Book 1 Unit 4 A Night the Earth didn’t Sleep Adapted by Jin
Strange things were happening ________ the countryside of northeast Hebei. For three days the water in the village wells rose and fell, rose and fell. Farmers noticed that the well walls had deep cracks in them. A ________(smell) gas came out of the cracks. In the farmyards, the chickens and even the pigs were too nervous ________(eat). ________(Mouse) ran out of the fields ________(look) for places to hide. Fish jumped out of their bowls and ponds. At about 3:00 am ________ July 28, 1976, some people ________(see) bright lights in the sky. The sound of planes could ________(hear) outside the city of Tangshan even when no planes were in the sky. In the city, the water pipes in some buildings cracked and ________(burst). But the one million people of the city, ________ thought little of these events, were asleep ________ usual the night.
At 3:42 am everything began to shake. It seemed as if the world ________ at an end! Eleven kilometers directly below the city the ________ (great) earthquake of the 20th century ________ (begin). It was felt in Beijing, which is more than two hundred kilometers ________ . One-third of the nation felt it. A huge crack that was eight kilometers ________ (length) and thirty meters ________ (width) cut across houses, roads and canals. Steam burst from holes in the ground. Hard hills of rock became rivers ________ dirt. In fifteen terrible seconds a large city ________ (lie) in ruins. The ________ (suffer) of the people was extreme. Two-thirds of them died or ________ (injure) during the earthquake. Thousands of families were killed or injured reached more than 400,000.
But how could the ________ (survive) believe it was natural? Everywhere they looked nearly everything ________(destroy). All of the city’s hospitals, 75% of its factories and buildings and 90% of its homes were ________ (go). Bricks covered the ground like red autumn ________ (leaf). No wind, ________ , could blow them away. Two dams fell and most of the bridges also fell ________ were not safe for traveling. The railway tracks were now ________ (use) pieces of steel. Tens of thousands of cows would never give milk again. Half ________ million pigs and millions of chickens were________ (die). Sand now filled the wells instead ________ water. People ________( shock). Then, later that afternoon, another big quake ________ was almost as strong as the first one shook Tangshan. Some of the rescue workers and doctors ________ (trap) under the ruins. More buildings fell down. Water, food, and electricity were hard ________ (get). People began to wonder ________ long the disaster would last.
All hope ________ not lost. Soon after the quakes, the army sent 150,000 soldiers to Tangshan ________(help) the rescue workers. Hundreds of thousands of people ________(help). The army organized teams to dig ________ those who were trapped and to bury the ________(die). To the north of the city, most of the 10,000 miners were rescued ________ the coal mines there. Workers built shelters for survivors ________ homes had been destroyed. Fresh water ________(take) to the city ________ train, truck and plane. Slowly, the city began to ________(breath) again.
Office of the City Government
Tangshan,Hebei
China
July5,2007
Dear Tom,
_______(congratulate)! We are pleased to tell you that you _______(win) the high school speaking competition about new Tangshan. Your speech_______(hear) by a group of five judges, all of _______agreed that it was the best one this year. Your parents and your school should be very proud _______ you!
Next month the city will open a new park _______ (honour) those who died in the terrible disaster. The park will also honour those who helped the survivors. Our office would like to have you _______(speak) to the park vistors _______July 28 at 11:00 am. _______ you know, this is the day the quake happened thirty years ago.
We invite you _______( bring) your family and friends on that special day.
Sincerely,
Zhang Sha