1、Unit 2 Natural disasters Reading： Pupilslives spared during Falmont earthquake By Raymond Tran 18 March FALMONTOn 17 March, 476 students and 36 teachers at Falmont Primary School escaped an earthquake _1_ hit the county at 2:27 p.m. Only 5 students suffered slight_2_( injury), despite the current fi
2、gures of 7 killed and over 200 injured in the disaster _3_ large. Alice Brown, head teacher at Falmont Primary School, _4_(teach) when the floor began to shake. Her students _5_( react) was quick and correctthey moved under their desks, head first, and held on_6_ the legs of the desks. _7_ the same
3、time, Miss Brown quickly opened the classroom door, in case it became _8_(damage) during the shaking and could not open. There were loud crashes of glass breaking and things_9_(fall) to the ground, but the students remained still and waited calmly and quietly. The moment the shaking_10_(stop), Miss
4、Brown sensed it was the best time for the class_11_(make) their escape. She signalled to her students _12_ (exit) the classroom in an orderly line_13_(cover) their heads with their hands. Within one minute and twenty_14_(second), the whole class went down the stairs and_15_(rush) to the playground.
5、Soon students from other classes arrived too. After a roll call confirmed that all_16_( be) safe and sound, they relaxed, laughing, crying and _17_ (hug) each other. “We practise earthquake_18_(safe) procedures twice a year,” said Miss Brown, “so the kids were calm enough_19_（protect）themselves duri
6、ng the earthquake.” Girl saves 100 from tsunami By Jessie Cable 21 December NEWDALEOn 20 December, a series of huge waves_1_(cause) by an undersea earthquake raced across the ocean near Goldshore and left thousands dead. Goldshore Beach was the only local beach _2_ (survive) the disaster without any
7、 loss of life. A 10-year-old girl, Sabrina Andron, helped around 100 people escape danger _3_ her knowledge of tsunamis. The day began like any other on Goldshore Beach. People were walking, running or _4_(simple) sitting on the sandy beach, _5_(enjoy) the warm sea air and the soft wind that brushed
8、 their hair. Sabrina was one of the happy_6_(tourist) until she noticed something odd. “The water was like the bubbles on the top of a beer,” she later explained. “It wasnt calm and it wasnt going in and then out. It was just coming in and in and in.” Sabrina had just learnt about tsunamis in a Geog
9、raphy lesson. It_7_(immediate) occurred to her that these were signs of an _8_(approach) tsunami. Sabrina was _9_ (frighten), but she soon kept her head. She warned her parents _10_the danger, though at first they just thought she was joking. However, Sabrina was certain that a terrible disaster was
10、_11_ its way and kept _12_ (ask) her parents to talk to a safety officer. _13_her great relief, the officer immediately realized the coming danger. The beach was_14_(rapid) cleared of people, just before the huge waves_15_(crash) into the coast. Extended reading: The Last Days of Pompeii (Excerpt) E
11、dward Bulwer-Lytton (18031873) was a _1_ (talent) British writer _2_left his mark on the English language. His classic novel The Last Days of Pompeii imagines life in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in the year 79, _3_ Mount Vesuvius erupted. This terrible _4_ (nature) disaster destroyed Pompeii c
12、ompletely, but it also kept the ancient city as it was for future ages. Since 1748, Pompeii has been systematically unearthed. Today it is an_5_(internation) tourist destination. Pompeii was a typical Roman city. In its little shops, its tiny palaces, its forum, its wine bars, its theatrein the ener
13、gy and skill of its people, you saw a model of the whole Roman Empire. Trading ships_6_(bring imports to the city or carrying exports overseas, along with golden pleasure boats for the rich, _7_(crowd)together in the glassy water of the port. The boats of the fishermen moved rapidly_8_ all direction
14、s. Above all, the cloud-capped top of Mount Vesuvius appeared. Its_9_(ash) rocks, now dark, now light, told a story of past eruptions that might_10_ (warn) the city what was to come! The awful night rolled slowly away, and the dawn greyly_11_(break) on THE LAST DAY OF POMPEII! The crowd looked upwar
15、ds, and saw, with unspeakable fear, a huge cloud_12_(shoot) from the top of the volcano. It took the form of a huge tree: the trunk, blackness, the branches, fire! This fire moved and changed in colour with every moment: now it was_13_(wild) bright, now of a pale and dying red, and now again it burn
16、t with an unbearable light! The _14_ ( cry) of women broke out; the men looked at each other, but were _15_ (silence). At that moment, they felt the earth_16_(shake) beneath their feet; beyond in the distance, they heard the crash of falling roofs. A moment later, the mountain-cloud seemed_17_( roll
17、) towards them, dark and rapid, like a river; at the same time, it threw out_18_ shower of ashes and huge pieces of burning stone! Over the empty streetsover the forumfar and widewith many a _19_(noise) crash in the stormy seafell that awful shower! Each turned to flyeach running, pressing, pushing
18、against the other. If, in the darkness, wife _20_ (separate) from husband, or parent from child, there was no hope of their meeting again. Each hurried blindly and fearfully _21_. So came the earthquake . and so ended life in Pompeii. Nearly seventeen centuries _22_(roll) away before the city of Pom
19、peii _23_(dig)fromitssilentrestingplace.Itswallswerefreshasif _24_(paint) yesterday; not a single colour changed on the rich pattern of its floors. In its forum, the half-finished columns seemed as if just_25_(leave) by the workmans hand. Long after fire and ash came for the people of Pompeii, the r
20、emains of their beautiful city survive _26_(remind) us that human lives burn bright and short. Unit 2 Natural disasters Reading： Pupilslives spared during Falmont earthquake By Raymond Tran 18 March FALMONTOn 17 March, 476 students and 36 teachers at Falmont Primary School escaped an earthquake that
21、 hit the county at 2:27 p.m. Only 5 students suffered slight injuries, despite the current figures of 7 killed and over 200 injured in the disaster area at large. Alice Brown, head teacher at Falmont Primary School, was teaching when the floor began to shake. Her students reaction was quick and corr
22、ectthey moved under their desks, head first, and held on to the legs of the desks. At the same time, Miss Brown quickly opened the classroom door, in case it became damaged during the shaking and could not open. There were loud crashes of glass breaking and things falling to the ground, but the stud
23、ents remained still and waited calmly and quietly. The moment the shaking stopped, Miss Brown sensed it was the best time for the class to make their escape. She signalled to her students to exit the classroom in an orderly line covering their heads with their hands. Within one minute and twenty sec
24、onds, the whole class went down the stairs and rushed to the playground. Soon students from other classes arrived too. After a roll call confirmed that all were safe and sound, they relaxed, laughing, crying and hugging each other. “We practise earthquake safety procedures twice a year,” said Miss B
25、rown, “so the kids were calm enough to protect themselves during the earthquake.” Girl saves 100 from tsunami By Jessie Cable 21 December NEWDALEOn 20 December, a series of huge waves caused by an undersea earthquake raced across the ocean near Goldshore and left thousands dead. Goldshore Beach was
26、the only local beach to survive the disaster without any loss of life. A 10-year-old girl, Sabrina Andron, helped around 100 people escape danger with her knowledge of tsunamis. The day began like any other on Goldshore Beach. People were walking, running or simply sitting on the sandy beach, enjoyi
27、ng the warm sea air and the soft wind that brushed their hair. Sabrina was one of the happy tourists until she noticed something odd. “The water was like the bubbles on the top of a beer,” she later explained. “It wasnt calm and it wasnt going in and then out. It was just coming in and in and in.” S
28、abrina had just learnt about tsunamis in a Geography lesson. It immediately occurred to her that these were signs of an approaching tsunami. Sabrina was frightened, but she soon kept her head. She warned her parents of the danger, though at first they just thought she was joking. However, Sabrina wa
29、s certain that a terrible disaster was on its way and kept asking her parents to talk to a safety officer. To her great relief, the officer immediately realized the coming danger. The beach was rapidly cleared of people, just before the huge waves crashed into the coast. Extended reading: The Last D
30、ays of Pompeii (Excerpt) Edward Bulwer-Lytton (18031873) was a talented British writer who left his mark on the English language. His classic novel The Last Days of Pompeii imagines life in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in the year 79, when Mount Vesuvius erupted. This terrible natural disaster
31、destroyed Pompeii completely, but it also kept the ancient city as it was for future ages. Since 1748, Pompeii has been systematically unearthed. Today it is an international tourist destination. Pompeii was a typical Roman city. In its little shops, its tiny palaces, its forum, its wine bars, its t
32、heatrein the energy and skill of its people, you saw a model of the whole Roman Empire. Trading ships bringing imports to the city or carrying exports overseas, along with golden pleasure boats for the rich, were crowded together in the glassy water of the port. The boats of the fishermen moved rapi
33、dly in all directions. Above all, the cloud-capped top of Mount Vesuvius appeared. Its ashy rocks, now dark, now light, told a story of past eruptions that might have warned the city what was to come! The awful night rolled slowly away, and the dawn greyly broke on THE LAST DAY OF POMPEII! The crowd
34、 looked upwards, and saw, with unspeakable fear, a huge cloud shooting from the top of the volcano. It took the form of a huge tree: the trunk, blackness, the branches, fire! This fire moved and changed in colour with every moment: now it was wildly bright, now of a pale and dying red, and now again
35、 it burnt with an unbearable light! The cries of women broke out; the men looked at each other, but were silent. At that moment, they felt the earth shaking beneath their feet; beyond in the distance, they heard the crash of falling roofs. A moment later, the mountain-cloud seemed to roll towards th
36、em, dark and rapid, like a river; at the same time, it threw out a shower of ashes and huge pieces of burning stone! Over the empty streetsover the forumfar and widewith many a noisy crash in the stormy seafell that awful shower! Each turned to flyeach running, pressing, pushing against the other. I
37、f, in the darkness, wife was separated from husband, or parent from child, there was no hope of their meeting again. Each hurried blindly and fearfully on. So came the earthquake . and so ended life in Pompeii. Nearly seventeen centuries had rolled away before the city of Pompeii was dug from its si
38、lent resting place. Its walls were fresh as if painted yesterday; not a single colour changed on the rich pattern of its floors. In its forum, the half-finished columns seemed as if just left by the workmans hand. Long after fire and ash came for the people of Pompeii, the remains of their beautiful city survive to remind us that human lives burn bright and short.
