Getting Started

Listen and read.

Tom: You look pretty sad, Mi. What's the matter?

Mi: My uncle called us this morning. Our hometown has been affected by a flood. It’s the second time this year.

Tom: I'm sorry to hear that. How are things there now?

Mi: My uncle, his wife, and his children are all safe. They moved everything to the second floor of their house last night. Are there natural disasters in your hometown in the US?

Tom: Yes, we sometimes have tornadoes.

Mi: Tornadoes? Sounds strange. What's a tornado?

Tom: It’s a violent storm that moves in a circle with very strong winds. I still remember the tornado we had last year.

Mi: What happened?

Tom: One evening my parents and I were having dinner. Suddenly, we heard a very loud noise. When we looked out of the window, we saw a big funnel of wind moving towards us.

Mi: Did it cause any damage?

Tom: Yes, a lot. It damaged the roof of our house and pulled up some trees in our yard. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Read the conversation again. Complete each sentence with no more than TWO words from it.

1. There is a _____ in Mi's home town.

2. Her uncle’s family had to move everything to the _____ last night.

3. A tornado is an example of a _____.

4. Tom’s family _____ dinner when the tornado came.

5. The tornado damaged their roof and _____ up some trees in their yard.

Tom: You look pretty sad, Mi. What's the matter?

Mi: My uncle called us this morning. Our hometown has been affected by a flood. It’s the second time this year.

Tom: I'm sorry to hear that. How are things there now?

Mi: My uncle, his wife, and his children are all safe. They moved everything to the second floor of their house last night. Are there natural disasters in your hometown in the US?

Tom: Yes, we sometimes have tornadoes.

Mi: Tornadoes? Sounds strange. What's a tornado?

Tom: It’s a violent storm that moves in a circle with very strong winds. I still remember the tornado we had last year.

Mi: What happened?

Tom: One evening my parents and I were having dinner. Suddenly, we heard a very loud noise. When we looked out of the window, we saw a big funnel of wind moving towards us.

Mi: Did it cause any damage?

Tom: Yes, a lot. It damaged the roof of our house and pulled up some trees in our yard. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Write the natural disasters from the box under the pictures. Then listen, check, and repeat.

Choose the correct option to complete each sentence.

1. When there is a(n) earthquake / volcanic eruption, hot gases and liquid rock pour out from a mountain.

2. Oh, the house is shaking! I think we're having a(n) earthquake / flood.

3. We wanted to travel to Ha Giang, but there was a tornado / landslide. Some big rocks and mud came down the mountains.

4. Every year more than ten floods / storms with strong winds and rain cause damage in our country.

5. A tornado / storm looks like a huge funnel and causes a lot of damage.