Unit 2

Vocabulary
 Natural disasters

1 Label the pictures.

 wildlife  avalanche  flood  tsunami  earthquake  hurricane  volcanic eruption

1 ………………………. 2 ………………………. 3 ………………………. 4 ……………………….

5 ………………………. 6 ………………………. 7 ……………………….

2 Underline the correct item.

1 The walls shook/collapsed/damaged slightly 4 The river burst/erupted/exploded its banks

during the earthquake. and flooded the town.
2 The emergency services 5 They quickly lifted/rose/climbed to higher
saved/helped/rescued many lives that day. ground before the tsunami hit.
3 Did everyone escape/evacuate/survive from 6 We’re expecting storms this week. Please
the falling building? warn/recover/reach all your neighbours.

 Weather

3 Fill in: melting, freezing, gathering, pouring, blowing.

1 I’m not going anywhere today. It’s 3 Our snowman won’t last long. The snow’s
………………. with rain. ………………. .
2 The wind is ………………. now so we can fly 4 In the winter, we have ……………….
our kite. temperatures at night.
5 We saw dark clouds ………………. in the sky.

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4 Fill in: bitterly cold, thick fog, strong winds, heavy rain, fresh air.

1 Please open a window. We need some 4 The street is flooded because of the
………………. in here. ………………. last night.
2 Put a scarf on before you go, Harry. It’s 5 Our garden fence always falls over in
………………. outside. ………………. .
3 A ………………. covered the village and we
couldn’t see a thing.

 General revision

5 Underline the correct item.

1 The children were disheartened/disappointed
because it was raining and they couldn’t play
outdoors.
2 Being lost at sea during a storm was
astonishing/terrifying experience.
3 Polly is fascinated/interested by extreme
weather conditions.
4 I took the dog to the beach but it seemed
confused/scared of the water.
5 I’m relieved/excited that Danny is recovering
from his illness.
6 I love looking after my niece, Poppy. She’s such
a kind/pleasant baby.
7 Gareth couldn’t sleep last night. He was feeling
tired/anxious.
8 All the windows in the building
smashed/burned during the fire.
9 The river is rising/falling quickly. There’s a
serious risk of flooding.
10 The crowd of people approached/rushed
towards higher ground where it was safe.

6 Fill in the following nouns to complete the text about volcanoes: lava, clouds, flames, risk,
crater, ash, magma, slopes.

A volcano is a mountain with an opening at the top called a 1) ……………………. . Inside the volcano and
underneath the earth’s surface, there is liquid rock called 2) ……………………. . During a volcanic eruption, it
comes out in hot streams of 3) ……………………. which flow down the volcano’s 4) ………………. and glow red
like 5) …………………. . The area surrounding the volcano gets covered in a layer of grey 6) …………………….
because large 7) ……………………. of it burst out of the volcano at great speed and force. Living near an active
volcano is a big 8) ……………………. because when they erupt, they can be very dangerous.

7 Match the columns to form collocations.

1 close A line
2 safe B bang
3 camp C
4 power encounter
5 D services
emergency E
6 loud overnight
7 high F rain
8 torrential G distance
 Phrasal verbs
H
temperatures
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8 Fill in: out (x4), up, down, for.

Last night, a fire broke 1) …………… at popular Italian restaurant Mario’s on Grange Street. The fire completely
destroyed the building but fortunately, everyone who was inside escaped before it burned 2) …………… .
Restaurant owner, John Little, immediately called 3) …………… help when he couldn’t put 4) …………… what
started as a small fire in the kitchen. The lights suddenly went 5) …………… as customers were eating but staff
quickly guided everyone outdoors to safety. Once the fire service arrived, it didn’t take long before the last flames
died 6) …………… . Today, local residents are helping John Little to clean 7) …………… the area so that Mario’s
can soon serve its delicious food once more.

 Word formation

9 Form nouns derived from the words in bold.

1 Sally made an excellent ……………………… 5 They called for ……………………… after a

following the accident. (RECOVER)
2 They came to the ……………………… that the
weather was too bad to drive anywhere.
(REALISE)
3 To everyone’s ………………………, nothing
was damaged in the earthquake. (AMAZE)
4 I felt such ………………… when the firefighter
rescued my dog from the flood. (RELIEVE)
huge tree blew over onto their car. (ASSIST)
6 Let’s make a ……………………… about what to
do next. (DECIDE)
7 The volcanic ……………………… was so loud
that you could hear it kilometres away.
(ERUPT)

Grammar in use
 Past simple/Past simple continuous

10 Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or the past continuous.
1 What …………..…………… (you/do) when the
earthquake struck?
2 It …………..…………… (snow) heavily while
you …………..…………… (sleep).
3 A hurricane …………..…………… (hit) our town
at 4am this morning.
4 …………..…………… (you/watch) the news
last night? There …………..…………… (be) a
big wildfire in California.
5 They …………..…………… (run) from the
building and …..…………… (hide) under a tree.
6 Mum …………..…………… (phone) Dad when
the ambulance …………..…………… (arrive).
7 It was a beautiful day. The sun …………..
…………… (shine) and the birds …………..
…………… (sing).
8 As I …………..…………… (take) a photograph,
I …………..…………… (hear) an avalanche in
the distance.

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 used to/would/past simple

11 Underline the correct item.

1 Tammy used to/would live in an earthquake 5 We would/used to drive over that bridge every
zone. day.
2 I used to lose/lost three umbrellas last month. 6 Did you get/used to get a photograph of the
3 I used to/would feel scared in thunderstorms. tsunami?
4 The volcano would erupt/erupted only once.

 Adverbs

12 Form adverbs from the following adjectives to complete the sentences: similar, ironic,
terrible, lazy, pleasant.

1 We were ………………… surprised about the 3 I knew my friend was joking when he winked at
weather because we expected it to rain that me ………………… .
afternoon. 4 The twins always dress ………… to each other.
2 The boys spent the whole day sunbathing 5 I arrived ………………… late for my interview
………………… in the garden. because the roads were so icy.

 Sentence transformations

13 Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use up to three
words.

1 The avalanche occurred while we were walking
through the mountains.
We were walking through the mountains ........
...........................................................occurred.
2 Mary started studying Geology in 2003 and
finished in 2007.
Mary ................................................................
........................................................... in 2005.
3 The hurricane began during our exam.
While we ..........................................................
............................ exam, the hurricane began.
4 The forest was burning when I woke up.
I .......................................................................
................................... the forest was burning.
5 I had a cat when I was five.
When I was five, I used ....................................
.................................................................. cat.

 Prepositions

14 Underline the correct item.

1 The hurricane did a lot of damage to/from my 6 Sadly, the house burned to/up the ground
roof. within minutes.
2 A waterproof jacket protects you from/of the 7 Have you heard from/about Tammy recently?
rain. I’m worried about her.
3 We got in the car and rushed to/at the nearest 8 Three people were saved for/from the burning
hospital. building.
4 We are depending on/with the emergency 9 Look! The old paper factory is in/on flames!
services to arrive quickly. 10 Lauren shouted at/for help and a man soon
5 I hope the situation doesn’t get out/above of appeared.
control.

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Everyday English
15 Complete the gaps (1-5) with the sentences (A-E).

Sue: Hi, Luke. It’s good to see you. I heard you have a story about A That sounds really
your recent holiday. 1)……………….. frightening!
Luke: Well, we were hiking in the Himalayas last week when
B You were very lucky.
suddenly, a huge block of snow fell off the mountain in front of
us. 2)……………….. C What happened?
Sue: Oh, no! 3)……………….. I bet you were scared. D It was an avalanche!
Luke: 4)………………… But nobody was injured, thankfully.
Sue: What a relief! 5)……………….. I’m happy to see you’re safe. E Yes, I was terrified.
Luke: Thanks, Sue! Me, too!

Reading
16 Read the diary entries and choose the right answer A, B, C or D.

June 14th

We arrived in Bali, Indonesia early in the morning. As soon as we got to our hotel, we quickly unpacked before
heading straight for the beach to do what we came here to do … surf! Bali’s beaches are incredible. The water is
blue, clear and warm while the sand is soft, white and clean. I was floating on my board, waiting for the next wave
when I noticed a sudden change in my surroundings. The water turned rough and the sky was dark and cloudy.
People were calling to us with panic in their voices. I quickly paddled back to the shore where another tourist told
me that a tsunami was on its way! We followed the locals to the top of a big hill where we watched huge waves
crash past the beach and into the town’s streets. Bicycles and street stalls were floating in the water. It was a
terrifying sight!

June 16th

It’s 48 hours since the tsunami hit. We evacuated the area and spent the night in a rescue shelter with all the
town’s residents. Thankfully, everyone survived the tsunami. I phoned home to let my family know I was safe as
soon as I could. It was such a relief to hear their voices! We decided to use our remaining days in Bali to help
clean up the area. Of course, the tsunami caused lots of damage to many buildings and there was mess
everywhere. Experiencing a tsunami was very scary but it made me realise how important it is to support victims
of natural disasters. I want to raise money for the Balinese people when I return home next week.

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1 When they arrived in Bali, the writer was looking 3 The writer spent the rest of their holiday
forward to A volunteering in the community.
A unpacking their luggage. B sleeping in a rescue shelter.
B seeing the natural landscape. C working for a charity.
C seeing their accommodation. D feeling homesick.
D participating in a water sport.
4 The author’s purpose is to
2 The writer realised something was seriously A describe a scary event.
wrong when B explain what to do during a tsunami.
A he saw damage to the town’s streets. C request financial support from readers.
B somebody gave them a warning. D warn people about travelling in disaster
C the weather seemed different. zones.
D everyone else ran away.

Listening
17 You are going to hear four questions. Read the answers. For every question 1-4 choose
the right answer (A-E). One answer doesn’t match any of the questions.

1 2 3 4

A It’s snowing! D No, it’s raining.

B It might pour down. E I got caught in the rain.
C No, but the rain was heavy.

Writing
18 Read the rubric, then do the task.

Your teacher has asked you write a short story (50-100 words) entitled The Escape. In your story you should
include:
 a vehicle  a volcano

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Pairwork Activities Student A
Work with Student B. Ask questions to find out about a job vacancy for a weather reporter.
Then answer Student B’s questions about a rescue worker training course.

Rescue Worker Training Course

6 month course
Only €500!

Learn how to: treat injuries & build shelters

Where: at training centres across Europe

Send your applications to: disaster.relief@gmail.com

Weather Reporter Job Vacancy

 who/employer?
 when/job/start?
 what/duties?
 where/job?
 what/phone number?

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Pairwork Activities Student B
Work with Student A. Answer Student A’s questions about a job vacancy for a weather
reporter. Then ask Student A questions to find out about a rescue worker training course.

Weather Reporter Job Vacancy

with BCC International

Start date: July 14th

Duties: reporting extreme weather events, travelling

to disaster areas
Where: locations around the world

To apply please phone 01792 435889

Rescue Worker Training Course

 how long/courses/last?
 what/price?
 what/learn ?
 where/course?
 what/email address?

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Portfolio Activities
Name: Eiter Antonio Plascencia Santiago Date: Thursday, February 25th Class: "INT3 U2"

Find a story in a newspaper or on the Internet about a natural disaster e.g. earthquake or a
volcanic eruption. Write about it in your own words. Say what it was, when it happened,
where it happened, how long it lasted, what the result of the event was. You can include
any other interesting information.

I am going to talk about a natural disaster, it was an earthquake that occurred on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at
4:53:09 p.m. in the capital of Haiti with an epicenter 15 km from Port-au-Prince, this earthquake lasted more than
a minute and According to the United States geological survey, the earthquake would have had a magnitude of
7.2 degrees and would have been generated at a depth of 10 kilometers where some 316,000 people died and
hours after the earthquake, it was reported that a tsunami of minimal proportions was recorded that killed 4
people.
This earthquake is said to have been the strongest available in the area since the 1770 event. The earthquake
was noticed in nearby countries such as Cuba, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, where it caused fear and
preventive evacuations............................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................

Draw or stick a picture related to the natural disaster.

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Game
Play in teams. The teacher gives each team a story starter and a list of ten verbs,
adjectives and adverbs. Each student uses one of the verbs (in the past simple or past
continues tense), adjectives or adverbs to continue the story by creating a new sentence.
Students have a minute each to form their sentence and cannot use a word from the list
that has already been used. Students continue to make sentences until all of the words are
used. Each grammatically correct sentence is worth one point. If a student makes a
mistake or cannot continue, one point is deducted and the student loses a turn. The team
with the most points wins.

Sample story starters:

I was walking to school … It was a cold winter night …

Jenny was home watching TV … I was lying on the beach and enjoying the sun…

Sample verbs, adjectives & adverbs:

hear surprised luckily

trip scared suddenly
ring shocked loudly
call bored happily
scream excited carefully
rain unable thankfully
cry tired slowly
look happy fortunately
realise confused quickly
decide nice badly

► Teacher: I was lying on the beach and enjoying the sun…

Team A S1: and was surprised to see the great waves of the sea
Team A S2: As he suddenly rested, I heard a blind shouting loudly.

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