UNIT 9.

NATURAL DISASTERS
A. PHONETICS
Exercise 1. Choose the word with the underlined part which is differently
pronounced from the others.
1. A. volcanic B. earthquake C. landslide D. damage
2. A. storm B. property C. rock D. tropical
3. A. funnel B. erupt C. mud D. numerous
4. A. donate B. volcano C. move D. hope
5. A. house B. pour C. mountain D. south
6. A. suddenly B. funnel C. eruption D. numerous
7. A. pretty B. predict C. prepare D. preference
8. A. earthquake B. heavy C. measure D. treasure
9. A. earthquake B. authorities C. thunderstorm D. weather
10. A. typhoon B. flood C. roof D. afternoon
Exercise 2. Choose the word which is stressed differently from the others.
1. A. musical B. dangerous C. practical D. remember
2. A. humorous B. national C. example D. tropical
3. A. poisonous B. personal C. tornado D. natural
4. A. marvelous B. regional C. typical D. volcanic
5. A. numerous B. disaster C. seasonal D. medical
6. A. violent B. affect C. circle D. funnel
7. A. human B. collect C. mountain D. rescue
8. A. tsunami B. property C. disaster D. prediction
9. A. damage B. typhoon C. erupt D. donate
10. A. mountainous B. advantageous C. interrupt D. introduce
B. VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR
Exercise 1. Underline the right word in brackets to complete each sentence.
1. The (volcanic eruption/ earthquake/ tornado) blew lava and ash into the sky.
2. The (wildfire/ storm/ flood) with strong winds darkened the sky and rattled the
windows.
3. The sudden (earthquake/ landslide/ tsunami) caused the buildings to shake and
people to run for cover.
4. A (typhoon/ flood/ tornado) moved in a circle like a big funnel and hit the town last
night.
5. The heavy rainfall caused a (landslide/ drought/ volcanic eruption), sending rocks
and soil falling down the hillside.
6. The overflowing river led to a (drought/ earthquake/ flood), submerging homes and
streets in water.
Exercise 2. Look at the pictures and write the correct word in the box under each
picture.
victim volcanic eruption landslide property
earthquake rescue worker emergency kit tornado

1. 2. 3. 4.
_______________ ________________ ________________ _______________
_ _

5. 6. 7. 8.
_______________ ________________ ________________ _______________
_ _
Exercise 3. Use the correct form of the verbs in the box to complete the sentences.
predict hit damage lose warn erupt
1. Volcanoes ________________ and destroyed buildings nearby with their fiery lava.
2. Scientists work ________________ tropical storms, allowing time to warn villagers
and prepare.
3. Earthquakes ________________ buildings and infrastructure in the city.
4. When hurricanes ________________ the town, they brought strong winds and
heavy rain.
5. The news broadcast was meant ________________ the villagers about the landslide
risk.
6. The coastal homes were severely damaged, causing residents ________________
property in the storm.
Exercise 4. Complete the sentences using the past simple or the past continuous.
Last year, an earthquake (1. strike) ________________our region, causing a lot of
damage to buildings
A tornado (2. touch) ________________down near the town last week, destroying
everything in its path.
The tourists (3. have) ________________a party when the tornado (4. approach)
________________ the town.
In 2020, a powerful hurricane (5. hit) ________________ the coastal area. The ground
(6. tremble) ________________ during the earthquake at this time last week. Several
years ago, a volcanic eruption (7. occur) ________________, covering nearby villages
in ash. People (8. leave) ________________ their homes while the floodwaters (9.
rise) ________________ rapidly. Heavy rain was falling while the landslide (10.
block) ________________the main road.
Exercise 5. Complete the sentences with the correct tenses of the verbs in the box.
play stop damage shine
work come fall start
A long time ago, in our town, something scary happened. It was a normal day, and
everyone was going about their business. The sun (1) ________________, and people
were walking in the streets. Suddenly, the sky (2) ________________ to get dark, and
the wind began to blow very hard, while some people (3) ________________ outside,
a big storm hit. During the storm, rain (4) ________________ heavily, and thunder
was making loud noises. The storm (5) ________________ houses and trees, and the
streets got flooded. Thankfully, after some time, the storm (6) ________________, and
the sun came out again. People (7) ________________ outside to see the damage and
started cleaning up. It was a difficult time, but the community (8) ________________
together to make things better.
C. SPEAKING
Exercise 1. Match the questions with the answers.
Questions Answers
1. What kind of natural A. A week of heavy rain caused it.
disaster was it?
2. When and where did it B. Roads were blocked, two villagers died, and five
happen? others were missing.
3. What caused it? C. It was a devastating landslide.
4. What were its effects? D. Rescue workers searched for the missing people, and
volunteers helped clear debris from the road.
5. How did people help E. It happened in Son La province last year.
the victims?
Answer:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Exercise 2. Complete the following dialogues with the sentences in the box.
A. Yes, it was quite strong. Some buildings got damaged.
B. People were frightened and rushed outside to open spaces.
C. They are assessing the damage and helping those affected.
D. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, but a few people got minor injuries.
E. It happened yesterday afternoon.
A: Hey, did you hear about the earthquake in the city?
B: Really? when did it happen?
A: (1)
_____________________________________________________________________
B: Was it a strong earthquake?
A: (2)
_____________________________________________________________________
B: That's scary. Were people hurt?
A: (3)
_____________________________________________________________________
B: How did people react during the earthquake?
A: (4)
_____________________________________________________________________
B: What are the authorities doing now?
A: (5)
_____________________________________________________________________
B: I hope everyone is okay. Earthquakes can be really unpredictable.
A: Absolutely. It's a reminder to always be prepared for emergencies.
D. READING
Exercise 1. Complete the following passage using a word from the box for each
numbered blank.
size speed movement instead
eruption on natural forces tides
Tsunamis are one of the most powerful and destructive (1) _______________ on
planet Earth. Often, tsunamis are mistakenly called "tidal waves". However, they are
not related to the (2) ______________, which are controlled by the Moon and the Sun.
Tidal waves are shallow water waves which can be large in (3) _______________ but
are always controlled by the Moon and the Sun. The waves are shallow and the energy
moving within them comes from the wind. Tidal waves can only ever reach a limited
size and (4) _______________.
A tsunami is a series of much larger waves. These waves are caused by the (5)
_______________ of a large amount of energy through the water, but this energy does
not come from the wind. (6) _______________, the energy is caused by an underwater
volcanic (7) _______________, an underwater landslide or, most commonly, an
earthquake (8) _______________ the ocean's floor.
Exercise 2. Read the text and answer the questions.
Natural disasters
Earthquakes: Ninety percent of earthquakes occur around the Pacific Rim, which is
known as the "Ring of Fire". In 1995, a huge earthquake struck the city of Kobe in
Japan. A large number of people were killed when homes, office blocks, and highways
collapsed.
Tidal waves: Tidal waves are the result of an abrupt shift in the underwater movement
of the earth. In the 1960s, a huge tidal wave hit Anchorage, Alaska. The tidal wave
traveled from Alaska to California!
Volcanoes: We can usually predict when a volcano will erupt. Mount Pinatubo, which
is a volcano in the Philippines, erupted in 1991. It was the world's largest volcanic
eruption in more than 50 years. Hundreds of people died, but thousands were saved
because scientists had warned them about the eruption.
Tornadoes: Tornadoes are funnel-shaped storms which pass overland below a
thunderstorm. They can suck up anything that is in their path. In Italy in 1981, a
tornado lifted a baby, who was asleep in its baby carriage, into the air and put it down
safely 100 meters away!
1. Where do most earthquakes occur?
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What were the effects of the earthquake in Kobe in 1995?
_____________________________________________________________________
3. What causes tidal waves?
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What happened during the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo?
_____________________________________________________________________
5. What are tornadoes?
_____________________________________________________________________
6. How surprising was the tornado in Italy in 1981?
_____________________________________________________________________
Exercise 3. Choose the correct word A, B, C, or D for each of the gaps to complete
the following text.
One night in March 2014, mud broke loose from a tall hillside near the town of Oso,
Washington. The giant mass of wet soil moved (1) _______________ quickly. It
eventually covered thirty nearby houses (2) _______________ mud and dirt. Many
people were hurt.
Landslide is the word many people use (3) _______________ this kind of emergency.
This landslide happened when very heavy rains (4) _______________ the ground near
Oso.
At the beginning of any muddy landslide, wet ground breaks loose. As the mud moves,
it may rip bushes, boulders, trees, and other things out of the ground.
Landslides can cause serious (5) _______________. A big landslide could bury homes
and badly injure people in its path. Landslides can also (6) _______________ huge
amounts of wet dirt onto roads and highways. This added enormous weight could
wreck cars and might even cause the road to collapse.
1. A. downhill B. uphill C. backwards
2. A. from B. by C. into
3. A. describing B. describe C. described
4. A. soaked B. drank C. washed
5. A. illness B. wound C. accident
6. A. hit B. dump C. collect
F. WRITING
Exercise 1. Write complete sentences using the given words.
1. The yesterday's storm/ damage/ a lot/ roofs/ my village.
_____________________________________________________________________
2. A tornado/ be/ violent/ funnel-shaped storm/ strong winds.
_____________________________________________________________________
3. The buildings/ tremble/ strongly/ during/ earthquake last night.
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Scientists/ cannot/ predict/ when/ tsunami/ happen.
_____________________________________________________________________
5. My family/ lose/ all our property/ during/ the volcano eruption.
_____________________________________________________________________
6. Last week,/ our school/ donate money/ help/ flood victims/ Central Viet Nam.
_____________________________________________________________________
7. We/ listen/ the news/ about/ serious earthquake/ the radio.
_____________________________________________________________________
8. Before the tornado,/ local people/ asked/ move to/ safer place.
_____________________________________________________________________
Exercise 2. Put the following words and phrases in the correct order to make
complete sentences.
1. destroyed/ A landslide/ the road/ our house./ near
_____________________________________________________________________
2. was/ hitting/ A powerful earthquake/ at this time/ last year./ the city
_____________________________________________________________________
3. When/ started,/ we/ under the table./ the thunder/ quickly hid
_____________________________________________________________________
4. cause/ Heavy rain/ can/ in mountainous areas./ landslides
_____________________________________________________________________
5. struck/ the coastline/ Numerous tropical storms/ have/ this year.
_____________________________________________________________________
6. It's/ a natural disaster/ an emergency kit./ important/ to prepare/ by having/ for
_____________________________________________________________________
7. the fire alarm/ when/ went off, we all/ the house./ the fire alarm/ ran out of
_____________________________________________________________________
8. serious damage to/ human life/ cause/ Earthquakes/ can/ and/ property.
_____________________________________________________________________