Reading Comprehension 11th grade Midterm

 Read the articles about natural disasters.

Forces of nature

Hurricane Charley Hits Hard           

Hurricane Charley started as a small storm over the eastern Caribbean Sea on August 9, 2004. Two days later it struck the island of Jamaica and destroyed some parts of the island. By August 13, it had reached Port Charlotte, Florida where it did some of its worst damage. Most of its destruction was caused by its very strong winds, which reached more than 240 kilometres per hour, and not by heavy rainfall. By the time it travelled north and reached Cape Cod, Massachusetts on August 15, it had destroyed 14 billion US dollars worth of property and caused 15 deaths.

Tsunami Strikes Indian Ocean

In December 2004, a very powerful earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale, struck near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Within hours a tsunami formed. It hit the coastline of 11 Indian Ocean countries. Countless people were carried out to sea; they had no chance against the huge waves. Many others lost their lives in their homes, on the beaches or wherever they happened to be. Thousands of homes and other buildings were destroyed by heavy floods all around the Indian Ocean, from Africa to Thailand.

Earthquake Brings Tragedy to Haiti

On January 12, 2010, a very big earthquake hit the Island of Haiti in the Caribbean. It’s almost impossible to imagine the number of people who died, were injured or lost their homes. According to official estimates, over 220,000 people died and over 300,000 people were reported injured. Some of the deaths were caused by a tsunami in the Petit Paradis area of the island. Other tsunamis were reported but they did not cause any loss of life. The loss of property was also shocking. It is estimated that almost 100,000 houses were destroyed and about 200,000 were damaged leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless

The Mumbai Floods of 2005

July 26, 2005 is the day when everything stopped in the Indian city of Mumbai because of flash flooding. The water levels rose so quickly in just a few hours that thousands of people were stuck on the roads. Thousands of schoolchildren were stranded by the flood and were not able to get home to their families for over 24 hours. Many people on the coast died in the disaster and many more lost their homes. All ground floor flats were underwater; the people lost everything. The floods were caused by the biggest rainfall recorded in many years. Over 65 inches of rain fell in 12 hours. The heavy floods caused a huge loss of about 100 million US dollars for Mumbai and its residents.

Read the articles. For questions 1 – 5, choose the best answer

1   Which articles state the number of lives lost in the natural disaster?

Forces of nature

Hurricane Charley Hits Hard           

Hurricane Charley started as a small storm over the eastern Caribbean Sea on August 9, 2004. Two days later it struck the island of Jamaica and destroyed some parts of the island. By August 13, it had reached Port Charlotte, Florida where it did some of its worst damage. Most of its destruction was caused by its very strong winds, which reached more than 240 kilometres per hour, and not by heavy rainfall. By the time it travelled north and reached Cape Cod, Massachusetts on August 15, it had destroyed 14 billion US dollars worth of property and caused 15 deaths.

Tsunami Strikes Indian Ocean

In December 2004, a very powerful earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale, struck near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Within hours a tsunami formed. It hit the coastline of 11 Indian Ocean countries. Countless people were carried out to sea; they had no chance against the huge waves. Many others lost their lives in their homes, on the beaches or wherever they happened to be. Thousands of homes and other buildings were destroyed by heavy floods all around the Indian Ocean, from Africa to Thailand.

Earthquake Brings Tragedy to Haiti

On January 12, 2010, a very big earthquake hit the Island of Haiti in the Caribbean. It’s almost impossible to imagine the number of people who died, were injured or lost their homes. According to official estimates, over 220,000 people died and over 300,000 people were reported injured. Some of the deaths were caused by a tsunami in the Petit Paradis area of the island. Other tsunamis were reported but they did not cause any loss of life. The loss of property was also shocking. It is estimated that almost 100,000 houses were destroyed and about 200,000 were damaged leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless

The Mumbai Floods of 2005

July 26, 2005 is the day when everything stopped in the Indian city of Mumbai because of flash flooding. The water levels rose so quickly in just a few hours that thousands of people were stuck on the roads. Thousands of schoolchildren were stranded by the flood and were not able to get home to their families for over 24 hours. Many people on the coast died in the disaster and many more lost their homes. All ground floor flats were underwater; the people lost everything. The floods were caused by the biggest rainfall recorded in many years. Over 65 inches of rain fell in 12 hours. The heavy floods caused a huge loss of about 100 million US dollars for Mumbai and its residents.

2  Which articles mention both an earthquake and a tsunami?

Forces of nature

Hurricane Charley Hits Hard           

Hurricane Charley started as a small storm over the eastern Caribbean Sea on August 9, 2004. Two days later it struck the island of Jamaica and destroyed some parts of the island. By August 13, it had reached Port Charlotte, Florida where it did some of its worst damage. Most of its destruction was caused by its very strong winds, which reached more than 240 kilometres per hour, and not by heavy rainfall. By the time it travelled north and reached Cape Cod, Massachusetts on August 15, it had destroyed 14 billion US dollars worth of property and caused 15 deaths.

Tsunami Strikes Indian Ocean

In December 2004, a very powerful earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale, struck near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Within hours a tsunami formed. It hit the coastline of 11 Indian Ocean countries. Countless people were carried out to sea; they had no chance against the huge waves. Many others lost their lives in their homes, on the beaches or wherever they happened to be. Thousands of homes and other buildings were destroyed by heavy floods all around the Indian Ocean, from Africa to Thailand.

Earthquake Brings Tragedy to Haiti

On January 12, 2010, a very big earthquake hit the Island of Haiti in the Caribbean. It’s almost impossible to imagine the number of people who died, were injured or lost their homes. According to official estimates, over 220,000 people died and over 300,000 people were reported injured. Some of the deaths were caused by a tsunami in the Petit Paradis area of the island. Other tsunamis were reported but they did not cause any loss of life. The loss of property was also shocking. It is estimated that almost 100,000 houses were destroyed and about 200,000 were damaged leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless

The Mumbai Floods of 2005

July 26, 2005 is the day when everything stopped in the Indian city of Mumbai because of flash flooding. The water levels rose so quickly in just a few hours that thousands of people were stuck on the roads. Thousands of schoolchildren were stranded by the flood and were not able to get home to their families for over 24 hours. Many people on the coast died in the disaster and many more lost their homes. All ground floor flats were underwater; the people lost everything. The floods were caused by the biggest rainfall recorded in many years. Over 65 inches of rain fell in 12 hours. The heavy floods caused a huge loss of about 100 million US dollars for Mumbai and its residents.

3   Which article states strong winds as the main reason for the destructiveness of the natural disaster?

Forces of nature

Hurricane Charley Hits Hard           

Hurricane Charley started as a small storm over the eastern Caribbean Sea on August 9, 2004. Two days later it struck the island of Jamaica and destroyed some parts of the island. By August 13, it had reached Port Charlotte, Florida where it did some of its worst damage. Most of its destruction was caused by its very strong winds, which reached more than 240 kilometres per hour, and not by heavy rainfall. By the time it travelled north and reached Cape Cod, Massachusetts on August 15, it had destroyed 14 billion US dollars worth of property and caused 15 deaths.

Tsunami Strikes Indian Ocean

In December 2004, a very powerful earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale, struck near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Within hours a tsunami formed. It hit the coastline of 11 Indian Ocean countries. Countless people were carried out to sea; they had no chance against the huge waves. Many others lost their lives in their homes, on the beaches or wherever they happened to be. Thousands of homes and other buildings were destroyed by heavy floods all around the Indian Ocean, from Africa to Thailand.

Earthquake Brings Tragedy to Haiti

On January 12, 2010, a very big earthquake hit the Island of Haiti in the Caribbean. It’s almost impossible to imagine the number of people who died, were injured or lost their homes. According to official estimates, over 220,000 people died and over 300,000 people were reported injured. Some of the deaths were caused by a tsunami in the Petit Paradis area of the island. Other tsunamis were reported but they did not cause any loss of life. The loss of property was also shocking. It is estimated that almost 100,000 houses were destroyed and about 200,000 were damaged leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless

The Mumbai Floods of 2005

July 26, 2005 is the day when everything stopped in the Indian city of Mumbai because of flash flooding. The water levels rose so quickly in just a few hours that thousands of people were stuck on the roads. Thousands of schoolchildren were stranded by the flood and were not able to get home to their families for over 24 hours. Many people on the coast died in the disaster and many more lost their homes. All ground floor flats were underwater; the people lost everything. The floods were caused by the biggest rainfall recorded in many years. Over 65 inches of rain fell in 12 hours. The heavy floods caused a huge loss of about 100 million US dollars for Mumbai and its residents.

4  Which article states exactly how strong the earthquake was?

Forces of nature

Hurricane Charley Hits Hard           

Hurricane Charley started as a small storm over the eastern Caribbean Sea on August 9, 2004. Two days later it struck the island of Jamaica and destroyed some parts of the island. By August 13, it had reached Port Charlotte, Florida where it did some of its worst damage. Most of its destruction was caused by its very strong winds, which reached more than 240 kilometres per hour, and not by heavy rainfall. By the time it travelled north and reached Cape Cod, Massachusetts on August 15, it had destroyed 14 billion US dollars worth of property and caused 15 deaths.

Tsunami Strikes Indian Ocean

In December 2004, a very powerful earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale, struck near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Within hours a tsunami formed. It hit the coastline of 11 Indian Ocean countries. Countless people were carried out to sea; they had no chance against the huge waves. Many others lost their lives in their homes, on the beaches or wherever they happened to be. Thousands of homes and other buildings were destroyed by heavy floods all around the Indian Ocean, from Africa to Thailand.

Earthquake Brings Tragedy to Haiti

On January 12, 2010, a very big earthquake hit the Island of Haiti in the Caribbean. It’s almost impossible to imagine the number of people who died, were injured or lost their homes. According to official estimates, over 220,000 people died and over 300,000 people were reported injured. Some of the deaths were caused by a tsunami in the Petit Paradis area of the island. Other tsunamis were reported but they did not cause any loss of life. The loss of property was also shocking. It is estimated that almost 100,000 houses were destroyed and about 200,000 were damaged leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless

The Mumbai Floods of 2005

July 26, 2005 is the day when everything stopped in the Indian city of Mumbai because of flash flooding. The water levels rose so quickly in just a few hours that thousands of people were stuck on the roads. Thousands of schoolchildren were stranded by the flood and were not able to get home to their families for over 24 hours. Many people on the coast died in the disaster and many more lost their homes. All ground floor flats were underwater; the people lost everything. The floods were caused by the biggest rainfall recorded in many years. Over 65 inches of rain fell in 12 hours. The heavy floods caused a huge loss of about 100 million US dollars for Mumbai and its residents.

5  Which articles describe the damage caused by the heavy flooding?

TASK 2

Six sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences  A-G the one which best fits each gap (1-6). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

SHARKS

Sharks are one of the most feared creatures on this planet. The idea of diving into any part of the sea occupied by sharks is enough to make people’s skin crawl.  1   ________     Shark diving has become one of the latest adventure sports and is gaining in popularity in leaps and bounds.

Did you know that there are at least 465 species of shark? They range from the great whale and basking shark to the pygmy shark, which is the smallest of the species. Today’s sharks have not changed that much since their forefathers the

Carcharodon Carcharias, which inhabited the earth more than forty million years ago. 2    ________    These impressive measurements are of course one of the reasons people really want to get a good look at them, despite the fact that they believe it will take them into danger.

In actual fact, most people know very little about sharks, apart from the fact that they kill things and that they can kill us.  3    ________   If you think this is a high number, perhaps you should consider that in the same period 17,000 people died in car accidents and as many as 350 people drowned in the bath. Someone drowning while they have a bath is not an everyday kind of happening, but it seems to be much more common than a fatal shark attack.   4   _________         

Sharks are very important to the environment. Without them there would be a population explosion of certain forms of marine life which would cause the destruction of others.  5   ________     Therefore, it is important that people become better educated about sharks and understand that they deserve as much respect as any other creature that exists on this planet.

Fortunately, things have been changing in recent years and the world is slowly learning that sharks are not just mindless killers but are intelligent, fascinating and beautiful. We now live in the age of ecotourism and we are lucky that there are shark lovers who want to show people who are interested what sharks are really like. In several parts of the world, you can view sharks from specially constructed cages which are lowered into the water. 6 ________

SHARKS

Sharks are one of the most feared creatures on this planet. The idea of diving into any part of the sea occupied by sharks is enough to make people’s skin crawl.  1   ________     Shark diving has become one of the latest adventure sports and is gaining in popularity in leaps and bounds.

Did you know that there are at least 465 species of shark? They range from the great whale and basking shark to the pygmy shark, which is the smallest of the species. Today’s sharks have not changed that much since their forefathers the

Carcharodon Carcharias, which inhabited the earth more than forty million years ago. 2    ________    These impressive measurements are of course one of the reasons people really want to get a good look at them, despite the fact that they believe it will take them into danger.

In actual fact, most people know very little about sharks, apart from the fact that they kill things and that they can kill us.  3    ________   If you think this is a high number, perhaps you should consider that in the same period 17,000 people died in car accidents and as many as 350 people drowned in the bath. Someone drowning while they have a bath is not an everyday kind of happening, but it seems to be much more common than a fatal shark attack.   4   _________         

Sharks are very important to the environment. Without them there would be a population explosion of certain forms of marine life which would cause the destruction of others.  5   ________     Therefore, it is important that people become better educated about sharks and understand that they deserve as much respect as any other creature that exists on this planet.

Fortunately, things have been changing in recent years and the world is slowly learning that sharks are not just mindless killers but are intelligent, fascinating and beautiful. We now live in the age of ecotourism and we are lucky that there are shark lovers who want to show people who are interested what sharks are really like. In several parts of the world, you can view sharks from specially constructed cages which are lowered into the water. 6 ________

SHARKS

Sharks are one of the most feared creatures on this planet. The idea of diving into any part of the sea occupied by sharks is enough to make people’s skin crawl.  1   ________     Shark diving has become one of the latest adventure sports and is gaining in popularity in leaps and bounds.

Did you know that there are at least 465 species of shark? They range from the great whale and basking shark to the pygmy shark, which is the smallest of the species. Today’s sharks have not changed that much since their forefathers the

Carcharodon Carcharias, which inhabited the earth more than forty million years ago. 2    ________    These impressive measurements are of course one of the reasons people really want to get a good look at them, despite the fact that they believe it will take them into danger.

In actual fact, most people know very little about sharks, apart from the fact that they kill things and that they can kill us.  3    ________   If you think this is a high number, perhaps you should consider that in the same period 17,000 people died in car accidents and as many as 350 people drowned in the bath. Someone drowning while they have a bath is not an everyday kind of happening, but it seems to be much more common than a fatal shark attack.   4   _________         

Sharks are very important to the environment. Without them there would be a population explosion of certain forms of marine life which would cause the destruction of others.  5   ________     Therefore, it is important that people become better educated about sharks and understand that they deserve as much respect as any other creature that exists on this planet.

Fortunately, things have been changing in recent years and the world is slowly learning that sharks are not just mindless killers but are intelligent, fascinating and beautiful. We now live in the age of ecotourism and we are lucky that there are shark lovers who want to show people who are interested what sharks are really like. In several parts of the world, you can view sharks from specially constructed cages which are lowered into the water. 6 ________

SHARKS

Sharks are one of the most feared creatures on this planet. The idea of diving into any part of the sea occupied by sharks is enough to make people’s skin crawl.  1   ________     Shark diving has become one of the latest adventure sports and is gaining in popularity in leaps and bounds.

Did you know that there are at least 465 species of shark? They range from the great whale and basking shark to the pygmy shark, which is the smallest of the species. Today’s sharks have not changed that much since their forefathers the

Carcharodon Carcharias, which inhabited the earth more than forty million years ago. 2    ________    These impressive measurements are of course one of the reasons people really want to get a good look at them, despite the fact that they believe it will take them into danger.

In actual fact, most people know very little about sharks, apart from the fact that they kill things and that they can kill us.  3    ________   If you think this is a high number, perhaps you should consider that in the same period 17,000 people died in car accidents and as many as 350 people drowned in the bath. Someone drowning while they have a bath is not an everyday kind of happening, but it seems to be much more common than a fatal shark attack.   4   _________         

Sharks are very important to the environment. Without them there would be a population explosion of certain forms of marine life which would cause the destruction of others.  5   ________     Therefore, it is important that people become better educated about sharks and understand that they deserve as much respect as any other creature that exists on this planet.

Fortunately, things have been changing in recent years and the world is slowly learning that sharks are not just mindless killers but are intelligent, fascinating and beautiful. We now live in the age of ecotourism and we are lucky that there are shark lovers who want to show people who are interested what sharks are really like. In several parts of the world, you can view sharks from specially constructed cages which are lowered into the water. 6 ________

SHARKS

Sharks are one of the most feared creatures on this planet. The idea of diving into any part of the sea occupied by sharks is enough to make people’s skin crawl.  1   ________     Shark diving has become one of the latest adventure sports and is gaining in popularity in leaps and bounds.

Did you know that there are at least 465 species of shark? They range from the great whale and basking shark to the pygmy shark, which is the smallest of the species. Today’s sharks have not changed that much since their forefathers the

Carcharodon Carcharias, which inhabited the earth more than forty million years ago. 2    ________    These impressive measurements are of course one of the reasons people really want to get a good look at them, despite the fact that they believe it will take them into danger.

In actual fact, most people know very little about sharks, apart from the fact that they kill things and that they can kill us.  3    ________   If you think this is a high number, perhaps you should consider that in the same period 17,000 people died in car accidents and as many as 350 people drowned in the bath. Someone drowning while they have a bath is not an everyday kind of happening, but it seems to be much more common than a fatal shark attack.   4   _________         

Sharks are very important to the environment. Without them there would be a population explosion of certain forms of marine life which would cause the destruction of others.  5   ________     Therefore, it is important that people become better educated about sharks and understand that they deserve as much respect as any other creature that exists on this planet.

Fortunately, things have been changing in recent years and the world is slowly learning that sharks are not just mindless killers but are intelligent, fascinating and beautiful. We now live in the age of ecotourism and we are lucky that there are shark lovers who want to show people who are interested what sharks are really like. In several parts of the world, you can view sharks from specially constructed cages which are lowered into the water. 6 ________

SHARKS

Sharks are one of the most feared creatures on this planet. The idea of diving into any part of the sea occupied by sharks is enough to make people’s skin crawl.  1   ________     Shark diving has become one of the latest adventure sports and is gaining in popularity in leaps and bounds.

Did you know that there are at least 465 species of shark? They range from the great whale and basking shark to the pygmy shark, which is the smallest of the species. Today’s sharks have not changed that much since their forefathers the

Carcharodon Carcharias, which inhabited the earth more than forty million years ago. 2    ________    These impressive measurements are of course one of the reasons people really want to get a good look at them, despite the fact that they believe it will take them into danger.

In actual fact, most people know very little about sharks, apart from the fact that they kill things and that they can kill us.  3    ________   If you think this is a high number, perhaps you should consider that in the same period 17,000 people died in car accidents and as many as 350 people drowned in the bath. Someone drowning while they have a bath is not an everyday kind of happening, but it seems to be much more common than a fatal shark attack.   4   _________         

Sharks are very important to the environment. Without them there would be a population explosion of certain forms of marine life which would cause the destruction of others.  5   ________     Therefore, it is important that people become better educated about sharks and understand that they deserve as much respect as any other creature that exists on this planet.

Fortunately, things have been changing in recent years and the world is slowly learning that sharks are not just mindless killers but are intelligent, fascinating and beautiful. We now live in the age of ecotourism and we are lucky that there are shark lovers who want to show people who are interested what sharks are really like. In several parts of the world, you can view sharks from specially constructed cages which are lowered into the water. 6 ________