Unit 4,Text A：Girl，10，Used Geographical Knowledge to Save Lives,Text B： The December 26, 2004Tsunami,Text A: Girl，10，Used Geographical Knowledge to Save Lives,How important is geography? If you asked any of the 100 tourists saved by the ten-year-old Tilly Smith, they would not hesitate a moment to say “Definitely, very important.” Tilly Smith, a British girl, was holidaying at the beach in Phuket, Thailand, with her parents and her seven-year-old sister. All the tourists watched in amazement as the tide rushed out, signifying that a major sea disturbance was approaching the coast. The sea began to bubble, and the water suddenly retreated while the boats on the horizon started to bob up and down violently. Two weeks earlier, Tilly had learnt about tsunamis in a geography class, and she quickly realized it was the early warning sign of a tsunami. As she saw the tide rush out, she knew it indicated an earthquake-driven tidal wave was only minutes away and everyone was in great danger.,课文,She told her mother that it could be a tsunami and they had to get off the beach immediately and warn the other travelers. She explained she had just completed a school project on the huge waves caused by earthquakes and said what they were seeing was a sign of a tsunami. Her parents alerted the other holidaymakers as well as the staff at their hotel. Fortunately, people were swiftly cleared from the area as the huge waves crashed onto the beach a few minutes later. The beach resort, where Tilly and her family were staying, was one of the few on Phuket where no one was killed or seriously injured. Thanks to Tallys smart and brave act and her geography teachers practical lesson, people were forewarned of the disastrous tsunami and more than 100 lives were saved. Compared to the severe destruction and loss of life caused by tsunami in other nearby coastal areas, this was really lucky. The damage caused by the tsunami that demolished Indonesias coastal environment was later assessed by the government of Indonesia and the international donor community. The estimated economic cost to the region reached to at least US675 million. Over 114,000 people lost their lives in Indonesia alone and estimated 555,000 people were displaced, with many children orphaned. There are 12,070 people still missing in Indonesia, while in the 11 countries affected by the tsunami more than 165,000 people died.,According to scientists, people around the world are affected by natural hazards at regular, but unpredictable intervals. Scientists study these geological hazards, which include all geological processes that pose a threat to people and their property. These hazards may be caused by the climate (drought, flood, cyclone), geological disturbances (earthquake, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, landslide), the environment (pollution, deforestation, desertification, pest infestation) or combinations of these. These hazards become disasters when peoples homes and livelihoods are destroyed. With the increasingly serious situation of poverty, population explosion and environmental degradation, people are becoming more and more vulnerable to natural hazards. How to prepare for the disasters becomes an urgent issue for people around the world. Maybe education is the answer; the more people learn and understand about these events, the better their chances of surviving such disasters. Just as the former US president Bill Clinton, now the U.N. Special Envoy for the Tsunami Recovery put it, “Tillys story is a simple reminder that education can make a difference between life and death.” (551 words),New Words hesitate vi. 犹豫, 踌躇, 不愿 definitely ad. 明确地, 干脆地 signify vt. 表示, 意味 disturbance n. 搅动, 动乱；打扰, 干扰 bubble vi. 起泡；潺潺地流 n. 泡沫；幻想的计划 retreat vi./ n. 撤退, 退却 horizon n. 地平线；视野, 眼界 *bob v.上下或来回地动 violently ad. 猛烈地, 激烈地 *tsunami n. 海啸 tide n. 潮, 潮汐；潮流, 趋势 indicate vt. 指出, 显示；预示 project n. 计划, 方案；事业；工程 alert vt. 警告，使处于戒备 staff n. 全体职员 swiftly ad. 很快地, 即刻,生词,crash v./ n. 碰撞, 坠落, 坠毁 resort n. 常去之地, 胜地 disastrous a. 灾难性的，不幸的；损失惨重的 *demolish vt. 毁坏, 破坏, 推翻 assess vt.估定, 评定 *donor n. 捐赠人 estimate v./ n. 估计, 估价, 评估 hazard n. 意外，危险 pose v. 引起, 造成 n. 姿势, 姿态 property n. 财产, 所有物 population n.人口 *vulnerable a. 易受攻击的, 易受的攻击,Phrases and Expressions in amazement 惊异 up and down 上下地, 到处 in danger 在危险中, 垂危 compare.to. 比拟， 比作 natural hazards 自然灾害 at intervals 不时, 时时; 每隔一段时间或距离 pose a threat to 对进行或构成威胁 population explosion 人口爆炸 Names Tilly