1、UNIT 4 NATURAL DISASTERS Reading for Writing Warming up Watch a video, then answer the questions. 1. What is a tsunami? What causes it? Harbor wave. It is caused by the earthquake. 2. What damage can it cause? It can crash over everything in its way, buildings and even a whole city. Besides, it can
2、cause many deaths too. Look at the picture and title, infer the type of the text and predict what the text might be about. Prediction It is a news report. It might be about the big damage the tsunami caused. Read the text and summarize the main idea. Main idea It reported a big tsunami in Asia, incl
3、uding its cause and the great damage it brought to people. Main points in a news report What: The tsunami caused over 6500 people deaths and caused great damage to buildings, cars and roads. When: on 26 December, 2004, Why: The tsunami was caused by a powerful earthquake. Where: In Indonesia, India,
4、 Thailand, Malaysia, and at least four other countries. How: Foreign aid is organized, but supplies are difficult to deliver because of the damaged roads. What makes the news report believable? Writing style The spot picture, the serious title, the numbers cited, and the fact reported in an objectiv
5、e manner are all what make the news report more believable. On 26 December 2004, a tsunami killed more than 6500 tourists, fishermen and other locals in Southeast Asia. Thousands of people are missing and the number of deaths is expected to grow. The damage caused by the tsunami is making it difficu
6、lt for rescue workers to help the survivors. Main points in sample summary What main points does it include? date event place effect cause 1. A summary is a short statement. 2. It tells the main ideas and only lists the most important information. 3. It doesnt literally copy the original text, which
7、 requires us to write in our own words. Features of summary write a summary for the text on page 50. Step I. Read the text and write a list of the main details. Strange things happened in the countryside before the earthquake; An earthquake hit Tangshan China on 28 July 1976; The number of people wh
8、o were killed or badly injured in the quake was more than 400,000; Nearly everything in the city was destroyed; Soldiers and medical workers came to help the people who had great loss and to try and find survivors; With strong support from the government and the tireless efforts of the citys people,
9、 a new Tangshan was built upon the earthquake ruins. Writing a summary Step II. Write down the main idea of each paragraph based on the details above. Para1: Strange things happened in the countryside of Hebei, China. Para2: A strong earthquake hit Tangshan, and many people were killed or injured. P
10、ara3: The city was greatly affected and nearly destroyed. Para4: The rescue work began soon after the quake. Para5: With strong support from the government and the citys people, the new city of Tangshan was built. StepIII. Organise the ideas and draft your summary. Sample Writing For several days, s
11、trange things occurred in the countryside of northeastern Hebei. Then, on 28 July 1976, an earthquake hit Tangshan city. The city was greatly affected and nearly destroyed. Many people were killed or injured. The rescue work began soon after the quakes. Soldiers and medical workers arrived to find s
12、urvivors and help the people who had lost everything. With strong support from the government and the tireless efforts of the people, a new Tangshan was built. Step IV. Exchange drafts. Use the checklist on page 55 to give feedback on your partners draft and further polish your work. Homework Write a summary for the text in Workbook on page 92.
