邱麟茸

自然災害是人类生存和发展的巨大障碍。那么，自然灾害究竟该怎么去定义呢？有没有什么可行的预测方法用来避免或减少灾害带来的人员伤亡和损失？

The definition of natural disasters is any catastrophic event that is caused by nature or the natural processes of the earth. The severity of a disaster is measured in lives lost， economic loss， and the ability of the population to rebuild. Events that occur in unpopulated areas are not considered disasters. So a flood on an uninhabited island would not count as a disaster， but a flood in a populated area is called a natural disaster.

All natural disasters cause loss in some way. Depending on the severity， lives can be lost in any disasters. Falling buildings or trees， freezing to death， being washed away， and heat stroke are just some of the deadly effects. Some disasters cause more loss of life than others， and population density affects the death count as well.

Then there is loss of property， which affects peoples living quarters， transportation， livelihood， and means to live. Fields saturated in salt water after tsunamis take years to grow crops again. Homes destroyed by floods， hurricanes， cyclones， landslides and avalanches， a volcanic eruption， or an earthquake are often beyond repair or take a lot of time to become livable again.

Scientists， geologists， and storm watchers work hard to predict major disasters and avoid as much damage as possible. With all the technology available， its become easier to predict major storms， blizzards， cyclones， and other weather related natural disasters. But there are still natural disasters that come up rather unexpectedly， such as earthquakes， wildfires， landslides， or even volcanic eruptions. Areas that are not used to disasters affected by flash floods or sudden hail storms can be affected in an extreme way.

However， despite the many natural disasters the world over， mankind has shown amazing resilience. Many people talk about when a disaster has hit and their neighbors and countrymen have come to aid regardless of their own loss. People will step in and donate items， time， and skills in order to help those affected by a natural disaster. Celebrities will often do what they can to raise money through concerts， phone marathons， and visiting affected areas with aid. People have also shown that they can rebuild and lives can be remade or start over.

Its clear that natural disasters are a part of life as we know it. However， science is making it more possible to predict， aid is faster at coming， and people are learning how to rebuild in safer areas.

Reading Check

1. What can we learn from paragraph 1？

A. A flood in a populated area can be called a natural disaster.

B. Events that occur in unpopulated areas are considered disasters， too.

C. The definition of natural disasters is any event that is caused by nature.

D. The severity of a disaster is measured mainly in lives lost and economic loss.

2. What is the main idea of paragraph 2 and paragraph 3？

A. The severity of natural disasters.

B. Peoples reactions to natural disasters.

C. Different types of natural disasters.

D. The classification of loss caused by natural disasters.

3. Whats the authors attitude to natural disasters？

A. Negative. B. Positive. C. Neutral. D. Ambiguous.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

People will step in and donate items， time， and skills in order to help those affected by a natural disaster. 人们将参与进来，并捐赠物品、时间和技能，以帮助那些受到自然灾害影响的人。

【信息提取】in order to do意為“为了……;以便……”。

【句式仿写】为了在天黑前到达那儿，我们很早就动身了。