Quakes shake Japan island
методическая разработка по английскому языку (11 класс) по теме

Big quakes shake Japan island

TOKYO, Sept. 26 — Three powerful earthquakes, one of them of potentially historic magnitude, struck Hokkaido in northern Japan early Friday morning, causing major structural damage, NBC News reported. The quakes injured more than 240 people and generated a 7-foot-high tsunami off the coast of Hokkaido. Tsunami advisories were issued for much of the Pacific region, including Japan, Russia and the Philippines.

THE FIRST QUAKE, which struck about 4:50 a.m. (4:50 p.m. ET Thursday), preliminarily registered magnitude 8.0, a rare category of earthquake capable of causing widespread destruction, according to the National Earthquake Information Center of the U.S. Geological Survey.

It was the biggest earthquake recorded anywhere in the world since 2001.

The quake was followed within two hours by a series of strong aftershocks, two of which were classified as major earthquakes themselves. The second one, which came after about an hour and a half, measured 7.0, the U.S. earthquake center said.

NBC News producer Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo that there was major damage to buildings on Hokkaido, while NHK television showed video of a fire at an oil refinery, which was quickly extinguished. At least 16,000 customers were left without power.

A man cleaning up broken glass in a street was hit by an oncoming car and died, NHK said, but there were no other immediate reports of deaths. NHK reported that most of the injuries were caused by falling shelves and other toppled objects. One 70-year-old woman suffered a broken leg while trying to leave her house through a window, it said.

All train services were suspended. Kushiro Airport was closed after part of a roof caved in, and several roads were blocked by landslides.

Hokkaido, which is about the size of Austria, is the second-largest of Japan's four main islands. It is home to 5 million people, a nuclear reactor and active volcanoes. It is less than 500 miles from Tokyo, and its capital, Sapporo, was host to the 1972 Winter Olympic Games.

TSUNAMIS COULD POSE BIG THREAT

A 4.9-magnitude earthquake was registered off the coast of Taiwan about three hours after the first Japanese quake. Geologists had not yet determined whether it was an aftershock or a separate event.

Beyond the immediate damage from the shocks themselves, authorities braced for the destructive waves known as tsunamis that Pacific quakes often generate. With an epicenter only 36 miles under the seabed, the Hokkaido quake was unusually shallow and was a prime candidate to spawn waves that could cause a "great amount of damage," said a scientist at the Geological Survey.

The U.S. West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center reported that a 7-foot-high wave had formed off the coast of Hanasaki on Hokkaido's Pacific coast. A 5-foot-high tsunami formed off the coast at Urakawa, it said.

Because of the threat of tsunami, aftershocks or the collapse of already damaged buildings, 41,000 people were evacuating their homes to shelters, according to Kazukiko Kunii, a spokesman for the National Fire Agency.

Television pictures showed boats heading out to sea after the  warning was issued.             

Two small fishing boats capsized in coastal waters in Samani, a fishing town in southern Hokkaido, local officials said.

Tsunami warnings were in effect for Japan, Russia and much of the Pacific Rim. Tsunami watches were in effect for Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines and much of the central Pacific.

If the preliminary 8.0 rating is confirmed, the quake would equal the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, which killed about 10,000 people.

By comparison, the famous 1906 earthquake that destroyed much of San Francisco measured 7.7.

Worst quakes in recent history

This list details earthquakes that caused the most loss of life since 1900.

1.Let's discuss the plot of the article

-What is the title of the article?

-When did the earthquake take place?

-When did the 1st quake strike? ( give the 3 forms of the verb )

-How many quakes were there?

-Speak about the power of the quake.(powerful, of historic magnitude) What was the magnitude preliminarily registered? Why was the quake of a rare category?

-How much damage did it cause? How do you understand "it was capable of causing widespread destruction"? What is an aftershock? Speak about the series of

aftershocks caused by the quakes?

-How many people suffered?

-What did the quake generate?

-Speak about the fire at an oil refinerv.(television, video, to extinguish, a customer)

-  ~              a man cleaning up broken glass.

-What caused most of injuries?

-What about train, road and air services? (to suspend, to close, to cave in, to block, a landslide )

-What information about Hokkaido did you get from the article? (to be the size of..., to be home to..., a nuclear reactor..., an active volcano, to be host to...)

-What is said about the destructive waves generated by the Pacific (=the Pacific Ocean)? ( an epicenter, under the seabed, shallow, to spawn waves)

-Why were 41000 people evacuating their homes to shelters? (the threat of tsunami, the collapse of)

-Speak about fishing boats heading out to sea.

-Were tsunami warnings in effect only for Japan?

-What other earthquakes are mentioned in the article?

2.Match the synonyms

3.Translate from Russian Into English

Три мощных землетрясения потрясли северную Японию в пятницу ранним утром, - сообщило агентство NBC News. Они были отнесены к редкой категории землетрясений, способных вызвать широкомасштабные разрушения. / Землетрясение вызвало цунами в 7 футов со стороны побережья Хоккайдо. / Второе землетрясение, случившееся через 1,5 часа, было силой в 7 баллов. / Из Токио было сообщено, что имели место масштабные разрушения зданий, в то время как ТВ показывало пожар на нефтеперерабатывающем заводе, который вскоре был потушен. По меньшей мере 16000 клиентов остались без топлива. / Один мужчина, убирая разбитое стекло на улице, был сбит приближающейся машиной и тут же скончался. / Все ж.д. обслуживание было приостановлено, а Каширский аэропорт был закрыт, т.к. обвалилась часть крыши. Дороги были заблокированы из-за оползней. / В Хоккайдо, который размером с Австрию, проживает 5 млн. людей, размещается ядерный реактор и есть действующие вулканы. В 1972 г. в нем проводились Зимние Олимпийские Игры. / Из-за угрозы цунами, толчков и обвалов поврежденных зданий люди покидали дома и прятались в укрытиях, - сообщил представитель Национального Пожарного Агентства. / Рыболовные суда, выходившие в море, опрокидывались в прибрежных водах. / Предупреждения о цунами делались не только для Японии, но и для России и большей части Атлантического региона./ Если сравнивать, то землетрясение в Хоккайдо приравнивают  к  землетрясению  в    Мехико  в 1985    году.