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FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Samoa Tsunami
(11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)

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More Earthquakes After Samoa Tsunami (October 2, 2009)

Fresh earthquakes are continuing to cause panic in Samoa and Tonga. The two South Pacific islands are still trying to recover from the four tsunamis that hit them on Tuesday. The death toll from those killer waves is nearly at 200. Many Samoans refuse to return to their villages. They are staying in the mountains, afraid the sea will turn deadly again. Many of their villages were flattened by the tsunamis. They were caused by a huge magnitude 8 undersea quake. The aftershocks are registering over 6 on the Richter Scale.

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Mother Nature can be cruel. The power of nature is something we cannot escape. Almost every day we see terrible natural disasters on the news. No one can protect themselves from a tsunami. It is one of the greatest forces of nature. Many people have no warning. They have very little time to get out of harm’s way. People living on flat areas have little chance of survival. The powerful wave destroys everything in its path. Warning systems do alert people to the danger, but there are only minutes to act.

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PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	earthquakes are continuing to	a.	toll
2	still trying	b.	were flattened
3.	death	c.	Richter Scale
4.	Many of their villages	d.	cause panic
5.	a huge magnitude 8	e.	to recover
6.	over 6 on the	f.	undersea quake

Paragraph 2

1.	Mother	a.	of nature
2	we see terrible	b.	to act
3.	one of the greatest forces	c.	natural disasters
4.	get out of harm’s	d.	of survival
5.	little chance	e.	Nature can be cruel
6.	there are only minutes	f.	way

LISTENING GAP FILL

Fresh earthquakes are continuing _________________ Samoa and Tonga. The two South Pacific islands are still trying to recover from the four tsunamis _________________ Tuesday. The death toll from those killer waves is nearly at 200. Many Samoans _________________ to their villages. They are staying in the mountains, afraid the sea will _________________. Many of their villages _________________ by the tsunamis. They were _________________ magnitude 8 undersea quake. The aftershocks are registering over 6 on the Richter Scale.

Mother Nature _________________. The power of nature is something we cannot escape. Almost every day _________________ natural disasters on the news. No one can protect themselves from a tsunami. It is one of the greatest _________________. Many people have no warning. They have very little time to get _________________. People living on flat areas have little chance of survival. The powerful wave destroys everything _________________. Warning systems do alert people to the danger, but there are _________________.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

Fresh earthquakes are (1) ____ to cause panic in Samoa and Tonga. The two South Pacific islands are still trying to (2) ____ from the four tsunamis that hit them on Tuesday. The death toll from those killer waves is nearly (3) ____ 200. Many Samoans refuse to return to their villages. They are staying in the mountains, afraid the sea will turn (4) ____ again. Many of their villages were flattened by the tsunamis. They were caused (5) ____ a huge magnitude 8 undersea quake. The aftershocks are registering over 6 on the Richter Scale.

Mother Nature can be (6) ____. The power of nature is something we cannot escape. Almost every day we (7) ____ terrible natural disasters on the news. No one can protect themselves from a tsunami. It is one of the greatest (8) ____ of nature. Many people have no warning. They have very little time to get out of harm’s way. People living on flat (9) ____ have little chance of survival. The powerful wave destroys everything in its path. Warning systems do alert people to the danger, but there are only minutes to (10) ____.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	continues	(b)	continued	(c)	continuing
2.	(a)	recover	(b)	recovery	(c)	recovered
3.	(a)	in	(b)	at	(c)	by
4.	(a)	death	(b)	dying	(c)	deadly
5.	(a)	by	(b)	at	(c)	with
6.	(a)	cruelty	(b)	cruel	(c)	cruelness
7.	(a)	look	(b)	view	(c)	see
8.	(a)	forces	(b)	fierce	(c)	farces
9.	(a)	region	(b)	areas	(c)	geographic
10.	(a)	do	(b)	act	(c)	be

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	hfres earthquakes
2.	cause cpian
3.	trying to orerevc from
4.	adhet toll
5.	reefus to return
6.	elislvga were flattened
Paragraph 2
7.	Mother Nature can be clreu
8.	we cannot asecep
9.	the greatest rseofc of nature
10.	people have no aigrnnw
11.	little chance of alvrsuiv
12.	Warning systems do eatrl people

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	Pacific islands are still trying to recover from the four tsunamis that hit them on Tuesday. The death
( )	everything in its path. Warning systems do alert people to the danger, but there are only minutes to act.
( )	toll from those killer waves is nearly at 200. Many Samoans refuse to return to their villages. They
( )	Mother Nature can be cruel. The power of nature is something we cannot escape. Almost every day we
( )	of the greatest forces of nature. Many people have no warning. They have very little time to get out of
( )	harm’s way. People living on flat areas have little chance of survival. The powerful wave destroys
( 1 )	Fresh earthquakes are continuing to cause panic in Samoa and Tonga. The two South
( )	see terrible natural disasters on the news. No one can protect themselves from a tsunami. It is one
( )	are staying in the mountains, afraid the sea will turn deadly again. Many of their villages were flattened
( )	by the tsunamis. They were caused by a huge magnitude 8 undersea quake. The aftershocks are registering over 6 on the Richter Scale.

THE READING / TAPESCRIPT

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	panic cause to continuing are earthquakes Fresh.
2.	tsunamis Recover that from hit the them four.
3.	villages their to return to refuse Samoans.
4.	their were of villages flattened Many.
5.	A magnitude undersea huge 8 quake.
6.	is cannot The nature we of something escape power.
7.	natural disasters We on see the terrible news.
8.	the of It of forces one greatest nature is.
9.	get harm’s Very to of time out way little.
10.	minutes act There only to are.

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about tsunamis for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

______________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about tsunamis. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about tsunamis. Include imaginary interviews with people who survived one. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to a tsunami survivor. Ask him/her three questions about his/her experience. Give him/her three of your opinions on tsunamis. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.

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News English Lessons FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Samoa Tsunami (11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)