UNIT 9.

NATURAL DISASTERS
B. VOCABULARY and GRAMMAR
I. Write the names of the disasters on the line, then match them to the pictures.
tsunami earthquake drought avalanche flood
tornado landslide volcanic eruption storm wildfire
a

1. A sudden, violent shaking of the earth’s surface.

_________________________

b.

2. Hot lava, ash and gases come up suddenly from below the earth’s
surface through an opening of a mountain.
_________________________

c.

3. A mass of snow, ice, and rock that falls down the side of a mountain.
_________________________

d.

4. A large amount of wet earth that suddenly falls down a hill.

_________________________
 e.
5. A series of large ocean waves, usually caused by an underwater
earthquake or a volcanic explosion.
_________________________

f.

6. Very bad weather with strong winds and heavy rain.

_________________________

g.

7. A long period of time when there is little or no rain.

_________________________

h.

8. A very strong wind that goes quickly round in a circle or funnel.

_________________________

i.

9. A fire that starts in an area of countryside and spreads very quickly.

_________________________

j.

10. A large amount of water covering an area that is usually dry.

_________________________
II. Choose the correct answers.
1. The waves of the __________ were so huge that it destroyed everything on the beach.
a. tornado b. hurricane c. tsunami d. earthquake
2. Five skiers are missing after the __________ in the Alps.
a. drought b. landslide c. flood d. avalanche
3. After the __________ all the houses were left under water.
a. flood b. tornado c. typhoon d. mudslide
4. It took firefighters five days to put out the __________.
a. hurricane b. forest fire c. tsunami d. drought
5. A period of 3 - 4 months without rain will cause a severe __________.
a. typhoon b. earthquake c. drought d. flood
6. The __________ picked up the car and threw it 100 meters into the air. That’s an incredibly strong
wind!
a. tornado b. volcanic eruption c. landslide d. typhoon
7. The __________ shook parts of the region around Tokyo on Saturday. It was 5 on the Richter Scale.
a. hurricane b. flood c. earthquake d. tornado
8. __________ occur when a large amount of water causes the rapid erosion of soil on a steep slope.
a. Tsunamis b. Tornados c. Avalanches d. Mudslides
9. A big storm in the Pacific is known as a __________.
a. avalanche b. typhoon c. tsunami d. tornado
10. Mount Merapi in Indonesia is a famous __________.
a. landslide b. typhoon c. volcano d. tornado

III. Complete the sentences with the words from the box.
warning tornadoes victims landslide damage
disasters property emergency kit rescue workers flood
1. The ________________ was overwhelming and the city was soon drowned.
2. It is forbidden to start an open fire in a forest when the local authorities give a forest fire __________.
3. Temporary housing can be provided to victims when natural ________________ strike.
4. The storm caused severe ________________ in the garden, uprooting trees and blowing a fence
down.
5. ________________ can destroy buildings, flip cars, and create deadly flying debris.
6. Four people were reported killed when a ________________ buried their house.
7. Your ________________ includes items you may need in the event of a natural disaster.
8. ________________ arrived immediately right after the typhoon.
9. A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage ________________.
10. The government is sending aid to flood ________________.

IV. Complete the sentences with the correct tense or form of the verbs in the box.
bury destroy erupt put out cause
shake warn rage predict rescue
1. Scientists believe the volcano may ________________ any day now.
2. The storm ________________ outside while we were partying inside.
3. Firefighters are still trying ________________ wildfires that have already burned more than 1.6
million acres of tropical forest.
4. It’s impossible ________________ exactly when or where big earthquakes will happen.
5. The landslide took place on Friday morning and ________________ several houses.
6. Typically, lightning strikes ________________ half of all wildfires in Canada each year.
7. Do you think that an earthquake ________________ Japan in a few years?
8. The well-trained team ________________ everyone after the avalanche last night.
9. Right now, the building ________________ so violently I can’t even stand up.
10. With strong storm on the way, the government ________________ public to prepare for flood risk.

V. Choose the best response for each sentence.

1. ‘I saw a roof flying in the storm yesterday afternoon.’ - ‘________________’
a. Exactly. b. That’s horrible! c. That’s a relief. d. So do I.
2. ‘The weather forecast says it’s going to rain tomorrow.’ - ‘________________ What a pity.’
a. Looks great! b. Not at all. c. Sounds good! d. Oh no!
3. ‘The whole village was submerged in the flood.’ - ‘________________’
a. That’s surprising! b. My fault. c. Already. d. That’s awful!
4. ‘Have you heard the news? A powerful earthquake and following tsunami hit the island of Sulawesi,
Indonesia.’ - ‘________________’
a. How beautiful! b. Awesome! c. How terrible! d. No problem.
5. ‘Rescue workers saved a girl trapped in a collapsed school building.’ - ‘________________’
a. That’s great! b. Good luck. c. How convenient! d. Oh dear!
6. ‘Forecasters say that the storm won’t move toward the land.’ - ‘________________’
a. What a pity! b. Never mind. c. That’s a relief! d. It’s OK.
7. ‘A tornado blew several cars in front of me off the road and into the trees.’ - ‘________________’
a. That’s shocking! b. How cute! c. That’s great! d. Maybe.
8. ‘Did you know the Amazon rainforest fires have already been controlled.’ ‘No, I didn’t. ___________’
a. What a bad day! b. How wonderful!
c. How thoughtful it is! d. Well done.

VI. Complete the sentences with the past continuous form of the verbs in brackets.
1. Luckily, it ________________ (not rain) when I went out this morning.
2. ________ the rescue workers ________ (help) the victims at 9 o’clock yesterday?
3. The people ________________ (rebuild) their damaged homes when we visited the village.
4. _______ they still _________ (install) an earthquake warning system at the time the earthquake
happened?
5. A buffalo ________________ (eat) on the field when a lightning strike hit it.
6. I was outside at 8 p.m. I ________________ (not watch) the news about the hurricane at that time.
7. Some tourists ________________ (swim) in the ocean when the tsunami occurred.
8. What Josh ________________ (do) when you called him about the landslide?
9. My father ________________ (repair) the fences while my mom was fixing the windows.
10. The victim ________________ (look) for his emergency kit when the volcano erupted again.

VII. Underline the correct answer.

1. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook / was shaking Southern California on Friday.
2. At that time, they provided / were providing food and water to earthquake victims.
3. Rescue teams saved I were saving hundreds of people from floods in Metro Manila.
4. Last year, about 20 typhoons hit / were hitting the northern regions of the country.
5. A massive landslide buried / was burying dozens of homes near a central Philippine mountain.
6. They repaired / were repairing roads and bridges damaged by the hurricane when we came.
7. At 7 a.m., people cleared / were clearing storm debris across the northwest Florida coast.
8. Everyone was running while the tsunami approached / was approaching the shores.
9. A submarine volcanic eruption caused / was causing tsunamis last month.
10. The firefighters put out / were putting out the fire when they noticed a baby koala.

IX. Underline the correct form.

On 26 December 2004, Tilly Smith, a 10-year-old British schoolgirl (1) walked / was walking on
the beach with her family. Suddenly Tilly (2) felt / was feeling that something was wrong. She could see
that the water (3) rose / was rising and waves (4) came / were coming up the beach. The beach (5) got
/ was getting smaller and smaller. She (6) didn’t know / wasn’t knowing that there had been an
earthquake in Sumatra that morning, but she suddenly (7) remembered / was remembering a
geography lesson she had had at school just two weeks before. She (8) told / was telling her mother
what she had learned about earthquake and giant waves. Tilly (9) started / was starting screaming at
her parents to get off the beach. They (10) took/were taking Tilly back to their hotel and (11) raised /
raising the alarm. Thanks to Tilly, everybody from that beach (12) survived / was surviving that terrible
day.

X. Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple, present continuous, past simple, past continuous
or future simple.
1. Look! The fire _______________ (burn) over 50 hectares of pine forests.
2. If they don’t run now, flames _______________ (trap) them inside that smoke-filled apartment.
3. _______ the tornado ________ (touch) down last night?
4. At that time, they _______________ (not know) where to shelter from the storm.
5. Tornadoes _______________ (come) from the energy released in a thunderstorm.
6. We _______________ (not drive) outside in the storm at 9 o’clock yesterday morning.
7. Oh no! We’re afraid that the heavy rain _______________ (flood) the whole city.
8. The volcano _______________ (erupt) and _______________ (cause) a tsunami last week.
9. Some tourists _______________ (put out) the fire when the fire engines _______________ (arrive)
at the cottage.
10. What _______ the students ________ (do)? ~ They(learn) about tsunami’s warning signs.
11. I _______________ (think) that we(run) out of food and water soon.
12. The rescue team _______________ (find) the child while they _______________ (search) the
collapsed building.

XI. Choose the correct answers.

1. The drought happens because there ___________ no rain in this area at all.
a. are b. was c. is d. were
2. A flood ___________ when a large amount of water covers the land.
a. occurs b. occurred c. is occurring d. was occurring
3. Yesterday’s earthquake ___________ 8.0 on the Richter scale.
a. measures b. is measuring c. was measuring d. measured
4. Hurricane Dorian ___________ the Abaco Islands as a category 5 hurricane on September 1.
a. strike b. struck c. strikes d. was striking
5. We were frightened because the whole building ___________ violently.
a. trembled b. is trembling c. was trembling d. trembles
6. Look over there! A tornado ___________ the residential areas!
a. approaches b. approached c. is approaching d. will approach
7. Thanks to the help of technology, humans ___________ hurricanes and heavy rains now.
a. predict b. are predicting c. will predict d. can predict
8. A tornado watch is issued when there is a possibility that a tornado ___________.
a. will touch b. touches c. touched d. was touching
9. The fishermen ___________ to Hawaii when they witnessed a volcanic eruption.
a. is sailing b. are sailing c. were sailing d. was sailing
10. Cars can’t get through this area because people ___________ the damaged roads and bridges.
a. still repair b. still repaired c. will still repair d. are still repairing
11. We ___________ home when a hurricane hit the town two days ago. What a terrible experience!
a. are driving b. were driving c. drove d. drive
12. The earthquake ___________ their homes heavily, so they camped out in a city park.
a. damages b. is damaging c. damaged d. was damaging

XII. Use the correct form of the words in brackets.

1. Earthquakes cause the ground to move and shake ______________. (violent)
2. Rescue experts can identify ______________ victims with modern methods. (bury)
3. Mount Mayon volcano caused a major ______________ in the Philippines. (erupt)
4. Volcanic tremor is the rhythmic ground ______________. (shake)
5. Despite all the modern technology available to us, we’re still ______________ against earthquakes.
(help)
6. Scientists can understand how earthquakes occur, but they cannot make ______________ about
them. (predict)
7. Rescue workers are trying to find all the people in the ______________ area. (flood)
8. We assisted them with the ______________ of food and clothing. (provide)
9. Linda was the most ______________ typhoon to ever hit Southern Vietnam. (destroy)
10. Medical ______________ were sent to the earthquake victims yesterday. (supply)

c. SPEAKING
I. Make questions for the underlined words.
1. _________________________________________________________________________________
We should immediately find safe shelter if the tornado touches down tomorrow.
2. _________________________________________________________________________________
Earthquakes are becoming more frequent these days because of excess use of underground materials.
3. _________________________________________________________________________________
Bush fires in Australia badly affected more than 60,000 koalas.
4. _________________________________________________________________________________
Rescue crews helped people from flooded homes and cars.
5. _________________________________________________________________________________
A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Lombok on August 5.
6. _________________________________________________________________________________
Hurricane Dorian is currently hurtling towards Florida.
7. _________________________________________________________________________________
These volcanic eruptions can last from a few hours to 145 days.
8. _________________________________________________________________________________
Tornadoes generally travel at an average speed of 30 miles per hour.
9. _________________________________________________________________________________
The Amazon is on fire as a result of illegal forest clearing to make more farms.
10. ________________________________________________________________________________
When it rains for a long time, floods could happen.

II. Complete the dialogue with the appropriate phrases or sentences (A - H).
A. You're right. Current technology helps to rapidly deliver the news, but couldn't prevent a rage
of nature.
B. Hi, Sang. I'm not playing game, but reading the news.
C. Yes. TV can only report what already happened.
D. Hope so.
E. Yeah. A lot of things to talk.
F. Maybe because it was so big and so sudden that they didn't have enough time to deal with it.
G. Exactly! 9.1 is the largest in Japan and 4th most powerful in the world.
H. "A memory of deaths in 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami''
Sang: Thien! Playing mobile game is not good. Drop the phone, buddy.
Thien: (1) _________________________________________________________________________
Sang: What news is it?
Thien: (2) _________________________________________________________________________
Sang: Oh, I’m sorry. That was a terrible disaster. People talked about it all the time.
Thien: (3) _________________________________________________________________________
Sang: A 9.1 Richter quake followed by a tsunami, double damage.
Thien: (4) _________________________________________________________________________
Sang: I’ve never stayed in either earthquake or tsunami. I only see it on TV.
Thien: (5) _________________________________________________________________________
Sang: Even Twitter or Facebook can’t do anything else.
Thien: (6) _________________________________________________________________________
Sang: Why did so many people die although Japan was famous for living with earthquakes?
Thien: (7) _________________________________________________________________________
Sang: Hope they won’t meet anything like that again.
Thien: (8) _________________________________________________________________________
d. READING
I. Complete the passage with the words from the box.
flooding mudslide avalanche twister
result famine volcanic plates
Mother nature can be a bit scary at times. These days there seem to be more and more
occurrences of natural disasters happening around the world.
An (1) _______________ is the large movement of snow down the side of a mountain. They
occur when the snow becomes too loose and as it slides down it mixes with air and water to cause a
powerful and dangerous disaster.
A drought happens when there has been no rain in a place for a long time. A drought may result
in a (2) _______________; this is when there is not enough food to feed the people and they start to
starve.
An earthquake occurs when the (3) _______________ of the earth start to move and the ground
begins to move and shake. The size of earthquakes is measured on the Richter scale.
A flood occurs when a large amount of water covers the land. Too much rain usually causes
floods. As sea levels continue to rise, the risk of (4) _______________ increases.
A hurricane originally means ‘big wind’. Hurricanes are caused by low air pressure and
thunderstorms and (5) _______________ in strong winds and heavy rain. When they happen in the
Atlantic Ocean we call them Hurricanes; however, they are called Typhoons when they happen in the
Pacific Ocean.
A landslide happens on a slope like a mountain or a hill. The rocks and earth become loose and
fall down the slope. When soil on the slope is wet, a (6) _______________ may occur.
A tornado, which is casually known as a (7) _______________, is a very large column of wind
that spins around very quickly. The power of a Tornado can cause the winds to destroy houses and pick
up and throw heavy items.
(8) _______________ eruptions are caused by the plates of the earth moving and the pressure
makes magma push up through the cracks in the earth.
II. Read the text carefully, then do the tasks.
Vietnam usually has a dozen storms every year from June through the end of November, and
most of which occur in the central and northern provinces. November 2 nd, 1997, however, was an
unexpected day when the major storm Linda raged in the south. Linda was the worst typhoon in
southern Vietnam over 100 years. Formed in the sea of the Philippines, Linda strengthened as it moved
westward. Later, it struck extreme southern Vietnam with winds of 100 kilometres an hour. Over 3000
people were reported lost and died. Ca Mau province, suffered a direct hit by the storm, had the most
damage. Gusts and heavy rainfalls caused flooding, destroyed crops, damaged about 200,000 houses
and left about 383,000 people homeless. Linda later struck Thailand, causing flash flooding and at least
164 deaths. The storm also affected Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Cambodia to a lesser degree.
Today, residents in Mekong Delta still remember Linda after 20 years. The duration of the time is
enough for a kid to grow up from an unforgettable event. The memory of a particular typhoon improves
everyone’s awareness of natural disasters.
A. Decide whether the following sentences are true (T) or false (F).
1. ____ The tropical storm Linda hit northern Vietnam on November 2nd, 1997.
2. ____ Linda was the worst typhoon in Vietnam for the last 100 years.
3. ____ From the Philippines, the storm moved west and struck southern Vietnam with winds of 100 km/h.
4. ____ Approximately 3,000 people were killed during the disaster.
5. ____ Ca Mau province was directly affected by the typhoon.
6. ____ Typhoon Linda caused extensive damage to both property and human.
7. ____ Typhoon Linda only struck Vietnam and Thailand.
8. ____ The storm gradually weakened as it passed over Myanmar.
B. Answer the questions.
1. When is the typhoon season in Vietnam?
___________________________________________________________________________________
2. Where in Vietnam did Typhoon Linda strike?
___________________________________________________________________________________
3. What was the wind speed of Typhoon Linda when it hit southern Vietnam?
___________________________________________________________________________________
4. How many homes did Typhoon Linda destroyed?
___________________________________________________________________________________
e. WRITING
II. Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning to the first one.
1. The volunteers were distributing rice when the second earthquake occurred.

→ While

2. Some firefighters were injured because the building collapsed.

→ The building

3. It was such a strong typhoon that all trees were uprooted.

→ The typhoon was

4. If the scientists don’t propose another solution for drought, the farmers may lose their crops.

→ Unless

5. The storm was raging outside during our sleep.

→ While we were

6. We’re grateful that you sent US food and fresh water.

→ Thank you

7. The fishing village is still lively even though it has to endure hurricanes every year.

→ The fishing village

8. The rescue workers came to the forest and saw many people helping the injured panda.

→ Many people were

9. It’s a good idea to find safe shelter right away when there is a tornado warning.

→ You

10. We could look for the information about natural disasters on the Internet.

→ How