Reading comprehension exercises on the topic “Natural Disasters”

THE ERUPTION OF KRAKATAU

The eruption of the Krakatau (or Krakatoa) on a small

island located in the middle of the Sunda Strait in August 1883 was,
in many aspects, the first global catastrophe.

The news about the eruption, its following tsunami and the
more than 36,000 victims travelled fast thanks to the recently
installed worldwide telegraphic network.

The effects of the eruption were also noted all around the world.

The final explosion of

Krakatau produced the loudest
sound ever recorded in modern history, heard on over 10% of Earth's area. Reports of a distant
cannonade or what seemed to be gunfire were reported from Australia and the island of Mauritius,
more than 4,650 km distant from the erupting volcano. The pressure waves travelled within a few
hours several times around the globe. Instruments measured the sudden peaks in Britain as in
America.

Krakatau produced an eruption column

between 25 and 43 miles high, visible by all ships
passing the Sunda Strait. Within two weeks the ash,
gases and aerosols were blown by atmospheric winds
westwards along the equator. Months after the
eruption the volcanic cloud spread from the equatorial
to the mid-latitude zones. The fine grains, trapped in
the higher layers of earth's atmosphere, scattered the sunlight for many years to come,
causing strange optical phenomena, like blood-red skies.

Krakatau was the first scientifically well recorded and studied eruption of a volcano, from the very beginning to its
disastrous ending.

Unfortunately, nobody realized the real danger of Krakatau. As the island was uninhabitable it was believed that it would
pose no threat to human lives. Between August 26 and 27 a series of explosions almost totally destroyed the volcano, causing a
series of tsunami-waves that killed 36,000 people along the coasts of Java and Sumatra.

The story of Krakatau is still not over. In 1930, in the caldera formed by the explosion and
collapse of the old volcano a new one, Anak Krakatoa, the child of Krakatau, started to grow. The
child has grown fast, displaying a continuous activity since its first eruption it rises by 16 feet per
year and most probably will keep growing.

1. Find the words for the definitions in the text.

1. A sudden outbreak of a volcano - ________________.

2. Long and high sea waves chased by an earthquake or other disaster - _____________.

3. A line dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres - _______________.

4. A large volcanic crater - _________________.

2. Mark if the sentence is true or false. 4. Answer the questions.

1. Do you know any other
1. The eruption of Krakatau is thought to be the first global disaster. _________ global disasters?
2. The sound of Krakatau explosion was heard for thousands of kilometers. _______ 2. Are there any disasters
3. The aftereffects of Krakatau eruption were felt only in the Indian Ocean area. _____ people can predict?
4. The scientists had known how dangerous Krakatau volcano might be. _______ 3. Make your predictions:
5. The eruption of Krakatau killed people on the island where the volcano was. _____ A) Will people see the great
6. Now Krakatau is an extinct volcano. _____ eruption of Anak Krakatoa?
B) Will people be able to
3. Tick the aftereffects of the Krakatau eruption. predict and prevent all
disasters in future?
 1) tsunami ____ 4) a volcanic cloud _____
2) global warming _____ 5) blood-red skies ______
3) droughts ______ 6) an eruption column _____

Answers
1. 1) an eruption;
2) tsunami;
3) the equator;
4) a caldera.
2. 1. True. 4. False.
2. True. 5. False.
3. False. 6. False.
3. 1) tsunami V 4) a volcanic cloud V
2) global warming _____ 5) blood-red skies V
3) droughts ______ 6) an eruption column V