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Answer the following grammar questions.

Answer the following questions.

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Mudslide

A hillside shifts sending mud, rocks and trees rumbling down its slope. Homes and property are buried or swept away. People are left homeless, injured or even killed.

Worldwide, thousands of people die every year from land and mudslides. In the United Sates alone, land and mudslides cause an estimated $1 billion in damage and kill 25 to 50 people every year. What Causes a Landslide?

First of all, a mudslide is one type of landslide. Steep hills and mountains are often the site of land and mudslides. Slopes on these hills and mountains become weakened by many things:

- erosion by rivers, glaciers or ocean waves

- fires leave slopes bare and vulnerable to rain

- heavy rain or snowmelt saturates the ground

- earthquakes weaken the structure of the slope - volcanic eruptions produce loose ashfall deposits and debris slopes

- traffic, blasting operations, machinery and even thunder can vibrate weak slopes

- the weight of snow, stockpiling of ore, waste piles, and even buildings can put stress on weak hillsides.

Once a slope is weakened, almost anything can set it off. Rain, earthquakes, and even blasting are common causes.

If the hillside is dry, dirt and rocks can tumble down the grade. If, however, the slope is saturated with water, a mudslide occurs. This more destructive flow can pick up rocks, trees, houses and cars. As the debris moves into river and stream beds, bridges can become blocked or even collapse, making a temporary dam that can flood neighbouring areas.

Землетрясение ослабляет структуру склона, что является причиной оползней, если склон насыщен водой, создавая временную плотину, люди остаются без крова, затоплять соседние области, залежи руды, грязевой оползень причиняет, здания могут оказывать давление на слабые склоны.

1. Why are landslides and mudslides dangerous?

2. What facts about the USA did you learn from the text?

3. Give a definition to the word “mudslide”.

4. Name the main reasons of this natural phenomenon.

5. What are the consequences of the landslide?

6. Can people do anything to prevent mudslides? Express your opinion.

a) Какое время чаще употребляется в тексте? Объясните, почему.

б) Найдите случаи употребления герундия.

в) Назовите модальные глаголы, употребленные в тексте.

61. Translate the words to text № 62.

62. Australia

(1) If you go to Australia it will seem to you rather an upside-down world. The seasons are the other way round. Summer is from December to February, autumn from March to May, winter from June to August, and spring from September to November. New Year is at midsummer, midwinter is in June. Hot winds blow from the north; cold winds blow from the south. The farther north you go, the hotter it gets.

(2) You will be dazzled with magnificent landscapes and unusual plants. It will seem strange to you that trees lose their bark, not their leaves and a lot of flowers have no smell. Even stranger than plants are the animals. Many of them are found nowhere else in the world. There live kangaroos, koalas, echidnas, platypi and a lot of rare birds.

(3) Australia is the world’s largest island and its smallest continent. People often call Australia the «land down-under» because it lies entirely south of the equator.

Australia is the oldest of all continents. Its mountains are the worn and ancient stumps that were once higher than the Himalayas; its desert sands rose from the waves of the sea millions of years ago and still fossils of the marine creatures that formerly swarm over them. Its animals are ancient and unique. Its wandering aboriginal tribes still live like the men of the Stone Age.

(4) Australia is the driest continent on earth. The four great deserts of central Australia cover 2,000,000 square kilometers. There are few rivers there. Australian lakes which look impressive on the map, are usually little more than clay and salt pans.

(5) Australia is the flattest of all continents. Unlike any other continent, it lacks mountains of truly alpine structure and elevation. Its most significant mountain chain is the Great Dividing Range running down most of east coast. Because of its overall flatness and regular coastline, Australia is often called a «sprawling pancake».

(6) An island continent, Australia was cut off from the rest of the world for millions of years. As a result, it was the last continent to be discovered and settled by Europeans.

Australia is the only continent that is also a country. As a country, it has the sixth largest area in the world after Russia, Canada, China, the United States and Brazil.

(7) Australia is the least populated of the continents. Only 0.3% of the world’s population live here. However, Australia is the most urbanized country in the world. Two out of three of its citizens live in eight largest cities. The capital of Australia is Canberra.