Gerry was feeling very sorry for himself. He had broken his leg, and he was in hospital. He had already been there for three weeks. Worst of all, it was his thirteenth birthday, and he didn’t want to be in hospital for that. He was stuck in bed, and it was boring, boring, boring.
His birthday had started in the same way as the previous days in hospital. At half past ten the doctor came to see him. “Happy birthday, Gerry,” she said. “Can I look at your cards?” Gerry had received cards from his family and a cute one from his neighbours, but not one from his friends. Even Frankie, his best friend, had forgotten him. He was feeling rather miserable. Maybe they didn’t care about him.
At lunch time his mother arrived. She had brought a dozen gifts for Gerry and soon his bed was covered in wrapping paper. His best present was a CD player. “Thanks, Mum,” he said. “That’s just what I need in here.” Things were looking up.
Suddenly there was a lot of noise from outside the door. Then the door flew open, and his whole class walked in. First, they sang “Happy Birthday to You” very loudly and gave him a huge card. Then they crowded round his bed and looked at all his gifts. Next, Frankie’s mother came in with a big birthday cake and paper plates. After that his classmates gave him three CDs of his favourite band. Finally, they sat around his bed and ate birthday cake.
Then Gerry’s doctor came in. “We need some peace and quiet in here,” she teased. “How would you like to go home tomorrow?”
“Wow,” said Gerry. “That’s a spectacular birthday present.”
Natural disasters such as flood, fire, tornado, earthquake, tsunamis are becoming more and more frequent on our planet. In short description a natural disaster is a result of a natural hazard, which has a negative effect on human beings. These geologic processes can lead to serious consequences such as loss of life, property damage, economic problems. Certain areas are more exposed to natural disasters. For example, most of New Zealand’s coastline is exposed to tsunami hazard, while the Far East region is exposed to floods. Being aware of possible dangers, people should be prepared to protect themselves, their families and communities. Two important preparation steps are the developing of emergency plan and assembling a supply kit. However, all the known disasters have unique nature and should be approached separately. Some of the common natural hazards are as follows: earthquake, flood, drought, heat wave, hurricane, volcanic eruption, hailstorm, tornado, tsunami, landslide, wildfire, blizzard. I’d like to tell you a bit more about floods, hurricane and earthquakes. A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land. In severe cases it can result in human and animal deaths. Very often the crops are destroyed, which brings famine. A hurricane is a severe tropical cyclone or storm that often occurs in certain parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This destructive hazard can lead to changes in weather and economy. It can also result in heavy rains, thunderstorm, flood or even tornado. An earthquake is the result of a sudden collision among the tectonic plates of the Earth. Such collision leads to massive and occasionally deathly vibrations. However, learning about these specific threats and the measures, which should be taken, can save many lives.
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