UNIT 2: ALL ABOUT EARTHQUAKES!

Adapted from http://www.readinessinfo.com

In this unit, you will: read about the development of the language developed for people world. practice the reading skills of skimming and scanning. increase your understanding of the target academic words for this unit: layer surface mild seismic epicenter damage flood predict scatter pattern erupt thunder burst debris lightning range property seismology seismologist observe valuable geothermal

all over the

roll volcano victim vibration

Self-assessment of target words Learning a word is a gradual process. First, you learn to recognize the word. This means you know something about its spelling, pronunciation, and meaning. Next, you learn to use the word. This requires that you understand its spelling, pronunciation, grammar, and much more. When you truly know a word, you can both recognize it and use it accurately. Read the target words for this unit above. Think carefully about how well you know each word. Then, write each word in the appropriate column in this chart. When you have finished this unit, come back and reassess your knowledge of the target words.
I have never seen the word I have seen the word but am not sure what it means I understand the word when I see or hear it in a sentence I have tried to use the word, but I am not sure I am using it correctly I use the word with confidence in either speaking or writing I use the word with confidence, both in speaking and writing

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Reading Strategies: Skimming and Scanning How fast should you read? To obtain both reading comprehension and reading speed, you should understand what each reading strategy means. Skimming is reading quickly to get a sense of the broad meaning of the article or reading passage. We skim a reading passage to see if the text is important to us. Naturally, comprehension can be low. Scanning means you are looking for a specific piece of information without worrying about the broader meaning. You may be looking for a specific word or fact. Comprehension is also low.

Skimming and scanning work well when you know what you are looking for. You should not skim or scan a text if you need to comprehend and remember the material fully. Read: A Preview of What Was Mainly Discussed What causes earthquakes? The earth is formed of layers. The surface of the earth, about 100 kilometers thick, is made of large pieces. When they move against each other, an earthquake happens. A large movement causes a violent earthquake, but a small movement causes a mild one. Earthquakes last only a few seconds. The rolling movements are called seismic waves. The seismic waves start in one place, called the epicenter, and roll outward. A seismic wave travels around the earth in about twenty minutes. Usually, an earthquake is strong enough to cause damage only near its epicenter. However, epicenters at the bottom of the ocean create huge sea waves as tall as 15 meters. These waves cross the .
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ocean in several hours. Rushing toward land, they destroy small islands and ships in their path. When they hit land, they flood coastal areas far from the epicenter of the earthquake. In 1868, a wave reached 4.5 kilometers inland in Peru. In 1896, a wave in Japan killed 27,000 people. After an earthquake happens, people can die from lack of food, water, and medical supplies. The amount of destruction caused by an earthquake depends on where it happens, what time it happens, and how strong it is. It also depends on types of buildings, soil conditions, and population. Of the 6000 earthquakes in the world each year, only about fifteen cause great damage and many deaths.

In 1556, an earthquake in northern China killed 830,000 people the most in history. There was no way to measure its strength. In 1935, scientists started using the Richter Scale to measure seismic waves. A seriously destructive earthquake measures 6.5 or higher on the Richter Scale. How can scientists predict earthquakes? Earthquakes are not just scattered anywhere but happen in certain areas, places where pieces of the earths surface meet. This pattern causes them to shake the same places many times. For example, earthquakes often occur on the west coats of North and South America, around the Mediterranean Sea, and along the Pacific coast of Asia. Another way to predict earthquakes is to look for changes in the earths surface, like a sudden drop of water level in the ground. Some people say animals can predict earthquakes. Before earthquakes, people have seen chickens sitting in trees, fish jumping out of the water, snakes leaving their holes, and other animals acting strangely. Earthquake often come together with volcanic eruptions. In late 1984, strong earthquakes began shaking the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia every day. On November 14, 1985, it

erupted. Explosions sound like thunder as the volcano seemed to burst apart and debris covered the surface of the sea. Clouds of black dust appeared to be filled with lightning. A nearby river became a sea of mud that buried four towns. This disaster killed most victims who died when building fell on them and estimates of deaths ranged from a small scale to a large scale. Losses and property damage from the earthquake amounted to millions of dollars. Seismology is the study of earthquakes, and a seismologist is a scientist who observes earthquakes. Their equipment measures the smallest vibration on surface of the earth. They are trying to find ways to use valuable knowledge about earthquakes to save lives and to help solve the worlds energy shortage. The earths natural activity underground creates energy in the form of heat. Geothermal means earth beat. This geothermal energy could be useful. However, if we take natural hot water out of the earth in earthquake zones, we might cause earthquakes. If seismologists can predict earthquakes, we will be able to save about 20,000 human lives each year, but we cannot control earthquakes. (609 words)

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Meaning in Context: Match or Mismatch? Match each target word with its appropriate meaning in context. You can look back to the passage above to make sure that the meaning given is referred to what the context needs. Also, its part of speech needs to be identified. The example was given for LAYERS. Target words Layers Surface Mild Seismic Epicenter Roll Damage Flood Predict Scattered Pattern Volcano Erupted Thunder Burst Debris Lightning Victims Ranged Property Seismology Seismologist Observes Vibration Valuable Geothermal Meanings (Thai or English) , Parts of speech Noun

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Play On Word Families Find another form of the target words if possible. Then write it in the correct column that indicates its part of speech. The sample for LAYERS was given. Target words Layer Surface Mild Seismic Epicenter Roll Damage Flood Predict Scatter Pattern Volcano Erupt Thunder Burst Debris Lightning Victim Range Property Seismology Observe Vibration Valuable Geothermal Verb Noun Layer Adjective Adverb -

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Vocabulary: Word Usage Complete the following sentences with the words given. volcanoes geothermal patterns rolled thunder lightning floods erupted burst valuable damage surface

1. Earthquakes happen in ___________around the world, sometimes several times in the same place. 2. Earthquakes can happen before the eruption of __________. 3. __________energy comes from heat under the earth. 4. A volcano in Indonesia __________ in 2007. 5. When Somsak set his pencil on the table, it __________off onto the floor. 6. When a tire __________while a car is moving, it is called a blowout. 7. Earthquakes cause a lot of ___________to towns and roads. 8. Huge ocean __________hit the shore during a storm. 9. When there are __________ and __________during a storm, it is sometimes called an electrical storm. 10. Gold and silver are __________metals. 11. There are both heat and activity below the __________ of the earth. Say What You Know Mark each sentence as T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the passage above. Use the dictionary to help you understand the words you are not sure of. _____1. An earthquake happens when a surface of the earth moves against each other. _____2. It is known that movements of the surface of the earth cause different kinds of e earthquakes. _____3. It can be said that earthquake each time took time, but lasted seconds. _____4. An earthquake can travel in terms of as seismic wave. _____5. Noticeably, seismic waves begin in one place and affect others when they roll outward. _____6. Huge sea waves can be caused when seismic waves move from the epicenter at the bottom of the ocean. _____7. Actually, sea waves created by seismic waves cannot damage anything at all since they just move under the ocean. _____8. Peru and Japan were examples of the areas affected by the sea waves caused by the earthquakes. _____9. Time and place would be a factor which indicates how destructive the earthquakes can be.
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_____10. Richter scale is used to measure seismic waves. _____11. Earthquakes can be predicted because they usually occur in the same place. _____12. A sudden drop of water level in the ground can be one of the possible ways to predict earthquakes. _____13. Animals are used to predict the seismic waves in the ocean not the earthquakes. _____14. Strange behaviors of the animals can be some clues for earthquakes. _____15. A seismologist is a study of earthquakes. _____16. Detecting vibration on surface of the earth is the work of a seismologist. _____17. Earthquakes often come with volcanic eruptions. _____18. The word Geothermal convey the meaning of earth beat. _____19. Taking hot water out of the earth in earthquake zones can cause the earthquakes. _____20. We help protect the earth from the earthquake, but we cannot control it. Show What You Find Scan the reading for the answers to these questions. Use your highlighting to help you. 1. What does the earths natural activity underground create? ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. When did the earthquakes take place in Colombia? ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. How many earthquakes each year can be a cause of destruction? ________________________________________________________________________________ 4. How do some animals behave as a prediction of coming earthquakes? ________________________________________________________________________________ 5. What causes a violent earthquake? ________________________________________________________________________________ 6. What could be evidence that makes the scientists possibly predict the earthquakes? ________________________________________________________________________________ 7. What could be causes that result in a large amount of destruction caused by the earthquakes? ________________________________________________________________________________ 8. What is it called for the certain area where the seismic wave rolls outward? ________________________________________________________________________________ 9. What is used to measure seismic wave? ________________________________________________________________________________ 10. How long does it take when the seismic wave travels around the earth? ________________________________________________________________________________
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Generative Use of Words Learnt and Understanding of Text Complete the following passage with the word you have learnt in the passage given. The most (1) __________quake in U.S. history (2) __________in San Francisco in 1906, it (3) __________the deaths of over 700 people. The great Alaskan (4) __________of 1964 was twice as powerful, but less destructive due to the low population density of the (6) __________struck. The Chilean quake of 1960 was the biggest quake ever recorded. It came at 9.5 on the (7) __________. The study of earthquake is called (8) __________. The earliest (9) __________ were the Chinese who worked hard to record their quakes in detail. They even developed a means to (10) __________earthquakes by filling a ceramic jar to the brim with water and leaving it set. If the water overflowed the jar, then an earthquake was imminent. Of course, this means of prediction was unreliable and uncertain. It is thought that some animals may feel (11) __________from a quake before humans, and that even minutes before a quake dog may howl and birds fly erratically. However, (12) __________for such sensitivity by animals is purely anecdotal. Since then, there have been studies about earthquakes. Seismologists have continued to work at building better instruments in order to explain volcanic and (13) __________activity. Besides, computer models and theories, forecast is usually used to study the (14) __________and effects of earthquakes since the incidents can be predicted, but not (15) __________.

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