14   I can describe natural disasters

A    Types of disaster

 

Hurricane¹: this word is used especially of storms in the western Atlantic. It is a violent storm with very strong winds. In other parts of the world, especially Asia, it is called a typhoon.

Earthquake²: a sudden violent movement of the ground causing damage.

Tidal wave³: a very large ocean wave that is caused by a storm or earthquake, and which destroys things when it reaches land.

Volcanic eruption⁴: a volcano is a mountain with a hole in the top, and when it erupts, hot gases and lava are forced out into the air and onto the surrounding land.

Drought⁵: a long period with no rain. Crops die, and people may starve to death.

 

Glossary

disaster  a very bad event, causing harm or death.

violent  very strong and usually causing damage. violence N.

sudden  happening very quickly. suddenly ADV.

ground  the top part of the earth’s surface that people walk on.

damage  harm or injury caused when sth is broken. damage V.  

destroy sth  break sth completely so it can’t be used again. destruction N.

erupt  explode and throw out fire, burning rocks, etc.

lava  hot liquid rock (see picture).

surrounding  that is near or around sth. surroundings N.

crops  plants that are grown for food. e.g. rice and potatoes.

starve (to death)  suffer (or die) because you don’t have enough food. 

1     Combine five more pairs of words below to form compound words or phrases.

earth✓ volcanic  tidal  surrounding  starve  land  

eruption  violent  wave  quake✓ to death  storm

►   earthquake ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

volcanic eruption

tidal wave

surrounding land

starve to death

violent storm

4     Test yourself. Cover the texts and look at the pictures. Can you name each disaster and what happens?  

 

B    Effects

EARTHQUAKE HITS KASHMIR

Late last night a sudden earthquake struck the region of Kashmir on the borders of India and Pakistan, and hundreds of people are thought to have lost their lives as buildings collapsed while they slept.

Thousands have now been evacuated, but there are fears that many are still trapped inside their homes, so the death toll could rise. The damage has already been considerable and the next 48 hours will be crucial, not only to rescue more people but also to try to maintain supplies of water and electricity.

 

Glossary

hit sth/sb  make sudden violent contact with sth/sb. SYN strike sth/sb.

collapse  If a building collapses, it falls to the ground. collapse N.

evacuate sb  move sb away from a dangerous place. evacuation N.

fear  a feeling that sth bad might happen. fear V.

trap sb  If sb is trapped, they arc inside sth and cannot get out.

death toll  the number of people killed in a disaster, accident, etc.

considerable  very large in size or amount.

crucial  very important.

rescue sb  take sb from a dangerous place to safety. SYN save sb.

maintain sth  make sth continue at a certain level.

supply (PL supplies) an amount of sth that you need.

7     Test yourself. Look at the glossary words and cover the meanings. Can you remember the meanings?