Last Friday a storm swept through two villages in the New Territories,    1     destroy) fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged    2    their owners had to leave them, and fifteen others had broken windows or roofs. One person was killed, several were    3     (serious) hurt and taken to hospital, and a number of other people received smaller hurt. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless after the storm.  

A farmer, Mr. Tan, said that the storm began early     4     the morning and lasted for over an hour.  

“I     5     (eat) with my wife and children,” he said, “when we heard a loud noise. A few minutes later our house fell down on top of us. We tried our best    6    climb) out but then I saw that one of my children was    7     (miss). I went back inside and found him, safe    8    very frightened.”

Mrs. Woo Mei Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she     9     (feel) that her house was moving. She ran outside at once with her children.

Soldiers helped to take people out of the flooded area and the welfare department brought     10     (they) food, clothes and shelter.

Natural disasters, such as drought, typhoon, and volcanic     1    (erupt), happen more often due to climate change. Tangshan earthquake is one     2    the most serious disasters. For several days before the earthquake     3    (strike) Tangshan, strange things were happening. At about 3:00 a.m., on 28 July 1976, bright lights were seen in the sky and loud noises were heard,     4    the local people were asleep as usual at that time.

Then at 3:42 a.m., the deadly earthquake hit Tangshan,     5    (leave) the whole city lie in ruins in less than one minute. The number of people who were killed or     6    (bad) injured was more than 400,000 and thousands of children were left without parents. Everywhere survivors looked, there was nothing but ruins.     7    seemed as if the world were coming to an end.

However, soon after the earthquake, aid from all corners of our country came. Soldiers arrived to dig out those     8    (trap) and to bury the dead. Doctors, nurses and those from other walks of life came to help. Slowly the city started to breathe again and get back up on its feet. A new Tangshan     9    (build) upon the earthquake ruins with strong support from the government and the tireless effort of the city’s people, which proved that in times of disaster, people must unify, stay positive and rebuild for     10    brighter future.