Reading Enrichment

Text 4.

EARTHQUAKE

I had just got into bed about half past eleven when I felt the tremor. The bed started to tremble and I noticed the electric light, which was hung on the ceiling, was swaying.

Then I got out of bed quickly and went to look out of the windows. As I looked, I saw the house opposite began to fall sideways. Then I realized what was happening. I put on my dressing-gown hurriedly and rush out into the garden.

I was alone in the house. My wife and children had gone to visit my mother-in-law.

For three or four minutes, I heard a terrible noise of walls falling down, and people screaming, and I saw clouds of dust in the air. Then, the trembling stopped.

There were about fifty persons killed and more than two hundred injured. The damage to property was considerable, and about three hundred houses would have to be completely rebuilt.

Questions:

1.       What is the purpose of the text?

2.       When did the writer realize what was happening?

3.       How did the writer save his life?

4.       The 5^th paragraph tells about ____.

Find at least 10 difficult words on the text completed with their meanings!

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Text 5.

Last month I attended an International conference in New York organized by UNESCO. I met lots of people from different countries there, and I made friends with Pier Chevalier, Kevin Smith, and Mei Ling.

Pier Chevalier is from Mersille, France. He is a doctor and is in his late forties. He looks rather thin; perhaps because he is very tall. He must be over 1.80 m. his neatly trimmed beard is the first thing you would notice about him. When we were together, he was always cheerful, and made us laugh a lot.

Next is Kevin Smith. Kevin is a thirty-five years old lecturer from Washington D.C. he is not tall for an African-American, just about 1.70m, I guess, and he is of medium build. I like his curly black hair and thin moustache. Kevin showed us the sight of New York during a tour of the city. He was very helpful and never got tired of answering our questions about the Big Apple.

Finally, there is Mei Ling. She is 25 years old. She is a teacher of economics at a senior high school in Cantoon. She is about 1.58 m tall, just like me. Mei Ling is pretty. She has a nice smile. Her eyes are bright and slanted, and her nose is rather flat. She has beautiful black hair. It has loose around her shoulders. She liked to be with us, but she didn’t talk much.

Pier Chevalier, Kevin Smith, Mei Ling and I exchanged address, so that we could continue our friendship through letters or e-mail. I hope I will meet them again someday.

Questions:

1.       What does the writer mostly talk about in the passage above?

2.       What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

3.       What do you know about Mei Ling?

4.       Find at least 10 difficult words on the text and write their meanings!