【英语】2018届人教新课标选修6一轮复习：Unit5Thepowerofnature教案设计（34页）

【英语】2018届人教新课标选修6一轮复习：Unit5Thepowerofnature教案设计（34页）

Unit 5 The power of nature Ⅰ. 单元教学目标 技能目标Skill Goals ‎▲Talk about volcanoes and the work of volcanologists ‎▲Practise expressing fear and anxiety ‎▲Learn the -ing form used as adverbial in a sentence ‎▲Write about an experience in a natural disaster and hot pools at Changbaishan Ⅱ. 目标语言 功 ‎ 能 ‎ 句 ‎ 式 Expressing fear and anxiety I was so excited about what I had done and where I was, I forgot my fear.‎ I was very worried that ...‎ I was very relieved when ... ‎ I was trembling almost as much as the ground under my feet.‎ I was still terrified.‎ I was so nervous that my whole body was damp with sweat.‎ I was so anxious that I couldn’t move for a long time.‎ I had to force myself not to panic.‎ Then I got up the courage to ...‎ 词 汇 ‎1． 四会词汇 volcano, erupt, eruption, ash, hurricane, adventure, bore, excite, evaluate, unfortunate, unfortunately, fountain, absolute, absolutely, fantastic, crater, potential, impress, impressive, precious, novelist, cancel, effort, relieve, tremble, sweat, anxiety, anxious, panic, courage, typhoon, heaven, diverse, diversity, unique, bathe, swallow, guarantee ‎2． 认读词汇 volcanology, volcanologist, observatory, lava, Mount‎ ‎Kilauea, molten, crane, leopard, Siberian, spectacular, crystal, crystal clear, peak, persuasion, Manchu ‎3． 词组 compare ... with, burn to the ground, make an effort, make one’s way, glance through, vary from ... to ...‎ ‎4． 重点词汇 ‎ volcano, ash, lava, adventure, erupt, excite, fountain, fantastic, impressive, relieve, anxiety, anxious, panic, courage 重 点 句 子 ‎1. Having collected and evaluated the information, I help other scientists to predict where lava from the volcano will flow next and how fast. P34‎ ‎2. I was about to go back to sleep when suddenly my bedroom became as bright as day. P34‎ ‎3. However, the most important thing about my job is that I help protect ordinary people from one of the most powerful natural forces on earth — the volcano. P34‎ ‎4. It wasn’t very easy to walk in these suites, but we slowly made our way to the edge of the crater and looked down into the red, boiling centre. P35‎ ‎5. The height of the land varies from 700 metres above sea level to over 2,000 metres and is home to a great diversity of plants and animals. P39‎ Ⅲ. 教材分析与教材重组 1. 教材分析 本单元以The power of nature 为话题，旨在通过单元教学使学生了解火山爆发、地震、台风、洪水等自然现象，认识到自然的伟大力量，并会用所学词汇描述在经历自然灾害时的感受，思考人类应对自然灾害的态度和方法，提高自我保护意识。‎ ‎ 1.1 Warming Up通过对火山爆发示意图的讨论激活学生了解与本单元话题相关的背景知识，而后通过讨论人类应对自然灾害的措施引发学生对本单元话题的思考，激发学生的求知欲，为随后进行的听、说、读、写打下基础。 ‎ ‎ 1.2 Pre-reading通过回答问题测试自己是否适合作火山学家，让学生了解这一陌生职业，为阅读做好准备。‎ ‎ 1.3 Reading部分一位火山学家以第一人称的形式讲述了自己的工作及第一次目睹火山爆发时的情景和心情，描写了人与自然的斗争与和谐相处的乐趣，使学生认识到火山是美丽的，但同时极具破坏力，而火山学家的工作可以减少由火山引发的损失。‎ ‎ 1.4 Comprehending设计了两种题型：第一题要求学生在阅读后回答相关问题；第二题检测学生对文章细节的理解。‎ ‎ 1.5 Learning about Language 分为词汇和语法两部分。词汇部分着重从词的意义用法和表达方面对学生学习词汇给予指导；语法部分学习ing 形式在句子中作状语表示时间、原因及结果。‎ ‎1.6 Using Language以语言实践为目的，包括四个部分的内容。Listening and speaking 三位火山学家讲述了他们各自最惊险的一次经历。学生在练习听力的同时学会描述害怕和紧张的词汇。Speaking 是Listening的延续。要求学生讲述自己类似的经历，同时在运用中巩固单词。Reading 介绍了旅游胜地 The Lake of Heaven, 培养学生快速获取信息的能力。Writing 与Reading 属于同一话题，要求根据所给信息写一篇介绍Hot springs的作文。‎ ‎1.7 SUMMING UP与LEARNING TIP有助于学生自我检测，便于及时复习。通过学习同根词、同类词，告诉学生在学习中要勤于总结。‎ ‎1.8 Workbook 围绕中心内容从听、说、读、写四个方面对其做进一步的补充和深化。‎ ‎2. 教材重组 ‎2.1将Warming Up, Pre-reading, Reading 及Comprehending 组合在一起，上一节阅读课。‎ ‎2.2将Learning about Language，LEARNING TIP 与 Workbook 中的USING WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS, USING STRUCTURES 整合在一起，上一节语法课。‎ ‎2.3 将Using Language 中的Listening 与Speaking设计为一节听说课。‎ ‎2.4 将Using Language 中的Reading与Writing 设计为一节写作课。‎ ‎2.5 将Workbook中的TALKING, LISTENING, SPEAKING TASK, WRITING ‎ TASK 组合起来，上一节综合实践课（1）。‎ ‎2.6 将Workbook 中的READING TASK, LISTENING TASK与PROJECT设计为一节综合实践课（2）。‎ ‎3. 课型设计与课时分配 ‎1st Period Reading ‎ ‎2nd Period Language Study ‎3rd Period Listening and Speaking ‎ ‎4th Period Writing ‎5th Period Integrating Skills (1)‎ ‎6th Period Integrating Skills (2)‎ ‎ ‎ Ⅳ. 分课时教案 The First Period ‎Reading Teaching goals 教学目标 ‎1. Target language 目标语言 a. 重点词汇和短语 volcano, erupt, compare with, hurricane, adventure, bored, excite, evaluate, unfortunately, burn to the ground, eruption, fountain, absolutely, fantastic, made one’s way, potential, impressive b. 重点句式 P34‎ ‎1. Having collected and evaluated the information, I help other scientists to predict where lava from the volcano will flow next and how fast. P34‎ ‎2. I was about to go back to sleep when suddenly my bedroom became as bright as day. P34‎ ‎3. However, the most important thing about my job is that I help protect ordinary people from one of the most powerful natural forces on earth — the volcano. P34‎ ‎2. Ability goals 能力目标 Enable the students to learn about the powerful natural force — volcano and the work of an volcanologist. ‎ ‎3. Learning ability goals 学能目标 Help the students learn how to analyze the way the writer describes his exciting job.‎ Teaching important points 教学重点 Read the text and answer the questions in Comprehending Exercise 2.‎ Teaching difficult points 教学难点 Retell the writer’s first sight of Mount‎ ‎Kilauea eruption.‎ Teaching methods 教学方法 Discussion, reading, speaking and cooperative learning.‎ Teaching aids 教具准备 A projector and some slides.‎ Teaching procedures && ways 教学过程与方式 Step ⅠWarming Up Lead the students to the topic by telling them a story. Then get the students to describe a volcano eruption according to the diagram. After they are familiar with the topic, let them list some other powerful natural forces and discuss the ways human beings protect themselves from the natural forces.‎ T: Listen to me carefully. I will tell you a story about a strange city. The strange city named Pompeii is a dead city. No one has lived there for nearly two thousand years, yet every year thousands of people travel from distant countries to visit it. It died suddenly in a terrible rain of fire and ash. Tons of hot ash fell on Pompeii, hiding it from sight. For three days the sun didn’t break through the clouds of ash in the sky. Then the whole city shook and buildings fell down. When everything was calm, Pompeii was buried deep. A city disappeared and people there lost their lives too. Can you guess what had happened to the city?‎ S1: There must have been a terrible earthquake. After the terrible quake, everything was destroyed. ‎ T: Yes. It’s one kind of the causes. Any different ideas?‎ S2: Maybe a volcano erupted and a terrible rain of fire and ash fell on the city. ‎ T: You got it! Mount Vesuvius, which had slept quietly for centuries, erupted ‎ suddenly. It destroyed the city Pompeii. How terrible! Have you ever seen a volcano erupting? Please turn to page 33. Look at the diagram. Describe a volcano erupting using the diagram and the given words.‎ S3: When boiling rock erupts from the volcano, the red hot lava rushes hundreds of metres into the air and a cloud of ash goes straight up into the air. Ash cloud forms. Rocks, fire, ash fall onto the ground. The lava flows slowly down the mountain. It buries everything in its path under the molten rock.‎ S4: Sometimes, volcano erupting can cause some other disasters like earthquakes, fire and ground sea.‎ T: How powerful the nature is! The lava can buries everything in its path. A volcano erupting can damage a city. A flood can carry everything in its path, while a fire will damage everything it meets. It seems that we human beings are powerless in front of these natural forces. What can we do to protect ourselves from powerful natural forces? Please work in groups of four to list some other natural forces and discuss the ways that human beings protect ourselves.‎ A few minutes later.‎ T: Who would like to share your opinion with the class?‎ S5: I’d like to talk about volcano. Sometimes, the volcano gives warnings in the form of many small earthquakes. And scientists can provide warnings of possible volcano explosions with the help of equipment. So the government can help people who live near the volcano leave their homes before erupting.‎ S6: We are more familiar with fire. In fact, it can be avoided most of the time, if we are careful in our daily life. I know a way of controlling the fire. Firefighters burn the trees which are in the path of the fire, so there is nothing to burn when the fire arrives.‎ S7: Flood always happens in the south of our country. Predication is very important. Scientist keep observing the level of the water during the summer. People strengthen the bank and move to higher land.‎ S8: We have learned more about earthquakes. People have learned many ways to protect themselves. For example, earthquake happens, if you are in bed, stay where ‎ you are and protect your head with a pillow. If you are outdoors, find a clear spot away from buildings, trees and streetlights. ‎ S9: I think the best way is to move to a safer place where fire, earthquake, flood and hurricane will never happen. ‎ Step Ⅱ Pre-reading Get the students to answer the six questions on page 33 to find out whether they will enjoy working as a volcanologist. And then get them to talk about the occupation according to the questions.‎ T: I see. Prediction is very important. We can say scientists play an important part in protecting people from natural forces. Would you like to study volcanoes? And do you want to be a volcanologist?‎ Ss: Yes.‎ T: Let’s test whether you are suitable for this job or not. Answer “yes” or “no” to these questions on page 33.‎ The students answer the questions to see if they are suitable to be a volcanologist.‎ T: Are you suitable for the job? Who can tell us what kind of person can be a volcanologist?‎ S1: First he must be brave enough because he must climb into a live volcano to take the temperature of the boiling rock inside.‎ S2: I think interest is the most important. He should show great interest in studying rocks and volcanoes.‎ S3: He should be interested in travelling to unusual places and like adventure in his life. ‎ S4: If you want to be a volcanologist, you should enjoy working outside because a lot of work need to be done outdoors.‎ Step Ⅲ While-reading Scanning Get the students to read the passage quickly and accurately. Give them a couple of ‎ minutes to look through the whole passage. Tell them to read the text silently and then ask them some detailed questions about the text. ‎ T: What does a volcanologist do? Is the work interesting? Let’s read a passage written by a volcanologist. The volcanologist enjoys his job very much. He described his exciting job. And he wrote down his first sight of an eruption. Now let’s read the text quickly and find out the answers to these questions Comprehending Exercise 1 on page 35 .‎ Several minutes later. ‎ Check the answer..‎ Skimming In this part, the students will read the text quickly to get the general idea of the passage. Check the answers with the whole class, then explain some sentences or words that the students may find hard to understand.‎ T: Now please read the text again and try to get the main idea of the passage in groups of four. ‎ Three or four minutes later.‎ T: Have you got the general idea of the text?‎ It wasn’t very easy to walk in these clothes, and we slowly made our way to the edge of the crater and looked down into the red, boiling center. Though I was a little afraid, I wanted to climb down into the crater to collect some lava. But this being my first experience, I could only stayed at the top and watched the two scientists. At that time I determined to be a volcanologist forever.‎ Discussion T: In the writer’s opinion, his job is the greatest one. Do you like this occupation? Why or why not? Discuss in groups of four. ‎ S2: I would not like to be a volcanologist. I prefer to work in an office to do some research work. It’s a waste of time and energy to spend so much time traveling.‎ S3: I hope to be a vocanologist. You’ll be proud of yourself when people escape before volcano erupting because of your work. Also, I am interested in the rocks and ‎ other things that make up the surface of the earth. I want to know the secret of the earth.‎ S4: It is not my ideal occupation. I like traveling to unusual places, studying different cultures, talking with interesting people and collecting interesting things. But I’m not brave enough to climb into a live volcano to take the temperature of the boiling rock inside.‎ S5: I don’t like this job. It’s too dangerous. If the volcano erupts suddenly when you are collecting the lava, maybe you will lose your life.‎ T: Well, if you meet the writer, what kind of questions would you ask him?‎ S6: Aren’t you afraid when you walk towards the volcano? It’s so hot and the volcano may erupt again.‎ S7: What should you do if you get lost on your way to the volcano? ‎ S8: When did you begin to be interested in volcanoes?‎ S9: How will you escape if the volcano erupts suddenly? ‎ S10: Are there any living things in volcanoes? ‎ S11: Why do people live near the volcanoes since they may lose their homes or even lives?‎ Writing characteristics T: Good! If you are interested in this occupation, you can get more information on the Internet. Now who can summarize the writing style and techniques of this text?‎ The teacher can ask the students to have a discussion in pairs or groups, and then ask some of them to show their ideas.‎ Sample answers:‎ This passage was written by a volcanologist. He uses the first person to describe his exciting job and his experience and express his true love for his job. The words are vivid and the description is natural, which makes the readers feel as if they were watching the volcano eruption and begin to like the occupation. For example, he uses “like a railway train passing outside my window”, “suddenly my bedroom became as bright as day” and “red hot lava was fountaining hundreds of metres into the sky” to describe the big noise and fantastic sight of volcano eruption. To tell readers that his ‎ job is interesting, the writer uses several “sometimes”, which makes the readers feel the job is extremely interesting and want to be a vocanologist. The writer talks about the volcano objectively. He points out the damages of volcano but he praises its fantastic sight at the same time.‎ T: What can we learn from the text? ‎ S: The key word of the text is “exciting”, which is the focus of the passage. By telling the readers his everyday work, the importance of his job, his first sight of volcano eruption and his sincere love for his job, the author proves it’s his chief enjoyment to be a volcanologist. And I appreciate the writer’s attitude towards nature. We should love nature and we can do something to minimize the damage caused by natural forces.‎ ‎ ‎ Step Ⅴ Homework T: Now it’s time for homework. Today you have two tasks to finish after class. The first task is to finish exercises in Discovering useful words and expressions on page 35. These exercises will help you practice the words and expressions we’ve just learned. The second one is to retell the text. That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.‎ The Second Period Language Study Teaching goals 教学目标 ‎1. Target language 目标语言 重点词汇和短语 ‎ bore, bored, boring, impressive, impress, excite, excited, exciting, excitement, courage, encourage, encouragement, encouraging, panic, anxious, glance through, compare with, make one’s way to ‎2. Ability goals 能力目标 Enable the students to learn and use new vocabulary. ‎ Enable the students to use -ing form as adverbial in a sentence.‎ ‎3. Learning ability goals 学能目标 Enable the students to learn the way of grouping words together to learn new ‎ vocabulary.‎ Help the students learn how to use the -ing form as adverbial.‎ Teaching important points 教学重点 ‎ The -ing form used as adverbial.‎ Teaching difficult points 教学难点 The -ing form used as adverbial.‎ Teaching methods 教学方法 Practice and role play.‎ Teaching aids 教具准备 ‎ A computer.‎ Teaching procedures & ways 教学过程与方式 Step Ⅰ Revision T: Good morning, boys and girls! Who would like to retell the text?‎ A sample retelling:‎ I have the greatest job in the world. I work inside as well as outside. What’s more, I can meet different interesting people and travel to unusual places. Though it’s dangerous I still enjoy it. My main job is to collect information about Mount‎ ‎Kilauea, which helps scientists predict where lava from the volcano will flow and how fast it will flow. By doing this, we can save many lives. I still remember my first sight of an eruption. I heard a strange noise and my bed was shaking, like a railway train passing outside my window. My bedroom became as bright as day. I rushed into the back garden, and saw red hot lava fountaining hundreds of metres into the air. The next day I was lucky enough to have a closer look at it. Two scientists and I were sent to collect some lava for later study. We were dropped as close as possible to the crater that had been formed during the eruption. To protect ourselves, we all had special clothes, which made us look like spacemen. It wasn’t very easy to walk in these clothes, and we slowly made our way to the edge of the crater and looked down into the red, boiling center. Though I was a little afraid, I wanted to climb down into the crater to collect some lava. But this being my first experience, I could only stayed at ‎ the top and watched the two scientists. It has been more than twenty years since I began to study volcanoes. I am just as enthusiastic about my job as the day I first started it.‎ T: Well done! Have you finished the exercises in Discovering useful words and expressions? ‎ Ss: Yes.‎ T: OK. I’ll ask some of you to give your answers.‎ Check the answers with the class.‎ Step Ⅱ Words and Expressions T: Please read the sentences on the screen. And pay attention to the words in bold. Is it a verb, a noun or an adjective? You can get the answer by reading these sentences. Or you can turn to your dictionaries. ‎ ‎1. The long novels bore me.‎ ‎2. I am bored to death.‎ ‎3. The long novels are boring.‎ ‎4. The girl impressed her friends with her sense of humour.‎ ‎5. His collection of painting is impressive.‎ ‎6. The invention excites the doctors.‎ ‎7. It’s an exciting discovery.‎ ‎8. The excited children forgot to take the presents to the party.‎ ‎9. The news caused great excitement.‎ T: Any questions?‎ S1: I can’t tell “exciting” from “excited”.‎ T: “Exciting” means causing great interest and enthusiasm. “Excited ” means feeling or showing excitement. For example, “an excited girl” means the girl is very happy, while “an exciting story” means the story is very interesting or the story makes someone happy.‎ T: Any other question? OK. Please turn to page 71, Exercise 1. ‎ After a moment, ask some students to give their answers.‎ Please turn to page 40 and read the LEARNING TIP to learn two ways of remembering new vocabulary. ‎ Step Ⅲ Useful Structures In this part the students will learn the -ing form used as adverbial in a sentence to give information about time, reason and result. Then they will learn how to combine pairs of sentences using the present or the perfect -ing form. Finally, get them to make a dialogue by using the -ing form.‎ T: Look at the two sentences on the screen. Can you see in what way they are similar and in what way they are different?‎ Show the two examples on the screen.‎ Looking carefully at the ground, I made my way to the edge of the crater.‎ Having experienced quite a few earthquakes in Hawaii already, I didn’t take much notice.‎ T: In what way are they similar to each other?‎ S1: “Looking carefully at the ground” and “Having experienced quite a few earthquakes in Hawaii already” are both used as adverbial to give information about time or reason. Their subjects are “I ” which is also the subject of the main clause.‎ T: What’s the difference? ‎ S2: In the second sentence, the action “experience quite a few earthquakes” took place before the action “take much notice”. While in the first sentence, the two actions take place at the same time.‎ T: Do you know what can also be used as adverbial to give information about time, reason and result?‎ S3: Adverbial clauses introduced by when, after, as, because and so on.‎ T: Quite right! Since they can play the same role, they can usually take the place of each other. Look at the sentences on the screen. Rewrite the sentences using the present or the perfect -ing form. The first one has been done for you.‎ Show the following sentences on the screen.‎ ‎1. When they heard about the volcano, they ran down the village.‎ ‎2. As I was excited, I couldn’t go to sleep.‎ ‎3. The sun shines brightly in the sky and give us light and heat.‎ ‎4. If you lose your heart, you won’t find a way to overcome the difficulty.‎ ‎5. She finished her studies. Then she was anxious to find a job.‎ Sample answers:‎ ‎1. Hearing about the volcano, they ran down the village.‎ ‎2. Being excited, I couldn’t go to sleep.‎ ‎3. The sun shines brightly in the sky, giving us light and heat.‎ ‎4. Losing your heart, you won’t find a way to overcome the difficulty.‎ ‎5. Having finished her studies, she was anxious to find a job.‎ Step Ⅳ Homework T: Today we mainly practiced the -ing used as adverbial. After class, please finish Exercises 1 and 2 on page 72. See you tomorrow.‎ The Third Period Listening and Speaking Teaching goals 教学目标 ‎1. Target language 目标语言 重点词汇和短语 tremble, anxious, panic, courage, excited, worried, relieved, terrified, nervous ‎ ‎2. Ability goals 能力目标 Enable the students to learn the ways of expressing fear and anxiety.‎ ‎3. Learning ability goals 学能目标 Enable the students to describe powerful natural forces that they have experienced and how they felt during and after the disaster.‎ Teaching important points 教学重点 Ways of expressing fear and anxiety.‎ Teaching difficult points 教学难点 Enable the students to describe powerful natural forces that they have experienced and how they felt during and after the disaster.‎ Teaching methods 教学方法 Listening, speaking, discussion and cooperative learning.‎ Teaching aids 教具准备 A recorder. ‎ Teaching procedures & ways 教学过程与方式 Step I Listening The students will listen to the volcanologists talk about their most frightening experience. First get the students to describe the three pictures to help them recall the words or expressions they’ve learned about the occupation — volcanologist. Then listen and write their names under the pictures. ‎ T: Do you still remember the work of a volcanologist? ‎ Ss: Yes. He collects information about a volcano to help predict volcano’s eruption. ‎ T: How can they get the information?‎ S1: They must climb into a live volcano to take the temperature of the boiling rock inside and collect some lava for later study.‎ T: Excellent! Please turn to page 38. Describe the three pictures with your partners. We’ll ask some of you to describe the pictures in class.‎ The students work in pairs to describe the pictures. They can turn to the text if they have some difficulty.‎ T: Who will describe Picture 1?‎ S2: A helicopter is flying to the volcano, when suddenly the volcano erupts. The ash and boiling rocks rush into the air hundreds of metres high. Luckily, the helicopter is not near the volcano, or it will be melt.‎ T: Picture 2?‎ S3: The volcano is erupting. The lava is flowing slowly down the mountain. A volcanologist is collecting lava with a special tool. He wears special clothes. It seems very dangerous to work there.‎ T: How about Picture 3?‎ S4: After an eruption, a crater formed. A woman volcanologist is making records and ‎ collecting information. She also wears special clothes to protect herself.‎ T: These pictures are about the most frightening experience of three vocanologists. They tell us their stories. Please listen and write their names under the pictures.‎ Get the students to listen to the tape for the first time and finish Exercise 1. Then check the answers with he whole class.‎ Ask the students to read the questions in Exercise 2 before listening. Then play the tape, stop the tape after each person has spoken. Listen to the tape again if the students cannot write down the answers.‎ T: The volcanologist sound very young. How long has he / she been a volcanologist? Let’s listen to the tape again. Read the questions first and then listen and write down your answers. I’ll stop the tape after each person has spoken. If you have any question, hands up!‎ Play the tape for the third time. Make sure the students understand the sentences in Exercise 3 and know what they are asked to do. ‎ T: The three vocanologists describe their experiences. Please read the following sentences first. Can you understand all of them?‎ S5: Can you explain this sentence “I was trembling almost as much as the ground under my feet”?‎ T: It means “The ground is shaking. I am very nervous so I am shaking, too.” Any other question? Write the name of the person beside the things they said.‎ The students listen and write down their answers.‎ Step Ⅲ Speaking First, get the students to think of ways to express fear and anxiety.‎ Second, ask the students to think of powerful natural forces that they have experienced. If they didn’t experience any such things, they can imagine according to the text and what they heard just now. Then they are required to tell their similar experience and how they felt using expressions from Exercise ‎5 in Listening. ‎ T: The speakers describe their fear or anxiety. We can find these sentences in Exercise 3. How do you express fear or anxiety? Read these sentences aloud and then ‎ think of other ways.‎ T: Who’d like to answer this question?‎ S1: There are many ways to show fear. For example, I was so terrified that I ran as fast as possible till I found I was in my office.‎ S2: Knowing I was admitted to the university, I was so excited that I cried loudly.‎ S3: I was in a panic so I checked all the windows and the door several times to make sure they were all locked.‎ S4: I was relieved when all the people were removed to a safer place.‎ S5: I was trembling and couldn’t write a word.‎ S6: I was so nervous that I couldn’t read the text fluently.‎ S7: I was so anxious that I couldn’t sit but walk back and forth in the playground.‎ S8: I got up the courage to knock the door.‎ T: Wonderful! I believe you have more ways to express fear or anxiety, but there isn’t enough time. Let’s turn to another topic — a frightening experience. We have listened to the frightening experience of three volcanologists. It’s your turn to tell us your frightening experience. Think of a powerful natural force such as an earthquake, flood that you have experienced. If you didn’t experience such thing, your imagination will help you. Tell your partners your experiences and how you feel. Try to use expressions from Exercise 3.‎ The students talk in pairs. After a few minutes, ask some students to tell their stories in class.‎ T: Who will be the first to tell your story? ‎ S1: I was twelve years old when the mud-rock flow happened in the afternoon. My father and I were in the bookstore, enjoying the music and novels. I sat by the window, reading an interesting story. Suddenly I heard a strange noise. I looked out of the window. “My God!” I shouted. “A chocolate-colored flood is rushing down the street.” All the people ran to the window and saw what was happening, “Mud-rock flow!” Everybody was frightened and tried to rush upstairs. My father made his way to me and pulled me by the arm and shouted, “To the hill.” We all kept running till we were on the top of the hill, which is just behind the bookstore. What a sad sight! Many ‎ houses slid by like toys. Beds were rolling in the flood with rocks. It lasted for twenty minutes. People ran to their homes and began to look for their family members, shouting and running. ‎ S2: It was a beautiful Sunday morning in the small town. I was reading a book near my home. My twelve-year-old sister Lihua was playing with a basketball. As I read, I looked up and saw a huge, black cloud far away to the west. It might rain, I thought. Soon, I heard a noise what sounded like a big gun. The sound seemed to grow louder. I looked up again. This time, I saw a huge cloud moving quickly across the sky. We watched as the sky grew darker. The cloud began to block light from the sun. I again looked at my book. I noticed something unusual on the book. It looked like very fine dust. How strange, I thought. It is raining dust! My sister and I ran into the house and told my parents about what we saw. They turned on the television. We saw the report about the volcano explosion. The cloud covering the sky was ash from the volcano. The cloud had now almost covered the whole sky. In a moment, it was as black as night. A strong chemical smell was in the air. Ash fell very quickly in huge amounts. The ash now covered the ground. It was a frightening experience. We continued to watch television report. Experts said they did not know what would happen. I looked outside the house again and wondered, “Will the ash bury us?” The volcano exploded for more than eight hours. At last, everything returned calm. We can saw the sky again. I was still terrified that I couldn’t stand up to see the different world outside.‎ S3: I will tell you another volcano eruption. The volcano is one of the most frightening forces of nature. At that time I was a volcanologist. The volcano had been giving warnings for three months. These warnings were in the form of many small earthquakes. Several weeks earlier, government officials had declared an emergency. They barred people from entering the Mount Saint Helen’s area. A special permit was needed to travel near the mountain. Officials also forced people who lived near the mountain to leave their homes. It was the day before the explosion, we went there to watch the development and collect some information. The morning when we were having breakfast, the ground trembled. We ran out of the house. A strange smell was ‎ in the air. Fire, rock and volcanic gas flew out of the volcano with an unimaginable force. A cloud of ash went straight up more than twenty kilometers into the air in less than fifteen minutes. A very large wall of melted rock moved down the side of a mountain. It looked like a “river of fire”. Five hours later, the eruption stopped and all was peaceful.‎ ‎ ‎ Step Ⅳ Homework T: Form a group with another pair and tell them about your dangerous experience.‎ The Fourth Period Reading and writing Teaching goals 教学目标 ‎1. Target language 目标语言 a. 重点词汇和短语 vary from ... to ..., diversity, unique, bathe, swallow, guarantee b. 重点句式 P39‎ The height of the land varies from 700 metres above sea level to over 2000 metres and is home to a great diversity of plants and animals.‎ Many people come to Changbaishan to study the unique plants and animals. Others come to walk in the mountains, to see the spectacular waterfalls or to bathe in the hot water pools.‎ ‎2. Ablity goals 能力目标 Enable the students to get information about the Lake‎ of ‎Heaven by fast reading.‎ Enable the students to write about hot pools at Changbaishan using some notes given.‎ ‎3. Learning ability goals 学能目标 Help the students learn how to describe a nature reserve using given information.‎ Teaching important points 教学重点 Teach the students how to make use of given information to describe a nature reserve.‎ Teaching difficult points 教学难点 Learn how to describe a nature reserve.‎ Teaching methods 教学方法 Study individually, practice and discussion.‎ Teaching aids 教具准备 A projector and some slides.‎ Teaching procedures & ways 教学过程与方式 Step ⅠRevision Get the students to describe his / her dangerous experience.‎ Step ⅡReading Get the students to comprehend the passage quickly and accurately and meanwhile help the students form a good habit of reading. Give the students a couple of minutes to look through the whole passage. Tell the students to read the text silently and then ask them some detailed questions about the text. Check their answers in class, and explain some questions they ask.‎ T: Have you ever been to Changbaishan and visited Tianchi? I guess most of you haven’t. In this period, we will learn something about Tianchi. By the way, what English name would you give to Tianchi? ‎ S: I will call it Lake‎ of ‎Heaven.‎ T: Great. That’s how people call it in English. Now let’s read the questions on the top of the passage. Then read the text quickly and find out the answers to the questions.‎ After the students read the text.‎ T: Now who can tell me which province Changbaishan is located in?‎ S1: Jilin Province, Northeast China.‎ T: Good!What’s a nature reserve? Why is Changbaishan a famous nature reserve?‎ S2: I think reserve is a place which is kept in its natural state.‎ S3: A nature reserve is home to a great diversity of plants and animals. There must be many rare animals and unique plants. They are protected in a nature reserve.‎ S4: Changbaishan is the largest nature reserve in China. Much of this beautiful, mountainous area is thick forest. The height of the land varies from 700 metres above sea level to over 2,000 metres. You will find a great diversity of plants and animals ‎ among which are cranes, black bears, leopards and Siberian tigers. ‎ S5: If you visit Changbaishan, you can study the unique plants and animals, walk in the mountains, see the spectacular waterfalls or to bathe in the hot water pools. ‎ S6: In my opinion, it’s a pity if you don’t visit Lake of Heaven — the most popular attraction in the reserve. ‎ T: I agree with you. How about Question 4?‎ S7: I think the name of Tianchi comes from some fairy stories. Maybe people believe the lake is a gift of the heaven. ‎ S8: Long long ago, there wasn’t a lake on the top of the mountain, but one day the volcano erupted, people were frightened and didn’t know what had happened. One day, they found a lake appeared on the top of the mountain. Where did the lake come from? People couldn’t explain it, so it was named Tianchi.‎ S9: I think the reason is that the lake is on the top of the mountain. It’s 2,194 metres above sea level. And the view is very beautiful, which makes you feel like in fairyland. So the lake is named Tianchi.‎ S9: As we all know, it’s very cold in Northeast China. Changbaishan must be covered with thick snow in winter and there are boiling rocks under the crater of a dead volcano. The snow melted and gradually a lake formed in the crater.‎ T: Excellent answers. You are really full of imagination. The last question. Any volunteer?‎ S10: It’s said that Tianchi is the birthplace of Manchu people. The father of the Manchu people, who had a great gift for language and persuasion, was the son of a girl from heaven. Three girls from heaven were bathing in Tianchi when a bird flew above them and dropped a small fruit. The youngest girl became pregnant after she ate the fruit and gave birth to a boy —the father of Manchu people.‎ T: All right! Read the passage again to see how the writer describes Lake‎ of ‎Heaven?‎ S11: After reading the passage we know the lake is well worth visiting. At the beginning of the passage the writer introduces Changbaishan in which Lake‎ of ‎Heaven lies. By describing the mountain, the writer tells readers that Lake of Heaven lies in a beautiful nature reserve, you can enjoy many beautiful places besides ‎ Lake‎ of ‎Heaven‎. Then the writer introduces Lake‎ of ‎Heaven. At last, to further arouse readers’interest, the writer tells a fairy story about Lake‎ of ‎Heaven, which makes the lake mysterious.‎ Step Ⅲ Writing After reading the text, the students will learn the way of describing a place of interest. Get the students to read the notes first, and then let them discuss in which aspects they will introduce hot springs. And then let them write a paragraph about hot springs.‎ T: The writer tells us we can bathe in hot water pools if we visit Changbaishan, but he didn’t introduce hot springs to us. Now turn to page 40, you will find some notes about hot springs. Let’s introduce hot springs to our readers by using these notes. The title should be — Hot Springs in Changbaishan. While writing, make use of the writing techniques of the text we read just now. Before writing, discuss with your partners in which aspects you will describe hot springs.‎ S1: I will write a paragraph in three parts. First, I will describe Changbaishan, and then tell readers why the water is hot. In the last part, I will describe the benefits of bathing in hot springs.‎ A sample version:‎ Hot Springs‎ in Changbaishan Changbaishan is a famous nature reserve, most of which is covered with thick forest. It’s home to a great diversity of plants and animals. Among the rare animals are cranes, black bears, leopards and Siberian tigers. The most popular attraction in the reserve is Tianchi where you can enjoy the sight of the crystal clear waters and the view of the other sixteen mountain peaks that surround Tianchi.‎ When you have finished your visit to Tianchi, don’t rush away. There are plenty of other things to see and do in Changbaishan. For example, you can relax in the nearby hot springs. There are many pools heated by hot water out of the ground. What’s more, you can find water is heated by boiling rocks in the ground. If you are hungry, put an egg into the water. After a few minutes, you can have a delicious egg. There are so many hot springs, 13 pools in 1,000 square metres area, that you can choose one you ‎ like best. Some pools are very hot (over ‎60℃‎), but others are very pleasant for bathing.‎ Staying in the pools can not only help you refresh yourself but also be good for health. It’s a great enjoyment to bathe in hot springs and admire the beautiful scenery. ‎ Step Ⅳ Homework T: Describe a typhoon, a snowstorm or a hailstorm. Collect some information about them if you didn’t experience any of them.‎ The Fifth Period Integrating Skills (1)‎ Teaching goals 教学目标 ‎1. Target language 目标语言 a. 重点词汇和短语 ‎ cyclone, fierce, damage, tear from, pull up, turn over b. 重点句式 P70‎ I’m looking forward to ...‎ I can’t wait ...‎ Everything will be all right.‎ Stay where you are.‎ ‎2. Ability goals 能力目标 ‎ Enable the students to plan a play and act it out, using expressions listed under each scene.‎ Enable the students to write a diary entry describing how they felt during and after the disaster.‎ ‎3. Learning ability goals 学能目标 Help the students learn how to plan a play, make up a dialogue and act it out.‎ Help the students learn how to write a diary entry describing how they felt during and after the disaster.‎ Teaching important points 教学重点 Get the students to learn to plan a play and act it out, using expressions listed under ‎ each scene.‎ Teaching difficult points 教学难点 Enable the students to write a diary entry describing how they felt during and after the disaster.‎ Teaching methods 教学方法 Listening, task-based learning, discussing and writing.‎ Teaching aids 教具准备 A tape recorder and some pictures.‎ Teaching procedures & ways 教学过程与方式 Step Ⅰ Talking (P69)‎ T: Look at the picture on page 69, Talking. What happened to the house? Can you guess?‎ S1: Maybe it was damaged in an earthquake.‎ S2: Maybe a fierce cyclone happened in the area.‎ T: You got it. The house was damaged by a cyclone. Have you experienced a cyclone before?‎ Ss: No.‎ T: How about typhoon, snowstorm or hailstorm? What are they like? You can choose one and describe it to your partners.‎ Sample descriptions:‎ Hurricane One Friday, a hurricane struck the southeast of England. Between the midnight and 6:00 am the hurricane crossed the southeast corner of England with winds of up to 160 kph. It had been raining heavily for two days and the ground was very wet. Besides, it was autumn and the trees still had their leaves on. So the strong winds pushed over the trees easily. Fifteen million trees had been blown down by the strong wind. Power lines were brought down by fallen trees or branches. Electric and telephone services in some areas were cut down.‎ Snowstorm One night there was a heavy snowstorm, and in the morning people find their gardens were covered with thick snow. It’s very difficult to walk in the street. Dustman had to clean the snow with forklift. Meanwhile, the early arrival of snow caused extensive damage to the trees. With the majority of trees yet to shed their leaves, the burden of the snow proved too heavy for many, and by Friday morning, the streets were littered with broken branches.‎ Hailstorm It was rare to see such a heavy hailstorm. A heavy downpour and table tennis-ball-sized hailstones attacked our town at 7:50 pm on Wednesday. On the street some big trees fell down in the hailstorm. Mr Wang stopped his car at the roadside to take shelter from the hailstorm, but the hailstorm almost broke the windows of his car. Farmers suffered a lot. Their corns and apple trees were destroyed completely. ‎ T: Excellent description. Look at the picture again. We know the house was destroyed by a fierce cyclone. It happened in Darwin, a city in the far north of Australia. Suppose we live in Darwin. What would you feel during the cyclone and after it was over? ‎ S3: I would be frightened by the strong wind and the huge noise it would make. I would stay in bed still and wait for the end of it. After it was over, I would be astonished by the big damages it had caused and feel helpless. How weak humans are before the natural forces!‎ Step Ⅱ Listening (P69)‎ In this part, the students will listen to Christine talking about a cyclone she experienced. First get the students to read the seven sentences quickly and write 1-7 beside the events to show the order in which they happened. Then listen to check their answers. Listen to the tape for a second time to finish Exercise 2 on page 70.‎ T: Now let’s listen to Christine’s description of a cyclone and see how she felt during and after the cyclone. The events have been listed but they are disordered. Read them quickly and write 1-7 beside the events to show the order in which they happene d according to your own experience. Then we will listen to the tape and check your answers. Understand?‎ Ss: Yes.‎ The students listen to check their answers. Then the teacher shows the correct answers.‎ T: Where were the family members during the storm? Look at the floor plan on page 70. Write the names of the family members in the correct place on the floor plan. You can use a letter to stand for a family member when listening. Then rewrite their names after listening. Let’s begin. Are you ready?‎ After listening, check their answers in class.‎ Step Ⅲ Writing (P74)‎ T: Turn to page 74. We are going to practice writing a diary entry. Choose one of the natural disasters on the list or any other disaster you know about. Then imagine you were caught in this terrible natural disaster but you are safe now. Write a diary entry to explain how you felt during and after the disaster. First, make a timeline to show the order in which the events happen. You can follow the example. Now please choose a disaster and make a timeline.‎ Ask the students to show their timelines before they write the dairy.‎ A sample timeline: A hurricane ‎4:00 pm Left home to go for a walk in the hills ‎5: 00 pm Started to go back home, found the bridge had been washed away by the floods, had to find another way back ‎5: 30 pm Started to wind ‎6:00 pm Completely lost, had a rest to see where we were ‎6:30 pm Winds started to get strong, rained heavily ‎7:00pm Found a cave, stayed in it till the rain stopped ‎8:00 pm Returned to normal ‎8:30 pm Went over the rocks and muddy road ‎9: 30 pm Went home safely T: OK! Now imagine you are safely back home after the disaster. Write a diary entry about your experience and how you felt during it according to your timeline.‎ A sample version:‎ A Hurricane I am still terrified and a little excited. This afternoon my brother and I went to the hills to have a walk. It’s too hot at home. We were walking and talking happily, when we feel cool wind blowing. “It’s going to rain. Let’s go home.” Jim said. “But we cannot get across the river.” I said, pointing to the river. The bridge had been washed away by the floods. So we had to find another way back. We walked along the river, trying to find another way home. At that time, it started to wind. “Where are we? We are lost.” I asked my brother anxiously. “Don’t worry. Be calm. Sit there to have a rest and I will climb up to the rock to see where we are.” Jim comforted me. Then he climbed up to the rock. “I see the way.” he shouted happily. Unluckily, it began to rain and wind heavily. “We have to take shelter from the rain now.” Jim said, “After the rain stop we can leave here. There is a cave over there. I remember I have been there.” We ran into the cave and collected some sticks to make a fire. It’s for about an hour that we stayed in the cave. Everything returned to normal. We began to make our way home. The path was muddy and rocks were slippery. It took us a long time to go over the rocks and go home. My parents were about to look for us when we arrived home. They were anxious about us and believed we were lost. What exciting and adventurous experience!‎ Step Ⅴ Homework T: Please turn to page 75. In next period, we will make a classroom display about natural disasters. Read the instructions and do some preparations after class. Collect pictures and diagrams and look for information about:‎ ‎● what causes this kind of disaster;‎ ‎● actual events that happened in the past in China or the rest of the world;‎ ‎● how people helped the victims;‎ ‎● what is being done to prevent the disaster happening again or to lessen the damage.‎ That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.‎ The Sixth Period Integrating Skills (2)‎ Teaching goals教学目标 ‎1. Target language 目标语言 a. 重点词汇和短语 surprise, overflow, dress, pick up, up to, attach to b. 重点句式 P72‎ Being on higher land, it would be safe from the floods.‎ It had been raining heavily for almost two weeks and the river near Sara and Tony’s house was rising higher and higher all the time. ‎ ‎2. Ability goals 能力目标 Enable the students to retell the story “Trapped by the Flood” and invent an ending to the story.‎ Enable the students to make a display about disasters using information collected.‎ ‎3. Learning ability goals 学能目标 Help the students learn how to make a display using information collected. ‎ Teaching important points 教学重点 Retell the story “Trapped by the Flood” and invent an ending to the story.‎ Teaching difficult points 教学难点 Make a display about disasters using information collected. ‎ Teaching methods 教学方法 Discussing, cooperative learning and reading. ‎ Teaching aids 教具准备 A projector, some slides and pictures.‎ Teaching procedures & ways教学过程与方式 Step Ⅰ Reading (P72)‎ The passage tells us a story about the experience of a woman who was trapped in the flood. After the students read the story, get them to retell the story and invent an ending to the story.‎ T: Look at the two pictures on page 73. What is happening? ‎ S1: A woman was trying to escape from a flood. She was climbing up to the roof with her baby on her back. She also took her cat and dog along. It’s still raining heavily. The water level had risen to the window. Sitting on the roof, she put on the raincoat and waited for rescue. ‎ T: Now let’s read the text and find what happened to the woman.‎ After reading.‎ T: Was Sara rescued? The story still needs an ending. Suppose you are Sara and imagine what happened at last. Then retell the story to your partners.‎ A sample version:‎ Trapped by the Flood You cannot imagine the terrible day. It had been raining for two weeks. The river near our house was rising higher and higher all the time. Tony, my husband, and others from the village had spent the last two days putting sandbags along the side of the river to stop it overflowing. Finally they feared that their hard work had been useless and soon the whole village would flood. He rang me immediately and asked me to go to my mother’s place, which was on higher place and would be safe from the flood. I was preparing for a nice dinner. The next day was my husband’s birthday. I wanted to cook him a nice meal and surprise him with the new mountain bike I’d bought for him. I was a little disappointed, but I followed his advice. I dressed baby James in warm clothes and collected the things I would need over the next few days. I put the lead on the dog, Rosie, went to search for the cat, Monty. It took me a long time to look for it.‎ ‎ At last, I found him under the covers on my bed. As I was reaching for the car keys, I heard a sound. I looked at the back door and saw the water flowing in underneath. Attaching baby to my back, I ran to the front of the house and out into the front garden with Rosie and Monty. It seemed that the water would soon be much deeper, I ran to the car, climbed first onto the front of the car and then onto the roof. Sitting on the roof, I found the water rushing past the car, was already half way up the doors and still rising. I put on the raincoat to protect my baby from the rain. Luckily, I found my mobile phone in my pocket. I dialed my mother, but I couldn’t get through. Telephone poles must have been brought down by fallen trees. “What should I do?” Waiting on the roof anxiously, I looked around, hoping to find a boat to save us. Suddenly, I heard someone calling me. “Where are you?” I shouted. “Here. In the tree.” I looked towards the trees. Mr White was in the tree. The water was rushing under him. “Catch the tree tightly.” I shouted. “Don’t worry! They will come to save us.” We encouraged each other. Half an hour past, the rain stopped. The baby cried hungrily. Rosie and Monty lay silently. “Why don’t they come to save us? What happened? They will find us soon.” I had to force myself not to panic. Just then I heard my husband calling me. “We are here, on the roof.” I waved happily. We were saved at last. I was relieved when we finally reached a safe place.‎ ‎ ‎ Step Ⅱ Listening (P73)‎ Get the students to listen to the material and make a timeline of Sara’s story.‎ T: We are going to listen to Sara telling her mother about her experience. Is the ending the same as the ending that you invented? Listen and make notes about the main events in the story. Then make a timeline according to your notes.‎ The students listen and make notes. After they complete their timeline, check their answers in class.‎ Step Ⅲ Project T: Share your information, pictures and diagrams with others and get into a group with those who are interested in the same kind of ‎ disaster. Then decide how to make your display and who is going to do what.‎ After the students finish, ask two groups to present their work in class.‎ A sample version:‎ Mud-rock Flow First, I will show what causes mud-rock flow. Take Yuyang, a county in Yunnan, for example.‎ The old Yuyang‎ ‎County is located in an ancient landslide ‎223.7 km from the dam site, which has been divided into eastern and western parts. The eastern town slide is less than l90 meters in height and the volume is 400×l04×3. The western town slide is less than 350 meters in height and has a volume of 2500×104×3. The slide mass consists of silty clay with calcareous nodules, silty clay intermingled with rock detritus and disintegrated rocks, with depth of ‎44m. The silty clay intermingled with rock detritus and the disintegrated rocks formed the sliding surface with a depth of 0.63‎-‎‎6.6m. The front of the slide is near the river.‎ Many deformations occurred in different places since 1982 and surface drainage and consolidation measures were applied by local government. On the morning of January ‎17 in 2001, the collapse and landslide occurred, with a total volume of over 5×104×3. Rock masses with soil sided along the slope, cumulating over the slope ‎500m high. A small quantity of large rock masses broke its way into the town and caused harm to the residential areas. A hazardous rock mass of 2-3 × l04×3 remained on the top of the slope. The collapse masses and hazardous rock mass are in an unstable state. On April 19, part of the collapse masses fell off. On July 12 and 18, triggered by the rainfall, the collapse masses slide twice and intruded the town area in the form of mud-rock flow, endangering the residents and the buildings. ‎ Sometimes, the mud-rock flow was caused by continuous, heavy rainfall from Typhoon. ‎ The following is an actual event that happened in China.‎ At least 11 people have been killed and 34 are missing in a rare mud-rock flow brought by floods in two counties of southwest China’s Yunnan‎ ‎Province. Six people were seriously injured and 360 more people were stranded in the flood and mud-rock ‎ flow, with 2,100 houses toppled and over 1,000 heads of cattle killed.‎ The government and people help them immediately.‎ The Yunnan Provincial Civil Affairs Department has quickly transported quilts and clothes to the two counties, and over 3,900 people have been removed from the disaster-hit areas. ‎ The Yueqing municipal government has allocated 30 million yuan (US$3.6 million) of relief fund and aroused more than 300 people to search for the missing villagers and restore infrastructure. ‎ Each victim’s family received an 20,000 yuan (US$2,400) allowance from the government, said Mayor Huang Zhengqiang. ‎ The government also allocated rice, pork, salt, vegetables and mineral water to the villagers, as the catastrophe cut off water and food supplies. ‎ The government has taken some measures to lessen the damage.‎ The municipal government plans to relocate several of the villages to safer locations before February 2005. Meanwhile, the government has solicited donations from local enterprises and asked the villagers to help themselves and resume production at an earlier date. ‎ Step Ⅳ Homework T: Do SUMMING UP and CHECKING YOURSELF to check how well you have mastered this unit. So much for this unit. See you next time.‎ 附 件 FLOODS AND DAMS Life Givers, Life Takers They bring both death and the promise of renewed life, often on the same rushing tide. ‎ Floods can cause untold misery. More than 3,000 people were killed and 14 million were homeless in China during the summer of 1998. The cause: the heaviest flooding ‎ of China’s Yangtze and other rivers since 1954. In 1931 almost four million died along China’s Huanghe, or Yellow River, when it surged over its banks. Heavy summer rains in the U.S. Midwest swelled the Mississippi, Missouri, and several other rivers in 1993, destroying entire towns and covering millions of acres of farmland. ‎ But when rivers overflow their banks due to melting snow or torrential rains, floods enrich surrounding land, leaving behind organic material and minerals in the sand, silt, and debris. Ancient Egyptians planned their planting and their lives around the summer flooding of the Nile, which leaves a thin, even coating of black mud along either side when it recedes, leaving the soil so enriched that fertilizer is unnecessary. ‎ Flash floods, which rise and fall rapidly with little or no warning, and tsunamis-seismic waves caused by undersea earthquakes and volcanoes — also drown people and livestock and destroy their habitations, as does flooding due to rains associated with hurricanes. ‎ EARTHQUAKES ‎ Sunday Surprise ‎ Many were caught inside churches that fair Sunday morning. What began as a gentle trembling of the ground quickly grew strong enough to shake buildings. One witness likened the sound coming from the Earth to the rumble of faraway thunder. ‎ It was just a foreshock. In the next moment the Reverend Charles Davy was “instantly stunned with a most horrid crash, as if every edifice in the city had tumbled down at once.” Davy said another survivor recalled seeing “the whole city waving backwards and forwards, like the sea when the wind first begins to rise.” In all there were three major earthquakes, several tsunamis, and a conflagration that consumed most of the Portuguese city of Lisbon on November 1, 1755-All Saints’Day. Some estimates put the death toll at over 60,000. ‎ Over the millennia earthquakes have killed countless people and tossed their structures about like toys. About 35 earthquakes are observed around the globe every day, and about 18 major ones per year. ‎ They can happen anywhere. A series of quakes near the town of New Madrid, Missouri, during the winter of 1811-1812 was felt as far north as Canada, as far south as the Gulf of Mexico, and rattled chinaware in Washington‎, ‎D.C.‎ Because the U.S. Midwest was so sparsely populated, the death toll was light. Today New Madrid lies within 150 miles (240 kilometers) of two major metropolises: St. Louis, Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee; and 325 miles (520 kilometers) from Kansas City‎, ‎Missouri. ‎ When a Midwest earthquake happens again, as experts say it surely will, the toll in human life and property destruction is expected to be ghastly.‎