Comprehensive check

Task 1. Answer the following questions.

1. What can be the consequences of natural disasters?

2. How many soldiers died during World War I due to snow avalanches?

3. What can cause natural disasters?

4. Which city suffered from floods so much?

5. Why do earthquakes occur?

6. What are tsunamis? What are their mechanisms?

7. When do tsunamis usually take place?

8. What can volcanoes cause?

9. What are blizzards characterized by?

10. Why are there so many epidemics?

Task 2. What do these numbers refer to the text?

1. 40,000 to 80,000;

2. 160;

3. 300;

4. 1703;

5. 1824;

6. 60,000 and 80,000;

7. 1888;

8. 2008;

9. 1972;

10. 1918;

11. 50 000 000.

Task 3. Find words in the text that mean:

1. A natural disaster which occurs when a river bursts its banks.

2. Rains which are poring much.

3. Seismic sea waves.

4. A fire that is burning strongly and out of control on an area of grass or bushes in the forest.

5. A rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.

6. An intense snowstorm, or a heavy amount of something.

7. A sudden violent shaking of the ground, typically causing great destruction, as a result of strong movements.

8. The cultivated plants or agricultural produce, such as grain and many others.

9. A disease affecting many persons at the same time.

10. An epidemic of infectious disease that has spread through human populations across a large region or even worldwide.

Language activity

Task 4. Put the verb into either the gerund (-ing) or the infinitive (with/ without ‘to’).

1. He was accused of … (start) the fire.

2. We decided … (put off) the meeting devoted to urgent ecological problems.

3. Your report on volcano eruption needs … (check).

4. I can’t stand … (discuss) such important questions in a haste.

5. They promised … (analyze) the latest seismic data immediately.

6. He wanted … (take part) in rescue operations.

7. You are free … (leave) the conference at any time.

8. He was busy in … (make) a lot of experiments.

9. Anyone trying … (climb) the mountain would be foolish … (see) the challenge facing them.

10. Some people would be inclined … (panic) if they smelt smoke in the house.

11. Such a fascinating report was wonderful … (hear).

12. It made me angry … (discover) that so much money was wasted on strange research.

13. The strong storm prevented the ship from … (leave) the port in time.

14. Her works are easy … (understand).

15. He felt good … (know) that he had helped … (solve) the problem.

Task 5. Put in one of the following words or expressions in the passage below.

Quantity, rubble, casualties, earthquake, collapse, trapped, outbreak, epidemic, rescue teams (2)

In some parts of the world, the ground shakes from time to time. This is called (a) an … (1) and it’s a bad one, the number of … (2) is sometimes large. Buildings often … (3) and … (4) have to search for people who are … (5) under … (6). Sometimes water supplies are affected and this is an … (7) of disease, called an … (8). … (9) are sent by the government to help the sick. The death … (10) can reach hundreds or even thousands.

Task 6. Fill in a gap with the correct preposition.

1. A hurricane is a tropical cyclone, occurring … the North Atlantic Ocean or the Northeast/ North-Central Pacific Ocean.

2. Earth’s volcanoes occur because its crust is broken … 17 major, rigid tectonic plates that float … a hotter, softer layer.

3. Erupting volcanoes can pose many hazards, not only … the immediate vicinity … the eruption.

4. The word volcano is derived … the name of Volcano, a volcanic island in the Aeolian Islands … Italy.

5. Earthquakes are caused … the release … built-up stress within rocks along geologic faults or … the movement … magma … volcanic areas.

6. If you’re visiting your friend … California and her house starts to shake, you might be experiencing an earthquake.

7. He is a manager capable … taking difficult decisions.

8. The gate was locked so we had to climb … the wall.

9. The autumn and spring equinoxes are when the sun is directly … the equator.

10. A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized … strong sustained winds … least 35 mph.

11. … the United States, the National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a severe snowstorm characterized … strong winds causing blowing snow that results … low visibilities.

12. An epidemic is a disease that spreads … a large area and affects many people … the same time.

13. Many people died … starvation last year.

14. Rescue teams have been searching … injured people.

Task 7. Answer this quiz.