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A NIGHT THE EARTH DIDNT SLEEP Strange things were happening in the countryside of northeast Hebei.For three days the water in the village wells rose and fell，rose and fell.Farmers noticed that the well walls had deep cracks in them.,A smelly gas came out of the cracks.In the farmyards，the chickens and even the pigs were too nervous to eat.Mice ran out of the fields looking for places to hide.Fish jumped out of their bowls and ponds.At about 300 am on July 28,1976，some people saw bright lights in the sky.,The sound of planes could be heard outside the city of Tangshan even when no planes were in the sky.In the city，the water pipes in some buildings cracked and burst.But the one million people of the city，who thought little of these events，were asleep as usual that night.,At 342 am everything began to shake.It seemed as if the world was at an end！Eleven kilometres directly below the city one of the greatest earthquakes of the 20th century had begun.It was felt in Beijing，which is more than two hundred kilometres away.,Onethird of the nation felt it.A huge crack that was eight kilometres long and thirty metres wide cut across houses，roads and canals.Steam burst from holes in the ground.Hard hills of rock became rivers of dirt.In fifteen terrible seconds a large city lay in ruins.The suffering of the people was extreme.Twothirds of them died or were injured during the earthquake.,Thousands of families were killed and many children were left without parents.The number of people who were killed or injured reached more than 400,000. But how could the survivors believe it was natural？Everywhere they looked nearly everything was destroyed.,All of the citys hospitals,75% of its factories and buildings and 90% of its homes were gone.Bricks covered the ground like red autumn leaves.No wind，however，could blow them away.Two dams fell and most of the bridges also fell or were not safe for travelling.The railway tracks were now useless pieces of steel.,Tens of thousands of cows would never give milk again.Half a million pigs and millions of chickens were dead.Sand now filled the wells instead of water.People were shocked.Then，later that afternoon，another big quake which was almost as strong as the first one shook Tangshan.Some of the rescue workers and doctors were trapped under the ruins.More buildings fell down.Water，food，and electricity were hard to get.People began to wonder how long the disaster would last.,All hope was not lost.Soon after the quakes，the army sent 150,000 soldiers to Tangshan to help the rescue workers.Hundreds of thousands of people were helped.The army organized teams to dig out those who were trapped and to bury the dead.To the north of the city，most of the 10,000 miners were rescued from the coal mines there.Workers built shelters for survivors whose homes had been destroyed.Fresh water was taken to the city by train，truck and plane.Slowly，the city began to breathe again.,地球的一个不眠之夜 河北省东北部的农村不断有怪事发生。三天来，村子里的井(well)水升升降降，起起伏伏。村民们注意到，水井的井壁上有深深的裂缝(crack)。裂缝里冒出臭(smelly)气。农家大院(farmyard)里的鸡，甚至猪都紧张得不吃食。老鼠跑出田地找地方躲藏。鱼缸和池塘里的鱼往外跳。,1976年7月28日凌晨3点左右，一些人看到天上有明亮的光。即使天上没有飞机，在唐山城外也能听到飞机声。在市内，有些建筑物的水管(pipe)爆裂(burst)开来。但唐山市的一百万(million)居民几乎都没把这些情况当回事儿(event大事)，当天晚上照常上床睡觉了。,凌晨3点42分，一切开始摇晃起来。世界似乎(as if)到了末日(at an end结束)！二十世纪最大的地震之一就在唐山市正下方11公里处发生了。200多公里以外的北京都感到了地震。全国(nation) 1/3的地方都有震感。一条8公里长30米宽的巨大裂缝横穿房舍、马路和渠道(canal运河)。,地上一些洞穴冒出了蒸汽(steam)。石头山变成了泥沙(dirt污垢；泥土)河。在可怕的15秒内，一座大城市就沦陷在一片废墟(in ruins)中。人们遭受了极大的(extreme)痛苦(suffering)。2/3的人在地震中死去或受伤(injure)。成千上万的家庭被毁灭，许许多多的孩子变成了孤儿。死伤的人数达到了40多万。,可幸存的人们(survivor)又怎么能相信这是自然现象呢？他们看到的一切几乎都被毁(destroy)了。 市内所有的医院、75%的工厂和建筑物、90%的家园都消失了。残砖(brick)就像秋天的红叶覆盖着大地。不过，风是刮不动它们的。两座大坝(dam)垮了，多数桥梁不是塌了，就是无法安全通行了。铁轨(track)如今成了一条条废(useless无用的)钢。好几万头牛再也挤不出奶来。,五十万头猪和几百万只鸡全都死了。井里满是沙子，而不是水。人们惊呆(shock震惊)了。接着，当天下午晚些时候，同第一次一样强烈的强震(quake)震撼着唐山。一些救援(rescue)人员和医生被困(trap)在了废墟下。更多的房屋倒塌了。水、食物和电(electricity)都很难弄到。人们开始纳闷，这场灾难(disaster)还会持续多久。,并不是所有的希望都破灭了。地震后不久，部队派遣了15万名战士到唐山来协助救援人员。数十万的人得到了援助。救援部队组成了小分队，将受困的人们挖(dig out)出来，将死者掩埋(bury)。在唐山市的北边，一个有万名矿工(miner)的煤矿(mine)中多数人都得救了。救援人员为那些家园被毁的幸存者盖起了避难所(shelter)。火车、卡车和飞机都向市内运来了水。慢慢地，这座城市又开始出现了生机。,Office of the City Government Tangshan，Hebei China July 5,200_ Dear_， Congratulations! We are pleased to tell you that you have won the high school speaking competition about new Tangshan.Your speech was heard by a group of five judges，all of whom agreed that it was the best one this year.Your parents and your school should be very proud of you!,Next month the city will open a new park to honour those who died in the terrible disaster.The park will also honour those who helped the survivors.Our office would like to have you speak to the park visitors on July 28 at 1100 am.As you know，,this is the day the quake happened thirty_years ago. We invite you to bring your family and friends on that special day. Sincerely， Zhang Sha,市政府办公室 河北，唐山 中国 200_年7月5日 亲爱的_， 祝贺你(congratulations)！我们很高兴地告诉你，你在以新唐山为主题的中学演讲比赛中获得了第一名。评委会的五位评委(judge) 听了你的演讲，他们都一致认为你的演讲是今年最好的。你的父母和你的学校应该为你而感到骄傲！,下个月我们市将开放个新公园，以纪念在那次可怕的灾难中死去的人们。这个公园同样要向那些为幸存者提供过帮助的人表示敬意。我们办公室想请你在7月28日上午11点为来公园的参观者作演讲。你知道，三十年前的这一天正是唐山发生地震的日子。 我们邀请你的家人和朋友在这个特殊的日子里一起前来。 真诚的(sincerely)， 张沙,同学们,来学校和回家的路上要注意安全,同学们,来学校和回家的路上要注意安全,
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