Unit 10 Disasters(1)

Unit 10 Disasters

Part A

Listening Strategy

Listening for Major Elements in a Disaster Report

To understand a report about a disaster, you need to pay special attention to when and where it occurred, the possible damage and loss, and the number of people injured or killed since these elements are the essential parts of this type of report.

You are going to hear two news reports of disasters. Pay attention to the elements mentioned above and complete the following charts.

Script:

1. Turkey says more than 10,000 people now are confirmed dead after the earthquake three days ago. Most of the deaths are in five northwestern cities. About 34,000 people are reported injured. Rescue workers are still searching for about 35,000 missing people; many are trapped under fallen buildings. Rescuers are using cameras, dogs and listening devices to search for survivors.

2. Early this morning a severe explosion took place in Shijiazhuang, the capital of North China’s Hebei Province, killing 108 and injuring 38, according to the Public Security Department. After treatment, 15 of those injured have been discharged from hospital care.

Hospital officials say five among the 11, who were severely injured, are now out of danger. Police are still investigating the cause of the explosion.

Part B

Pre-listening Task

Questions for Discussion

You are going to talk about accidents and disasters. Read the following questions and discuss them with your partner.

1. What are natural disasters? And what are man-made disasters?

2. What damage can they cause?

3. Describe a disaster you yourself have experienced or one you have read or heard about. When,

where and how did it happen?

4. What are the chances of survival in a disaster?

5. What can we do to help people in a disaster-stricken area?

6. What should we do to prevent man-made disasters?

Demo:

5. What can we do to help people in a disaster-stricken area?

There are quite a few things we can do to help people in a disaster-stricken area. For example, we can donate money and necessities to help them fight against the natural disaster. We can provide food, clothing and medical care for them. We can provide shelter for the homeless and take them into the warmth of our own homes. We can also send volunteers or go to the area as volunteers to assist the people there in their efforts to rebuild their homes.

Additional Question for Discussion

How can we reduce the damage caused by such natural disasters as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions?

Demo:

Right now human beings cannot predict accurately when the next earthquake or volcanic eruption will occur. But at least we can do two things. First, the government should set up research institutions or laboratories to study how to predict quakes and try to prevent those disasters from happening or reduce their destructive power (破坏力). Second, we should take protective measures and make necessary preparations to ensure the safety of human life and property so that, when a disaster does happen, its damage can be controlled. For example, we should build strong houses and buildings that are quake-proof.

Language Focus

Here are some sentences and structures that you might find useful in discussing the above questions.

Natural disasters are caused by forces of nature. Earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, wild fires and droughts are natural disasters that are beyond the control of humans, while plane crashes, traffic accidents, explosions and fires belong to man-made disasters.

●Sometimes accidents or even disasters happen due to human faults.

●Natural disasters like earthquakes or floods may claim hundreds of thousands of lives and

leave thousands of people homeless.

●I read in this morning’s newspaper / heard over the radio / saw on TV a volcano erupted in …

/ an earthquake struck … / a plane crashed shortly after takeoff / a strong typhoon hit … / a tornado landed on …/ a heavy snowstorm swept through …/ a fire broke out in the warehouse of a factory / two vehicles clashed, causing great / serious / severe / huge damage to human life and property.

●The damage was severe, but fortunately no one was injured.

●Car accidents are often caused by drivers who are drunk / try to overtake without warning.

●People who fail to follow traffic rules when crossing the street may be hit by a car. And they

have to bear full responsibility for the accident themselves.

●I twisted my ankle / slipped and fell / broke my arm / broke my leg when I was playing

football. It still hurts.

●Chances of survival in a … are almost zero / very little.

●If rules and regulations were strictly followed, many man-made disasters could be avoided.

●Professional dedication ought to be advocated. If everyone took a serious attitude toward

their job, many accidents could be prevented.

●We should do our best to help / donate money or clothing to / show sympathy for people in a

disaster-stricken area.

Listening Tasks

Surviving a Plane Crash

Word Bank

survive v.not to die in an accident, etc. 从……中逃生

fasten v.to make or become firmly fixed 系牢，缚紧

roll v.to swing from side to side 摇晃

groan n. a long, low sound of suffering 呻吟声

aisle n.passage 通道，过道

rescuer n. a person who saves people in danger营救人员

swamp n.wetland 沼泽

jungle n. a tropical forest （热带的）丛林

amazingly ad. extraordinarily 惊人地；了不起地

grab v.to seize, to snatch 抓住

plane crash an instance of an aircraft falling from the sky to hit the land or sea 飞机

坠毁

work out to find the answer to a problem by reasoning or calculating 得出答案；

算出

out of consciousness losing consciousness 失去知觉

Burma 缅甸（东南亚国家）

Johan （人名）

Script:

Three months ago I flew to Burma with my boyfriend, Johan. The plane was a small one and our seats were near the back. The sky looked very black as we took off, and throughout the flight, we kept our seat belts fastened. Twenty minutes later we flew into a terrible storm. The plane rolled and shook in the wind. We were both very frightened. I couldn’t remember anything after that until I opened my eyes. I didn’t know where I was. Slowly I realized that the plane had crashed. I was in terrible pain and I couldn’t move. “Johan,” I called, but he didn’t reply. It was dark, but I knew that he wasn’t in his seat. I heard groans and I worked out that possibly six other people were still alive. When daylight came, I could see all the bodies around me. Johan was on the other side of the aisle, but I knew that he was dead.

After a day or two the other voices stopped and I was alone. But the rescuers didn’t come. “They must be on their way,” I told myself. I didn’t know that we were in a swamp in the middle of a jungle and that the helicopters couldn’t fly in the heavy rain. Outside the window the floodwater was going slowly up. But that water saved my life. I managed to stay alive by drinking that dirty water. At night the mosquitoes came. I was out of consciousness because of pain and hunger. Then I heard voices. I pushed my hand out of the window and amazingly someone grabbed it. The rescue team had arrived nine days after the crash.

Language and Culture Notes

1. Background information

In the year 2000 alone, there were 17 major commercial passenger airline disasters worldwide, claiming more than 800 lives. Air disasters are caused by both natural forces and human failings. The most common causes are unusual weather conditions, structural failure, engine failure, navigational error, or terrorist attack. Planes may crash on takeoff, on landing, or on approach. They may hit a mountain, or be hit by lightning. They may overrun the runway, or collide in midair with another plane. In the passage, the crash was caused by a terrible storm and killed all the passengers except the narrator.

2. Burma

a country located in Southeast Asia. Its full name is the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma. It has a tropical monsoon climate.

Exercise 1

Listen to the passage and complete the following chart with the missing information.

Exercise 2

Listen to the passage again and write down answers to the following questions.

1. What happened to the plane before it crashed?

It rolled and shook in the wind.

2. Did the rescue team arrive immediately after the crash? Why or why not?

No. It arrived nine days later because it was raining heavily and the helicopters couldn’t fly in the heavy rain. To make the matter worse, the plane crashed in a swamp in the middle of a jungle.

3. Was the narrator seriously injured?

Yes. She was in terrible pain and couldn’t move.

4. How did she manage to stay alive?

By drinking dirty floodwater.

Speaking Tasks

Listen to the following conversations and repeat after the recording. Then role-play them with your partner.

Conversation 1

A: Hi, Wu. You don’t look happy. What’s up?

B: Bad luck! I fell off my bicycle and hurt my leg.

A: Did you? That’s too bad. How did it happen?

B: I was coming to school on my bike yesterday when another one from behind crashed into mine and knocked me over. Fortunately I was not seriously hurt.

A: Did the rider apologize to you?

B: No. He just picked up his bike and sped away, without so much as looking at me.

A: It’s unbelievable! How could he behave like that?

B: Well, the world is made up of all sorts. Maybe he was in a hurry.

Conversation 2

A: You know, a severe flood has hit Guangdong and Hubei Provinces.

B: So I have heard. How terrible!

A: Have you ever been in a flood?

B: Yes, I have.

A: When was that?

B: About two years ago, before I entered this college. My hometown was hit by a serious flood. A: What happened?

B: Well, it rained heavily for about two weeks and the river in our town overflowed. The water was about a meter deep. We had to be evacuated.

Conversation 3

A: Do you know a powerful earthquake struck western India on Friday?

B: No. Was it a strong quake?

A: Yes. It was measured 7.9 on the Richter scale.

B: Were many people hurt?

A: Yes. Over 20,000 people were killed, 33,000 were said to be injured and hundreds of

thousands left homeless.

B: That’s really horrible.

Exercise

Now make similar conversations according to the given situations. Use the sentences and structures above in your conversations where appropriate.

1. You lost your bicycle one day but it was recovered two days later. You tell your partner about the incident by saying “Do you know what happened to my bicycle?” Your partner will ask you questions such as when, where and how the bike was “stolen”, and how it was returned. You answer your partner’s questions according to the following pictures and the words given under each picture.

A B C

A. Left unlocked outside the canteen

B. Could not be found after the meal

C. Reappeared two days later

2. T ell your partner about a road accident you have seen on TV, starting with “Oh, there was a terrible accid ent.” Your partner will ask you questions according to the prompts on Card A and you answer him / her with the information on Card B.

Card B

Part C

Test Your Listening

A Passage

Listen to the passage and choose the right answers to the questions.

1. What does the passage mainly tell us?

a. How Jan and five others were helped out of an elevator by firefighters.

b. How Jan rescued five passengers in an elevator.

c. How Jan saved himself and five others.

d. How Jan escaped death with his courage and wisdom.

2. Which of the following is true?

a. Jan and the five others had only one hour to escape from the damaged building.

b. After they kicked the wall apart they found themselves in the corridor of the 50th floor of the

building.

c. The North Tower collapsed at 10:23 a.m. that day.

d. It took Jan 95 minutes to escape death.

3. What does Jan do?

a. He’s a window cleaner.

b. He’s an elevator operator.

c. He’s an elevator cleaner.

d. He’s an office worker.

4. Which of the following can best describe Jan?

a. Kind-hearted.

b. Strong-willed.

c. Calm.

d. Brav

e.

Script:

On the morning of September 11th Jan was in an elevator of the North Tower of the World Trade Center with his window cleaning equipment when the building was hit.

There were five other passengers in the elevator. All of a sudden the building shook and the elevator stopped and began to swing to and fro. Although the men were not aware of it, they had only 100 minutes to get out of the damaged tower before it would crumble to dust.

Soon smoke began coming into the elevator. The men realized that something was wrong. They forced the doors open only to find a wall in front of them! The wall had the number 50 on it and they knew they were at the 50th floor. But their elevator normally did not stop there, so there was no opening for them to escape. Jan decided that they would have to make their own.

Knowing that the wall was made of a material that could be cut through, Jan grabbed his 18-inch squeegee, and began chopping away at the wall. When he felt tired, others helped.

Starting with one small hole, they cut through the three-inch deep wall and then widened it. Then they kicked the wall, two at the same time. The wall cracked apart. They saw before them a 2-by-4 inch metal beam and a tile wall! Refusing to give up, the desperate men bent the beam, knocked a hole through the tiles, then made the opening big enough to squeeze through. Astonished, firefighters took them to the nearest staircase and they ran down flight after flight. By 10:23, when Jan and the others emerged on the street, they had used up 95 of the 100 minutes they had. Five minutes later, the North Tower crumbled.

Part D

Time to Talk

Look at these pictures and describe them one by one. If possible, try also to find something relevant to talk about.

Hints:

1. A: tornado, funnel-shaped (漏斗状) cloud, dark sky, great power, pull a big tree out of the ground, suck it into the sky, carry a long distance, drop to the ground, for a very short time, great damage

B: forest fire, may be caused naturally or by human activity, great damage, to trees, animals, humans, try one’s best, prevent such disaster

2. World Trade Center, terrorist attack, Sept. 11, 2001, twin towers are on fire and give off black smoke, tallest buildings in New York City, go down, just a few hours, over three thousand people die, shock, the whole world, many nations, condemn (谴责) this cruel, inhuman attack

3. earthquake, damage, rails are bent and curved, crack on the ground, one of the most dangerous, can’t be predicted (预测), cause great damage, scientists try to find a good way to predict, not yet successful, animals behave strangely before an earthquake, should study animal behaviour

Demos:

1. The picture on the left shows a tornado. The long funnel-shaped cloud stands tall against the dark sky. Tornadoes are known for their great power. They can pull a big tree out of the ground, suck it into the sky and carry it a long way before dropping it down to the ground again. Though they last for only a short time when they occur, they can cause a lot of damage.

The one on the right shows a forest fire. The trees are burning in the flames. Forest fires take place naturally or are caused by human activity. Lightning or a lit cigarette can cause a big forest fire, which not only burns the trees, but also harms the animals and humans. So we should try our best to prevent such disasters.

2. This picture shows the World Trade Center hit by a terrorist attack in New York on Sept. 11, 2001. We can see that the twin towers are on fire and give off black smoke. The World Trade Center was the tallest building in New York City. The other buildings are a lot shorter, as we can see in this picture. But in just a few hours, the giant towers went down to the ground. Over three thousand people died in the terrorist attack. This attack shocked the whole world and many nations condemned this cruel, inhuman attack.

3. This picture shows the damage caused by an earthquake. The rails are bent and there are cracks on the ground. Earthquakes are one of the most terrible natural disasters in the world. It’s frightening because it comes without warning. Although scientists have been trying to find a good way to predict them, no one has yet been able to come up with reliable predictions. It’s said that animals behave strangely just before an earthquake. Maybe we can find a good way to predict earthquakes by studying animal behavior.

Movie Time

New Words

shipwreck n.船只失事

evacuation n.疏散，灾难逃生

fire truck 消防车

over-cautious a.过分谨慎的

hood n.头罩，防护罩

virtually ad.几乎

in the event of 在……发生时；万一

doorway n.门道；出入口

evacuation route 疏散路线

Script:

You may think something like this won’t happen to you. But thinking that the unthinkable won’t happen, won’t help you if it does.

“Your ability to cope, your ability to concentrate and your ability to focus disappear.”

Because surviving a disaster isn’t just a question of luck.

“In the event of an emergency situation, you need to be able to do things right the first time.”

No matter how terrible a disaster might look from the outside, the reality is, in most cases someone gets out alive. And whether it’s a plane crash, a terrorist attack or a shipwreck, in every disaster there is usually something you can do to increase your chances of survival.

“People just don’t appreciate that in these situations, every second can mean the difference between life and death.”

For evacuation expert, Professor Ed Galea, survival is more than just a job.

“Are you checking in?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Can I have a room please below the six th floor?”

“Yes. That’s fine.”

“When I check into hotels, I always ask for a room below the sixth floor. The reason being that, most ladders on fire trucks can’t rea ch above the sixth floor. So, if you are below the sixth floor, you have got a chance of the fire services rescuing you. Wherever I go I am always looking for ways to get out in case something goes wrong.”

You may think this is over-cautious, but Ed’s studies show who gets out, who doesn’t and why.

“This is my smoke hood. I have this by my side virtually all the time, at home I have one by

my bed. You never know when the alarm is actually gonna go off. And having something like this can make the difference between your life and your death.”

Once he has checked in, Ed always checks he can get out.

“I count the number of doors I am away from the staircase,because in the event of evacuating in the dark, I know how many doorways away I am from the stair. I always walk the staircase of evacuation route all the way to the ground. I don’t want to have to discover this route for the first time during an emergency situation. I want to know how to get out, and I want to know that I can get out.

Exercise A

Answer the following questions.

1. What is mainly talked about in the video?

The clip is focused on learning how to survive a disaster.

2. Is the survival from a disaster a matter of luck? Why or why not?

Usually the survival is not a matter of luck. Whether you have made pre-preparation can make a difference during a disaster.

Exercise B

Read the tips offered by Ed Galea, the evacuation expert. Fill in the blanks.

1. When you check in a hotel, you’d better ask for a room below the sixth floor.

2. Whether at home or in a hotel, always put your smoke hood by your side.

3. After checking in a hotel, remember to count the number of doorways away from the stairs.

4. Even the hotel has elevators, remember to walk the staircase for at least once.