Module 1. Types of Natural Disasters

Task 1. Do the quiz (taken from www.bbc.uk/science/hottopics/naturaldisasters/).

1.How many active volcanoes are there around the world?

a) 923

b) 1.511

c) 15.007

2.Tsunamis travel …..(how fast)

a) 50mph

b) 150mph

c) 500 mph

3.Hurricanes only form

a) at full moon

b) when water temperature reaches 26.5C

c) at the equator

4.Which is the most tornado-prone country in the world?

a) UK

b) USA

c) Ukraine

5.What percentage of the world’s population lives in the ‘danger’?

a) 2%

b) 50%

c) 10%

6.Why are serious droughts bad for land?

a) It becomes dusty and you can’t build on it.

b) There’s no nourishment and you can’t grow anything.

c) Property process drop and land becomes worthless.

For answers see p. 103.

Task 2. Study the information below and complete the sentences with the appropriate forms.

disaster /di’za:stə/

-ous – disaster- ous /di’za:strəs/

-ously – disaster- ous-ly / di’za:strəsli/

1. His _________ decision was the reason for many accidents.
2. As a teacher, he is a _________.
3. Thousands died in a _________.
4. It can be _________ for him.

Task 3. Match the notion with its definition.

Hurricane /’harikən/ - ураган	A time when there is very little food in a region
Tornado /to:’neidəu/ - торнадо	A violet tropical storm in the Western Pacific
Typhoon /tai’fu:n/ - тайфун	A sudden violent movement of the earth’s surface
Drought /draut/ - засуха	A violent storm with strong winds esp. in the Western Atlantic Ocean
Famine /’fæmin/ - голод	A violent storm in which strong winds move over the ground in a circle
Earthquake /’з:Өkweik/ - землетрясение	A large quantity of water covering an area that is usually dry
Cyclone /’saikləun/ - циклон	A period of continuous dry weather esp. when there is not enough water for people’s needs
Flood /flad/ - наводнение	A violent storm with strong wind circular winds over a small area

Task 4. Read and learn the new words/phrases by heart.

Erupt	/i’rapt/	Извергаться
Collapse	/kə’laps/	Разрушаться, падать
Landslide	/lends’laid/	Оползень
Occur	/ə’kə:/	Происходить, случаться
Homeless	/’houmles/	Бездомный
Fertile	/’fə:tail/	Плодородный
Suffer from	/’safə from/	Страдать от
Destructive	/dist’ractiv/	Разрушительный
Destroy	/dist’roi/	Разрушать
Destruction	/dist’rak∫n/	Разрушение
Explosion	/eks’plouzn/	Взрыв, удар
Casualties	/’kæzualtiz/	Жертвы
Surface	/’səfeis/	Поверхность
Intensity	/in’tensiti/	Интенсивность, сила
Damage	/’dæmiz/	Повреждать
Catastrophe	/kə’tæstrəfi/	Катастрофа
Shelter	/’ ∫eltə/	Убежище
County	/’kaunti/	Графство

Task5. Match the Russian words with their English equivalents.

Разрушение Оползень разрушаться, падать поверхность разрушительный интенсивность бездомный взрыв повреждать извергаться разрушать плодородный страдать от происходить, случаться жертвы

Homeless Occur Collapse Destroy Fertile Destruction Landslide Suffer from Destructive Erupt Explosion Intensity Casualties Damage Surface

Task 6. Complete the sentences with the words from the previous tasks.

1. The hurricane power is very ___________ so it can destroy a lot of buildings.
2. A volcano ________ every five years.
3. Due to the earthquake many people became __________. They have nowhere to live.
4. After the explosion there were many ____________.
5. The ____ of the earth has been changed because of several volcano eruptions.
6. The land in South Africa is not very _________ that’s why the vegetation is very poor there.
7. The _________ of the earthquake is considered to be 6 points on Richter’s scale.
8. A lot of disasters ________ in the world every year.

Task7. Say what natural disasters the people are talking about and prove your point of view.

1. “Here I am standing on top of a pile of rubble. Yesterday it was a school. It seems that over 2000 people have been found so far. Many hundreds more have still to be traced. The volcano erupted just as everyone in this sleepy little town was having breakfast. Some were killed by the blast and the heat. Some were killed when their houses collapsed – they were buried alive in the rubble. Children were killed as they were being driven to school by their parents. Most of the people who died had been born here, and had lived all their lives in this village. The blast was felt 50 miles away.” - ___________________
2. “Flooding and landslides have killed up to 200 people and made about 2 million homeless in north-east and north Bangladesh, and monsoon rains are continuing to lash the region, officials said yesterday. In the eastern part of West Bengal state, at least 70 people have been killed by landslides and 350,000 made homeless.” - ______________________________
3. This problem is of special concern for the African countries, because these countries are characterized by the lack of developed industry, of natural resources. The land there is not fertile. The rain is not very often there. So taking all these factors into account a lot of people suffer from ___________.

Task8. Decide what plan is the most appropriate one and why.

PLAN 1	PLAN 2
a) place of catastrophe b) number of casualties c) what were happening when the catastrophe occurred d) scale of destruction	a) place of catastrophe b) when the catastrophe occurred c) scale of destruction d) what were happening when the catastrophe occur

“Here I am standing on top of a pile of rubble. Yesterday it was a school. It seems that over 2000 people have been found so far. Many hundreds more have still to be traced. The volcano erupted just as everyone in this sleepy little town was having breakfast. Some were killed by the blast and the heat. Some were killed when their houses collapsed – they were buried alive in the rubble. Children were killed as they were being driven to school by their parents. Most of the people who died had been born here, and had lived all their lives in this village. The blast was felt 50 miles away.”

Task 9. Use the plan from the previous task and characterize a natural disaster.

Task 10. Nowadays some people are afraid of traveling because different natural disasters have taken place. Use the information below about Great Britain and persuade people to visit this country because it is safe. The suggested phrases will help you.

There is nothing to be afraid of, because….

The trip to Britain is absolutely safe, because…

You can visit this country, because….

You shouldn’t worry about the trip, because….

Although……, you can visit some other places.

Could natural disasters devastate Britain?

YES	NO
If the volcano on La Palma in the Canaries explodes, a 500m high mega-tsunami could engulf low-lying parts of the UK	Though some scientists believe it will happen, it's unlikely for the next few thousand years
One of Britain's most severe tornadoes destroyed a church and 600 homes in central London in 1091	Most British houses are now built from brick and are much more sturdy
In 1995, a hurricane doubled back from the Caribbean and hit Britain	This UK storm was only the remnants of a hurricane. In order to retain its strength, a hurricane must remain over warm water of 26.5C or above
North-west Wales is one of the most seismically active places in the whole UK. In 1984, a quake registered 5.4 on the Richter scale. Another could hit any day now.	An earthquake of this magnitude rarely causes severe damage. Quakes above 5 are exceptional in the UK, and there is no proof that another is due soon.

Task11. Characterize our land as the safest using the information below. Your own ideas are welcome.

Perm climate is continental.

Precipitation occurs evenly.

The mountains are very old and the earthquakes are practically impossible.

There is no sea near here, so typhoons and cyclones are impossible.

There can’t be extremely destructive floods in our region, because our city is situated high above the river, so the rising river level is not dangerous for us.

The systems of communication are up-to-date, so in case of emergency the citizens will be evacuated as soon as possible.

There are a lot of places of interest in Perm Land.

Task 12. Follow the instructions:

Read the text with a dictionary;

Decide which sentences convey the main idea of the text;

Prove your point of view.

Disaster Prevention

One of the most important decisions you will have to make is "Should I Evacuate?"

If you are asked to evacuate, you should do so without delay. That means that it is important for you and your family to HAVE A PLAN that makes you as safe as possible in your home. Disaster prevention includes modifying your home to strengthen it against storms so that you can be as safe as possible. It also includes having the supplies on hand to survive in the storm.

First of all you should develop a family hurricane preparedness plan before an actual storm threatens your area. If it is ordered to evacuate, you must not wait or delay your departure. It is better for you to leave before local officials announce an evacuation order for your area. Even a slight delay in starting your evacuation will result in longer travel times as traffic becomes worse. You should select an evacuation destination that is nearest to your home, preferably in the same county, or at least minimize the distance over which you must travel in order to reach your intended shelter location. In choosing your destination, you should keep in mind that the hotels and other accommodations in most inland metropolitan areas are likely to be filled very quickly in a large, multi-county hurricane evacuation event.

The large number of people who must evacuate during a hurricane will probably cause massive delays; the larger the storm, the greater the probability of traffic jams and extended travel times. If you decide to evacuate to another county or region, you must be prepared to wait in traffic.

It is better to make arrangements to stay with the friend or relative who lives closest to your home and who will not have to evacuate. Most hotel and motels will fill quickly once evacuations begin. The longer you wait to make reservations, the less likely you are to find hotel/motel room vacancies, especially along interstate highways and in major metropolitan areas. So if a hotel or motel is your final destination during an evacuation, you should make reservations before you leave. If you are unable to stay with friends or family and no hotels/motels rooms are available, then as a last resort go to a shelter. Remember to bring your supply kit with you to the shelter.

Disaster supply kit consists of water (at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days), food (at least enough for 3 to 7 days), clothing (seasonal / rain gear/ sturdy shoes), medicines, cash, documents in a waterproof container.

Summarizing your family's plan should be based on your vulnerability to the Hurricane Hazards. You should keep a written plan and share your plan with other friends or family. The disaster supply kit is a useful tool when you evacuate.

There are things that you can do to make your home more secure and able to withstand stronger storms.

TEST “TYPES OF NATURAL DISASTERS”

Task 1. Rewrite the sentences with the Reported Speech.

1. Tom says, “I want to visit my friend this weekend.”
2. Jerry says, “I’m studying English a lot at the moment.”
3. Cheryl asks her, “How long have you lived here?”
4. Christopher asks me, “Do you want to dance?”
5. Ronald asks me, “Where does Maria park her car?”
6. She tells me, “I have already passed the exams.”
7. The teacher tells the students “Don’t use the dictionary.”
8. He says, “Be ready to write a test.”

Task 2. Complete the sentences with the words from the module.

1. It is well-known that the ___________ are given the female names, for example Catherine in the USA.
2. People who suffered from the catastrophes are called ____________.
3. In order to survive in a catastrophe it is very important to find a safe and comfortable ________.
4. Many buildings __________ during the earthquakes.
5. In spring when the snow is melting and the river level raises the chance for a ________ is high.
6. The __________ of the earthquake can be measured on the Richter scale.
7. The land can be called _______ if plants are extensively grown there.

Task 3. Decide which sentences do NOT match with the title of the text.

Disaster Prevention

One of the most important decisions you will have to make is "Should I Evacuate?"

It is important for you and your family to have a plan that makes you as safe as possible in your home.

You should not forget to discuss the latest news with your neighbors.

You should select an evacuation destination.

Disaster supply kit consists of water, food, clothing, medicines, cash, and documents in a waterproof container.

The disaster supply kit is a useful tool when you evacuate as well as making you as safe as possible in your home.

You should call the police and tell them that the disaster is coming.

You should keep a written plan and share your plan with other friends or family.