In April 2024, an earthquake happened in Taiwan Province. Earthquakes often happen, but many people have no     1     about what to do before, during and after an earthquake. To keep you safe, here is some advice.

An earthquake usually happens in a short time and can be very serious, so it is n    2     to prepare yourself and your family for it. Make sure all family members know     3     to turn off gas (天然气), water and electricity. They should also know some important telephone     4     like 120 and 119.

During an earthquake, keeping calm is important. If you are indoors, move to a safe place in the room quickly, for example,     5     a strong desk or table. By doing this, you can save yourself when something     6     down from higher places. Remember to stay away from windows or heavy pictures. If you are cooking, turn off the gas at once. If you are outdoors, move to a clear area like a playground. Get away from buildings, bridges and trees. If you are driving,     7     the car as soon as possible and then just stay inside. Don’t try to drive through an active earthquake.

After an earthquake, don’t run out of the building at once. You’d better stay in your safe place     8     the shaking stops for 1 or 2 minutes. Make sure if there is anybody else around you, then help the people who are in need.

3 . It happened today, which we never want to happen, but we’ve been preparing for it for a whole school year. A tornado touched down (登陆) near our school.

I wasn’t even in the classroom at the moment. I had taken a student with me to the workroom to help gather something for a test. When the emergency alarms went off, immediately I grabbed my student’s hand and ran as fast as I could back to the classroom.

I never imagined needing to put our tornado practice into use. I never imagined actually needing to line my students up against the wall and have them crouch down (蹲伏) with their knees and heads touching the ground, hands on the backs of their heads. Their hearts beat so fast that they couldn’t catch their breath. Their fear-filled eyes looked up at me as they asked if their parents, grandparents and friends were going to be fine. Never could I imagine that the silence would come over the whole schoolyard, with hundreds of students gathered in the classrooms of one building.

Other teachers and I tried our best to comfort our students, assure (使确信) them of their safety and promise them everything would be all right, though we truly didn’t know what the result would be.

Today has done something bad to me, and I am sure it has done harm to the hundreds and thousands of teachers in the local areas and surrounding areas. But at the same time, I am very proud, surprised and pleased with how my students behaved. Never have I seen they follow directions so quickly and quietly. Even though tears were in eyes and hearts were beating fast, my students were brave beyond their age today. They were able to be 100% calm and collected (镇静的) the whole time and for that, I was greatly moved.

Jennifer was sleeping at home, and     1     (she) dog was asleep next to her. It was 3:36 a.m. and the night was quiet. There were no     2     (car) passing in the street, no noise could be heard, it was like everything was still.     3     (sudden) the dog started to bark (狗叫) and it woke up Jennifer. She turned     4     the light with some difficulty, and saw that all the things     5     (shake). She started to shout with great fear. Soon after, her father ran to tell her     6     (come) out quickly.

It was     7     earthquake.

Luckily, Jennifer’s mother had prepared an emergency kit (急救箱) before and had it outside. She     8     (pull) out a blanket to keep her daughter warm. Jennifer then saw her father take a flashlight from the box. He used it to check     9     the house had any damage. The house was found dangerous, so they had to stay up all night. Her mother put Jennifer under the dinner table for     10     (safe) till early morning. Jennifer didn’t go to school because of the earthquake that day.

Jennifer was so proud of her parents, because they knew what to do when in danger. Her friends admired her to be     11     (luck) to have such smart parents.

5 . A rainstorm swept through two villages in the New Territories and fourteen houses fell down. Seven others were so badly damaged (被损坏的) that their owners had to leave them. And fifteen others had broken windows. One person was killed, several were badly hurt and taken to hospital, and a number of other people were hurt slightly. Over two hundred people were homeless after the rainstorm.

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

“I was eating with my wife and children when we heard a loud noise,” he said. “A few minutes later our house fell down. We tried our best to climb out but then I realized that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him, safe but scared.”

Mrs. Woo Mei Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she felt that her house was shaking. She ran outside at once with her children. “There was no time to take anything,” she said “A few minutes later, the house fell down.”

Soldiers helped to take people out of the flooded (水淹的) area and the government (政府) brought them food, clothes and shelters.

6 . It was October 24, 2021. The news on TV ________ that a heavy rainstorm was on the way to the north of California, the USA. Hearing the news, people ________ to prepare necessary things for the rainstorm, such as candles, matches and flashlights. They also made sure to close all the windows. In the evening, the rainstorm finally came with strong ________. Soon it started to rain heavily. This has been the heaviest rainstorm in California since 1995.

The heavy rainstorm ________ the power failure (停电). Without power, thousands of people had to use candles or flashlights to give ________. What was worse, the heavy rain made it difficult for people to fall ________.

The rain didn’t ________ until the next morning. It caused the water levels (水位) in the rivers to rise ________. As a result, many areas were under water. The heavy rainstorm also caused mudslides (泥石流). Rubbish and ________ trees were everywhere. After the heavy rainstorm, people in the north of California had to work hard to make their life ________ to normal.

The December day started like any other. Papa came back with his boat full of fish. Mama made breakfast for the family. Seven-year-old Joonas was doing his homework, while his two little brothers ran around the yard. That day seemed     1    , but Alejo knew better.

Alejo felt shaking in his legs, and his ears perked up (竖起), listening for what had already started. Alejo made a crying sound, and Mama said, “Sh!” Alejo barked (吠), and Joonas     2    , “Quiet, I’m trying to think.”

Suddenly, a strange soaring (轰鸣) sound began. Pepa ran to a nearby building’s roof (屋顶) to     3     what was happening. But Alejo knew better. The shaking of the ground traveled up his padded paws (肉掌). He wanted to run, but he didn’t dare to leave his family.

“Why are they waiting? Don’t they know that a great earthquake has roared under the ocean and will     4     bring strong waves onto the land?” Alejo thought.

Mama cried, “Sons, come on!” She grabbed (抓) a little one under each arm. “Joonas, run! You’re fast and strong. Follow me up the hill. Fast!”

But the roar had gotten     6    , cutting off her words. All that Joonas had heard was, “Run!” And he ran back home where he thought he would be safe. Alejo barked and barked, but the tsunami made it hard to hear his voice, too.

Alejo gently bit (咬) Joonas’s feet, but the boy wouldn’t move. “Go.” Joonas pushed the dog away, but Alejo would not     7    . He grabbed Joona’s shirt in his teeth. He pulled and pulled until his mouth broke. With all his strength, he pulled Joonas back outside and hit him from behind. Finally, the boy understood.

Alejo ran toward the hill, looking back to     8     Joonas was following. They raced uphill as the huge wall of water ran after them. Alejo and Joonas didn’t stop running     9     they reached higher up the hill and met their     10    . And they had a mother-father-brothers-dog thankful hug.