions according to the text. a) Are Queensland residents struggling to get floodwater back uphill? b) Will Reconstruction take less time than the actual clean-up? 6. The type of the text is: a-a web article b-a newspaper article c-a report B-TEXT EXPLORATION 1. Match the synonyms Words a) struggle b) relying c) debris d) emerge 2. Complete the table Noun Disaster Devastation

Synonyms 1) wreckage 2) appear 3) battle 4) depending Adjective

3. Rewrite sentence A so that it means the same as B 1-a- State Premier Anna Bligh told reporters the flood was the worst natural disaster in Queenslands history. 1-b- State Premier Anna Bligh told reporters:.. 2-a- He said: The clean-up effort will take many months. 2-b- He said that.. 4. Reorder the sentences to make a coherent paragraph a) a city west of state capital Brisbane, without warning. Sandbags have been given out to residents of Brisbane, b) to reach those trapped in cars and on the roofs of buildings. c) which have already claimed eight lives. A massive deluge overwhelmed Toowoomba, d) where the flooding may not peak until Wednesday. Premier Anna Bligh called the flash floods Queenslandsdarkest hour since the flood crisis began. e) she warned that the death toll was likely to rise. Map helicopters have joined the rescue operation 29

f) At least two of the dead were children, Ms Bligh said, and g) Officials in the Australian state of Queensland say at least 72 people are missing after flash floods Part two: writing Topic one: What do we do before a flood? 1-Find out about the worst flood in your area and how high the flood waters reached.2- Know how to reach the highest ground.3-Move animals to safety.4-Keep valuables and some food and water above the high water mark. Use Attics or upstairs rooms for storage as long as there is easy access.5-Remind your family to store chemicals in a high, safe place.6- If a flood occurs and these chemicals leak, they could be dangerous. What do we do during a flood?1-Listen to weather reports and updates for advice and instructions.2-Dont go into flood waters alone.3-Take your getaway items with you if you have to leave your home.4-Remind adults to turn off water, electricity and gas. What do we do after a flood?1-Only return home once you are told it is safe.2-Dont go sightseeing through flooded areas.4-Do not drink floodwater. It could be contaminated. Topic two: What message would you give to the people affected by the floods in Australia?

Text twenty two:

Second explosion at Japan nuclear plant 14th March,

2011

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1103/110314-japan_nuclear_crisis.html A second explosion has occurred at the nuclear power plant that was damaged in Fridays catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. Nuclear reactor 3 from the Fukushima plant suffered a similar explosion to that which hit reactor 1 on Saturday. Officials say the blast did not damage the casing which houses the uranium fuel rods in the reactors core. Experts believe the latest explosion was caused by a build-up of hydrogen in the building that covers the core. Japans prime minister Naoto Kan has told people there is no danger of a radioactive leak, but warned the situation to cool the reactors is still critical. He described recent events as "the biggest crisis Japan has encountered in the 65years since the end of World War II". Japan is beginning to understand more details of its tragedies. The death toll is slowly rising. Police found over 2,000 bodies on the coastline of Miyagi prefecture on Monday and at least ten thousand people are missing in the port town of Minamisanriku. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from a 20-km radius of the Fukushima nuclear power plants many fear they will never see their homes again. More than 22 Fukushima residents are being treated for the effects of exposure to radiation. The whole of Japan is extremely concerned about the ongoing crisis at the power plants. Experts say a disaster on the scale of Chernobyl is highly unlikely. Nevertheless, the quiet fear and panic experienced by the Japanese raise questions about nuclear safety. 1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F). 30

a. There have now been two explosions at the Fukushima nuclear plant. T / F b. The blast was totally different from one that happened earlier. T / F c. The explosion occurred because of a build-up of uranium. T / F d. Japans leader said the country was facing its biggest ever crisis. T / F e. The death toll is expected to be just under 10,000. T / F f. Some evacuees from Fukushima will never see their homes again. T / F g. 22 people are being treated for exposure to radiation. T / F h. Nuclear experts say there is little chance of a Chernobyl style accident. T / F 2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article. 1. Explosion a. accommodates 2 tsunami b. continuing 3. casing c. tidal wave 4. houses d. increasing 5. leak e. bring up 6. tragedy f. blast 7. rising g. seepage 8. exposure h. housing 9. ongoing i. contact 10. raise j. disaster ANSWERS TRUE / FALSE: a. T b. F c. F d. F e. F f. F g. T h. T a. blast b. tidal wave c. housing d. accommodates e. seepage f. disaster g. increasing h. contact i. continuing j. bring up

SYNONYM MATCH: 1. explosion 2 tsunami 3. casing 4. houses 5. leak 6. tragedy 7. rising 8. exposure 9. ongoing 10. raise

Text twenty three:

Earthquakes
When an earthquake occurs, part of the Earth's surface moves. In fact, the surface of the Earth moves all the time. The tectonic plates which make up the surface press against each other very slowly. Over thousands of years, this movement creates great stress. In some places where the layers of rock are weak, this eventually causes a sudden movement an earthquake. Thousands of earthquakes happen every day, but most are very small and cause no damage. A large earthquake shakes buildings to the ground, or causes a tsunami wave. The
31

effects are usually very serious. Severe earthquakes are common in southern Europe, and on I November 1755 a powerful earthquake hit the city of Lisbon in Portugal. Between 60,000 and 100,000 people died .After the earthquake a tsunami struck the city, and there was also a fire, which caused nearly total destruction. People as far away as Finland felt the shock, and the tsunami reached Barbados in the West Indies. Geologists now believe that the strength of the earthquake was as high as 9 on the Richter scale. This is the same strength as the Indian Ocean earthquake of 26 December 2004. Questions: 1. What moves when an earthquake occurs? 2. What creates this stress? 3. How many earthquakes happen every day? 4. What does a large earthquake do? 5. When did a powerful hit the city? 6. How many people died? 7. In which distant country was the shock felt? 8. What do geologists now believe? Part two: Writing Topic one: The shaking of the earthquake comes to a stop. Your home is a mess, your
mum has burnt her arm when the hot water from the stove hit her skin, and youre all scared, but otherwise youre all okay, including the cat. However, you know that there could be aftershocks. Question :What do you do now?

Text twenty four: Connie: who has experienced a natural disaster? Celia: I have. When I was a little girl, a terrible hurricane struck The Dominican

Republic. It was just awful! The roof blew off our house. And my cousins whole house was blown away. Connie: Oh, no! Celia: I still have nightmares about the howling wind. I really thought we were all going to die. Yukio: Thats how I felt when my town in Japan was destroyed by an earthquake, Celia. It was so terrifying! Buildings collapsed everywhere .The whole block where we lived was nothing but rubble! Will: How did you escape, Yukio? 32

Yukio: We were just lucky, Will. My sister and I were at home, and we rushed outside as soon as the ground started shaking.Our house collapsed behind us. ?Celia: How terrible! Where did you go? What did you do Yukio: Well, the International Red Cross helped us-they gave all the people blankets .and food.And then our parents sent us away with our uncle ?Connie: What about you, Will .Will: I have never experienced a natural disaster, Connie, and I hope I never do Connie: Me too. Watching them on the news and listening to Celia and Yukio tell about !them is bad enough

Text Twenty five While the world shuddered at the destruction caused by the deadly Tsunami in 2004 and those affected got busy trying to put their lives back in order, some great minds got thinking about ways to prevent such a destruction. Edward Heindl and Wolfram Reiners belonged to the tribe that decided to take prevented measures and their thought process had paid off. The two German professors have devised a system called the Tsunami-alarm, an SMS based disaster management service that promises to warn you of upcoming catastrophes. The Tsunami Alarm System (TAS) will be delivered to your mobile phone as SMS before the arrival of a destructive wave, for you and your family safety, wherever you are on earth. Tsunami warning to mobile phone is a brand new service that will be useful of holiday tourist visiting thailand resorts and other places in high risk areas said a managing director of RM Consult, roar moe we will offer the Tsunami SMS warning to to all over Scandinavia for consumers he added. The Tsunamialert System promises to alert people residing on the coastal areas in case of an upcoming Tsunami. All one needs to have is a GSM mobile phone where an instant flash message alerting about the upcoming disaster could be flashed. The TAS receives earthquake and tsunami warning information from multiple seismic measuring stations and tsunami warning stations from different countries across the world and transmits it to your cellphone in case any danger is noted , explains Reiners. Adapted from:.The Internet Read the text carefully,then answer the following questions.

I)- Reading Comprehension: (08 Pts)

A)- Are there any quotations in the text? If so, how many? (1 Pt) B)- Answer the following questions according to the text. (04 Pts) 1. What does great minds refer to in the text? 2. Who invented the Tsunami Alarm System? 3. What is it used for? 4. How does this alert system work? C)- In which paragraph does the writer mention the benefits of the TAS?(1 Pt) D)- Match words with their synonyms. (2 Pts) words synonyms 1. paid off atrembled with 2. resorts fear 3. devised bgiven results
33

4.

shuddered

cd-

holiday centers invented

II)- Mastery of Language: (08 Pts)

A)- Supply appropriate Punctuation and capitalization for the third paragraph of the text. (01 Pt) B)- Report each of the following quotes. (3 Pts) 1. Dr Eduard said: Last December in Japan, we had an eathquake and we sent a warning 10 minutes before the radio stations were able to disseminate this information. 2. He said, Are people going to take these warnings seriously? 3. He told them, How does the Tsunami Alarm System operate? C)- Turn the following into the passive. (03 Pts) 1. Vodafone is pffering the service to its subscribers in Germany. 2. German professors have launched a system to warn subscribers of a Tsunami. 3. In the future, this system will warn travellers in time of the catastrophe. D)- Cross the silent letters out in the following words. (1 Pt) Solemnly , hymn , whole , knelt.

III)- Written Expression: (04 Pts) Choose either topic 1 or 2.

Topic1: Your friend is worried about hurricanes. He asked you advice about safety measures to be taken before it strikes. ( the advive must be followed by the convincing reason). Use the cues below to write the resulting dialogue. Have a disaster supplies available (water,food,medicines,....) Teach all family members hurricane safety procedures. Protect all windows by plywood pannels. Trim off dead branches from trees. Discuss emergency communication plans and meeting places with all family members. Topic2: Write an announcement to your classmates about what they should do in case of a gas leak.

Text Twenty six:

SECTION ONE: READING COMPREHENSION (7pts) Read the text carefully then do the activities A) Comprehension (8points) Television pictures are slowly beginning to show how great the damage is in Haiti following the huge earthquake on Tuesday. A magnitude 7.3 quake, just 16km from the capital, hit the Caribbean nation as people were going home after work. It was the worst earthquake to strike Haiti in more than two centuries. Much of the country has been devastated. Many major buildings in the capital Port-au-Prince have collapsed, including the Presidential Palace and the UN headquarters. Haiti's 34

President Rene Preval described the scene in the capital as "unimaginable". The Red Cross says up to 3 million people have been affected. Mr. Preval fears "well over 100,000 people" may have died. Haiti's ambassador to the USA, Raymond Joseph, said there was "no way of estimating" how many casualties there were. Countries around the world are acting quickly to send whatever help they can to Haiti. US President Barack Obama has promised America will do all it can to help. He vowed "unwavering support" following a particularly cruel disaster. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. More than half its people live below the poverty line on less than two dollars a day. It is one of the poorest-equipped countries on Earth to deal with such a catastrophe. The nation was still trying to recover from being hit by four deadly hurricanes in 30 days in 2008. Its economy is in ruins and it has a long history of corruption and coups. www.breakingnewsenglish.com/14 January 2010 1) Read the text then say whether the sentences are true (T) or false (F).then correct the wrong ones. The earthquake that hit Haiti was a magnitude 16 in strength. T/F The Presidents palace was in ruins after the earthquake. T/F The article says Haitis president believes 3 million people are suffering. T/F Haitis ambassador to the US has a good idea of casualty figures. T/F Most Haitians are so poor they live on less than two dollars a day. T/F 2) In which paragraph is mentioned that? a) b) 3) - It 1 4) Haiti was hit by four different hurricanes in 2008. President Obama spoke of the cruel nature of the earthquake What or who do the underlined words refer to? -He 2 Choose the best title to the text a) Hope for Haiti Event Raises Millions b) Haiti in Ruins After Huge Earthquake c) Chile Quake Made Our Days Shorter Answer the following question according to the text Were most Haitians having their breakfast when the earthquake hit? Has the huge earthquake that hit Haiti caused terrible suffering and damage? What has President Barack Obama promised? -It 2

a. b c. d. e.

2) a) b) c)

B. Text exploration 1. Match the following synonyms from the article. 1 2 3. 4. hit collapsed casualties deadly 2. Gap filling: Fill in the gaps using the words given: 35 a. b. c. d. fallen down lethal struck dead and injured

fears

from

as

lasted

hit

The huge earthquake that (1) ____ Haiti on Tuesday has caused terrible suffering and damage. It measured 7.3 on the Richter scale and (2) ____ for one minute. It was the worst earthquake in Haiti for 200 years. The centre of the quake was just 16km (3) ____ Haitis capital city Port-au-Prince. Haiti's President Rene Preval described the scene in the capital (4) ____ "unimaginable". He (5) ____ the quake killed over 100,000 people. He told reporters: "Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed. 3. Ask questions about the underlined words 1) 2) Haiti earthquake lasted for one minute. Countries around the world are acting quickly.

4. Rewrite sentence b so that it means the same as a. 1-a- The Red Cross says that up to 3 million people have been affected. b- The Red Cross says : . 2-a- Much of the country has been devastated by the earthquake. b-The earthquake 5. Classify the following words according to their final S Pictures centuries /s/ WRITING choose only one subject Subject one: What would you do if your town was hit by an earthquake? What do you think people can do to reduce the cost of eartyhquales on human lives? Subject two: What message would you give to those affected by the earthquake? buildings headquarters /z/ fears ruins /Iz/

TEXT TWENTY SEVEN:

PART ONE: read the text carefully the do the following activities A-COMPREHENSION(7pts) Scores of people were killed and tens of thousands left homeless in central Italy today after a powerful earthquake shook a mountain region, severely damaging a historic city and leaving hundreds feared trapped in rubble. 36

At least 92 people were known to have died, the Italian news agency Ansa reported, quoting local rescue workers, while the Red Cross said it faced a "race" to rescue those still trapped. More than 1,500 people had been injured, the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, told a press conference in L'Aquila, the badly damaged capital of the Abruzzo region, close to the quake's epicentre. Berlusconi declared a state of emergency, calling off a scheduled trip to Russia to coordinate the government's response. "I want to say something important: no one will be abandoned to their fate," he told reporters. The 6.3-magnitude tremor, which struck at 3.32am local time (2.32am BST), was the country's deadliest since the Irpinia quake in the south in November 1980, which killed more than 2,500 people. More than 1,000 rescue workers were this afternoon scrambling to reach those trapped in collapsed buildings. "We will work for the next 48 hours without any stop, because we have to save lives," Francesco Rocca, the head of Italy's Red Cross, told BBC television. "We estimate that hundreds of people could still be alive under the buildings." It was now "a race" to save those trapped, he added. Up to 50,000 people may have been left homeless by this morning's quake, a spokesman for Italy's civil protection agency said. The need for shelter is all the more urgent in a region where night-time temperatures remain just above 5C (41F). Tens of thousands of tents, along with field kitchens and mobile hospital units, were being rushed to the region. Neighbouring countries offered assistance, and the US president, Barack Obama, was among the first to send his condolences. "Police are asking people to stay away from buildings, away from lampposts, away from anything that could fall," John Hooper, reporting from L'Aquila, said.

John Hooper in L'Aquila, ,Peter Walker and agencies Www.guardian.co.uk, Monday 6 April 2009 15.48 BST

Activity one: Answer the following questions according to the text 1. When has the huge earthquake struck? 2. What is the scale of the earthquake? 3. 4. What advice was given by the police to the survivors? Activity two: Say whether the following statement are true of false 1. A strong earthquake destroyed thousands of buildings in central Italy. 2. Italian rescuers are continuing to search for survivors under buildings wrecked by a devastating earthquake. 3. The neighboring countries did not offer help to Italy. 4. There were numerous victims, many injured and so many homeless people. 5. Rescue workers combed through the rubble for survivors and rushed to set up tents for the homeless. 37

Activity three: What is the main idea of the article? Choose the best answer a, b or c. a) Italy earthquake kills more than 90 and leaves thousands homeless b) Massive earthquake hits Rome c) Why Disasters Are Getting Worse. Activity four: What is the type of the text? Activity five: What or who do the underlined words refer to? a) response. " I want to b) "We will work c) rushed to the region TEXT EXPLORARION :( 8pts) 1. Match these words with their synonyms Words synonyms 1. homeless a) ensnared 2. trapped b) disposses 3. emergency sed 4. Rubble. c) debris d) crisis 2. Complete the table verbs To Die . To survive

nouns . Assistance. .. protection

3. Rewrite sentence "b" so that it means the same as A" 1-a- Guido Bertolaso, head of Italy's public safety department, told the ANSA news agency:" there will be numerous victims, many injured and so many collapsed homes," 1-b- Guido Bertolaso told the ANSA news agency. 2-a-"I woke up hearing what sounded like a bomb," said L'Aquila resident Angela Palumbo, 87. "We managed to escape with things falling all around us. Everything is shaking, furniture falling. I don't remember ever seeing anything like this in my life." 2-b- L'Aquila resident Angela Palumbo said 4. Discourse :Use these words to complete the passage: " Italian- be who- and-people-.destroyed The earthquake that hit the Abruzzo region at 3.32am happened on a fault line where tremors are common, meaning the 6.3 magnitude event may not be the last. Up to 50,000 1- have been left homeless in L'Aquila, around 60 miles east of Rome 2. In surrounding villages, with up to 15,000 buildings 3-. Or damaged beyond repair. Hundreds of survivors are still thought to 4- . Trapped under the rubble and a desperate search and rescue mission is ongoing. The 5- president, Silvio Berlusconi, has declared a state of emergency and thousands of hotel rooms in the area have been requisitioned to provide shelter for those 6-.. have been displaced. 38

5. Oral in Writing: Classify the following words according to their final "ed". Killed- trapped- died- faced reported added.- rushed- offered /t/ /d/ /id/

PART TWO:( 5pts) Topic one: What message would you give to those affected by the earthquake? Topic two: What do you think people can do to reduce the cost of earthquakes on human beings? (before & during & after an earthquake) Stay calm Stay away from building Make an action plan

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