1、Unit4 Natural DisastersTHE NIGHT THE EARTH DIDNT SLEEP地球的一个不眠之夜Strange things were happening in the countryside of northeastern Hebei. For several days，the water in the village wells rose and fell，rose and fell. There were deepcracksthat appeared in the well walls. At least one well had some smelly
2、gas coming out of it. Chickens and even pigs were too nervous to eat，and dogs refused to go inside buildings. Mice ran out of the fields looking for places to hide，and fish jumped out of the water. At about 3：00 a.m., on 28 July 1976，bright lights were seen in the sky outside the city of Tangshan an
3、d loud noises were heard. But the citys one million people were asleep as usual that night.地球的不眠之夜河北省东北部的农村地区怪事连连。一连几天，村里的井水升升降降，起起伏伏，井壁上出现了深深的裂缝，至少有一口水井冒出臭气。鸡甚至猪都焦躁不安，不愿进食;狗拒绝进入屋内。老鼠跑到田外、寻找藏身之所;鱼儿也跳出水面。1976年7月38日波晨300左右，唐山城外的天空中出现了耀眼亮光，接着又传出巨大的声响。然而，那天晚上城里的百万居民仍像往常样沉睡在梦乡。At 3：42 a.m.，everything beg
4、an to shake. It seemed as if the world were coming to an end! Eleven kilometres directly below the city，one of the most deadly earthquakes of the 20th century had begun，a quake that even caused damage more than 150 kilometres away in Beijing. Nearly one third of the whole nation felt it! A huge crac
5、k，eight kilometres long and 30 metres wide，cut across houses，roads，and waterways. Hard hills of rock became rivers of dirt. In less than one minute，a large city lay inruins. Two thirds of the people who lived there were dead or injured. Thousands of children were left without parents. The number of
6、people who were killed or badly injured in the quake was more than 400，000.凌晨3:42，万物开始摇晃，仿佛世界末日即将来临!在城市正下方的1千米处，20世纪伤亡最严重之一的一场地震爆发了，远在150多千米以外的北京都受到了这场地震的破坏，全国几乎三分之一的地区均有震感!一条8千米长、30米宽的巨大裂缝横切房屋、道路和水路。坚硬的石山变成了泥石流。在不到一分钟的时间里，一座大城市沦为废墟。城里三分之二的居民在地震中死亡或受伤，数以千计的孩子失去了父母。在此次地震中丧生或身受重伤的人数超过了40万。Everywhere s
7、urvivors looked，there was nothing but ruins. Nearly everything in the city was destroyed. About 75percentof the citys factories and buildings，90 percent of its homes，and all of its hospitals were gone.Brickscovered the ground like red autumn leaves，but no wind could blow them away. Most bridges had
8、fallen or were not safe to cross. The railway tracks were now useless pieces ofmetal. Tens of thousands of cows，hundreds of thousands of pigs，and millions of chickens were dead. Sand now filled the wells instead of water. People werein shockand then，later that afternoon，another big quake shook Tangs
9、han again. Even more buildings fell down. Water，food，andelectricitywere hard to get. People began to wonder how long the disaster would last.幸存者目及之处无一不是废墟，万物尽毁。市内大约75的工厂和大楼、90的住房和所有的医院都倒塌了。砖块就像秋天的红叶覆盖着地面，但是却没有风能将其吹走。大多数桥梁不是坍塌了，就是无法安全通行了;铁轨变成了废金属块;数万头奶牛、数十万头猪和数百万只鸡也都死掉了。沙子灌满水井，井水消失殆尽。人们惊恐万状，然而临近傍晚时分，
10、又一次强烈的地震撼动唐山。更多的楼房倒塌了，没有水和食物，电也停了。人们心里开始疑惑这场灾难还会持续多久。But hope was not lost. Soon after the quakes，the army sent 150，000 soldiers to Tangshan to dig out those who weretrappedand toburythe dead. More than 10，000 doctors and nurses came to provide medical care. Workers built shelters for survivors whos
11、e homes had been destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people were helped. Water and food were brought into the city by train，truck，and plane. Slowly，the city began tobreatheagain.然而，希望尚存。地震发生后不久，部队派出了15万名士兵奔赴唐山，将受困群众从废墟中抢救出来，并掩埋了死者。上万名医疗工作者赶到现场，教死扶伤。工人们为那些家园被毁的幸存者盖起了避难所，数十万的群众获得了帮助，火车、卡车和飞机给城市运来了食物和饮
12、用水。慢慢地，这座城市又开始恢复了生机。Tangshan started toreviveitself and get back up on its feet. With strong support from the government and the tirelesseffortsof the citys people，a new Tangshan was built upon the earthquake ruins. The new city has become a home to more than seven million people，with great improvem
13、ents in transportation，industry，and environment. Tangshan city has proved to China and the rest of the world that in times of disaster，people mustunifyand show thewisdomto stay positive and rebuild for a brighter future.唐山重新站起来并获得了新生。有了来自政府的大力支持以及唐山人民的不懈努力，一座新的唐山在废坡中被建立起来。这座新的城市已经成为700多万人的家，交通、工业和环境
14、都得到了巨大的改善。唐山向中国、向世界证明，在自然灾害中，人类必须数力同心，保持积极乐观的心态和重建家园的决心。Reading for WritingTSUNAMI HITS ASIA: OVER 6, 500 DEAD海啸袭击亚洲：6500多人死亡By Robert Woodhouse Monday, 27 December 2004罗伯特伍德侯斯 2004年12月27日，星期一The most powerful earthquake in the past 40 years caused a tsunami that crashed into coastlines across Asia
15、yesterday, killing more than 6,500 people in Indonesia, India, Thailand, Malaysia, and at least four other countries. Fishermen, tourists, hotels, homes, and cars were swept away by huge waves caused by the strong earthquake that reached a magnitude of 9.0. The undersea quake struck around 7:00 a.m.
16、, Sunday off the west coast of Indonesias Sumatra Island. In that area alone, at least 1,870 people were killed.过去40年来最强烈的地震昨日引发了冲击亚洲各地海岸线的海啸，导致印尼、印度、泰国、马来西亚和至少其他四个国家6500多人死亡。渔民、游客、旅馆、房屋和汽车被高达9.0级的强烈地震所引发的巨浪卷走了。周日上午7点左右，印度尼西亚苏门答腊岛西海岸发生了海底地震。仅在该地区，就至少有1870人遇难。In Sri Lanka, some 1,600 kilometres west
17、of the quake centre, the number of deaths stood at 2,498, and one million more were affected by the tsunami, government officials said. Indian officials said as many as 1,900 had been killed along the southern coast. Another 254 were found dead in Thailand and 54 in three other countries. In souther
18、n Thailand, 1,900 people were hurt and many more were missing, local officials said. “I was having breakfast with my three children when water started filling my home. We had to leave everything and run to safety,” said Chandra Theeravit, a local Thai woman.政府官员说，在地震中心以西约1600公里处的斯里兰卡，死亡人数为2498人，另有10
19、0万人受到海啸的影响。印度官员说，南部沿海地区有多达1900人丧生。另有254人死于泰国，其他三个国家则有54人死亡。当地官员说，在泰国南部，有1900人受伤，还有更多的人失踪。一位当地泰国女子Chandra Theeravit说：“当水开始灌满我的家时，我和我的三个孩子在一起吃早餐。我们不得不放弃一切，逃到安全的地方。”Thousands of people are still missing, and the number of deaths is expected to grow even higher over the next few days. Foreign aid is being organized for the tsunami-hit countries. However, dangerous conditions and damaged roads will make it difficult to deliver food and supplies.目前仍有数千人失踪，预计在未来几天死亡人数将进一步增加。目前(人们)正在为受海啸袭击的国家组织外援。但是，危险的条件和损坏的道路将使其难以运送食物和供应品。