There are many destructive (破坏性的) forces when it comes to nature, which have
destroyed whole cities and killed many people. They"re really terrible, but they occur somewhat
often, and this is why you see so many charities these days which focus their efforts on helping
people who have been affected by natural disasters.
While the world is a very beautiful place to live in, there will always be parts of the world
where natural disasters happen more often than in other places, where properties and lives are
destroyed. Only the people who live in the country where tsunamis and earthquakes as well as
other disasters occur experience these, and we can only imagine the suffering that they go through.
For some people out there, the world is cruel, but they have no choice but to stay where they
are. A lot of the time people simply cannot afford to move away, as they might not be able to get a
job when they leave.
In 2004, there was a tsunami in the Indian Ocean. A tsunami is a large wave that towers hundreds
of feet into the air, and covers whole areas when it comes crashing down on to dry land. This particular
tsunami was caused by an earthquake that happened in the middle of the sea, shooting the water away
from the ground and towards dry land. This tsunami actually reached thirty meters in height, and was one
of the worst tidal waves the world has ever seen. Over 200,000 people were hurt in the disaster.
In 2005, we also saw a hurricane happened in the United States. This hurricane was known as
hurricane Katrina, and is perhaps the worst in the history of the world. It happened in 2005 and
destroyed millions of properties in the area. It also took the lives of nearly 2,000 American people.
It was known that for ten days, the wind swept through the area, meaning the most powerful country
in the world became helpless in their attempts to save the people who were affected by the hurricane.
Finally, in 2008 we saw yet another natural disaster. This time it was a cyclone (旋风), which is
similar to a hurricane but happens in a circular motion (圆周运动). This cyclone Nargis had been
one of the strongest to have ever occurred, reaching a death toll of nearly 150,000 people.
All of these were terrible disasters that were unavoidable.
Title: Forces of Nature
Carbon monoxide(一氧化碳) poisoning kills and injures many people and animals around
the world. The gas has been a problem since people first began burning fuels to cook food or to
create heat. It is a problem in all parts of the world that experience cold weather.
Carbon monoxide is called the silent killer because people do not know it is in the air. The gas
has no color. It has no taste. It has no smell. It does not cause burning eyes. And it does not cause
people to cough. But it is very deadly. It robs the body of its ability to use oxygen.
Carbon monoxide decreases the ability of the blood to carry oxygen to body tissues. It does this
by linking with the blood. When the gas links with the blood, the blood is no longer able to carry
oxygen to the tissues that need it.
Damage to the body can begin very quickly from large amounts of carbon monoxide. How
quickly this happens depends on the length of time a person is breathing the gas and the amount of
the gas he or she breathes in.
Carbon monoxide poisoning has warning signs. But people have to be awake to recognize them.
Small amounts of the gas will cause a person"s head to hurt. He or she may begin to feel tired. The
person may feel sick. The room may appear to be turning around. The person may have trouble
thinking clearly. People develop severe head pain as the amount of gas continues to enter their blood.
They will begin to feel very tired and sleepy. They may have terrible stomach pains.
Medical experts say carbon monoxide affects people differently. For example, a small child will
experience health problems or die much quicker than an adult will. The general health of the person
or his or her age can also be important. An older adult with health problems may suffer the effects of
carbon monoxide more quickly than a younger person with no health problems. People with heart
disease may suffer chest pains. They may begin to have trouble breathing.
Bringing a giraffe into the world is a tall order.A baby giraffe falls 10 feet from its mother"s
womb (子宫) and usually lands on its 1_.Within seconds it rolls over and tucks(缩拢) its legs
under its body.Gary Richmond describes how a newborn giraffe learns it first 2 in his book,
A View from the Zoo.
The mother giraffe 3 her head long enough to take a quick look.Then she _4 herself
directly over her calf.She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most 5 thing.She
swings her long leg outward and kicks her baby.
If the baby giraffe doesn"t 6 , the violent process is repeated over and over again.The _7
to rise is very important.As the baby calf grows 8 , the mother kicks it again to stimulate(激励)
its efforts.Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its 9 legs.
Then mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing.She kicks it off its feet again. 10 ?
She wants it to remember how it got up.In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as 11
as possible to stay with the herd(鹿群), where there is 12 .Wild animals and hunting dogs all 13
young giraffes, and calves would be punished if the mother didn"t 14 her calf to be watchful and
get up quickly.
Irving Stone 15 this.He spent a lifetime studying 16 , writing novelized biographies of
such men as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, and Charles Darwin.
Stone was once asked if he had found a 17 that runs through the lives of all these exceptional
people.He said, "They are 18 over the head, knocked down, and for years they still get 19 .
But every time they are knocked down, they stand up.You cannot 20 these people.And at the
end of their lives they"ve accomplished some modest part of what they set out to do.
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