9
Can We Stop the Earthquakes?
Death always lurks around life. According to George Bernard Shaw, germs
of life are in a continuous struggle with the germs of death inside every living
body. Such another danger of death that threatens human life is the earthquake. Scientists have so far failed to control it. At the most, they claim to
have some success in predicting it.
There is an enemy beneath our feet - an enemy the more deadly for his complete impartiality1. He
recognizes no national boundaries, no political parties. Everyone in the world is threatened by him. The
enemy is the Earth itself. When an earthquake comes, the whole world trembles. The power of a
‘quak’2 is greater than anything man himself can produce. But today, scientists are directing more of
their efforts into finding some way of combating earthquakes, and it is possible that at some time in the
near future mankind will have discovered a means of protecting itself.
An earthquake strikes without warning. When it does, its power is immense. If it strikes a modem
city, the damage it causes is as great as if it has struck a primitive village. Gas mains3 burst, explosions
are caused and fIres are started. Underground railways are wrecked. Whole buildings collapse. Dams
burst. Bridges fall. Gaping4 crevices5 appear in busy streets. If a ‘quake’ strikes at sea, huge tidal
waves sweep inland. If it strikes in mountain regions, avalanches6 roar into the valleys. Consider the
Bhuj earthquake
1. neutrality 2. form for ‘earthquake’ 3. pipelines, through which gas fuel is supplied to houses. 4. huge , wide
open 5. cracks in the ground 6. landslides.
68
terrifying statistics from the past. In the year 1755 : Lisbon, capital of Portugal- the city destroyed
entirely and 450 killed. 1970: Peru - 50,000 killed. 1993: Latur - more than 7,600 people died, about
16,000 injured and more than 3 ,000 houses were -iVh’ (destroyed. 25 villages were completely
wiped out while 58 suffered severe damage. 2001: Bhuj - estimated casualties 20,000 to 1,00,000
while the official death toll was 20,000. In 2004 the biggest earthquake for 40 years occurred in the
Indian Ocean triggering a tsunami which carved a path of destruction across the 4,500 km wide Ocean
a period of seven hours, leaving 1,86,983 people dead and 42,883 missing.
Earlier, in 1968, an earthquake struck Alaska. As this is a relatively unpopulated part of the
world, only ([few people were killed. But it is likely that this was one of the most powerful ‘quake’ ever
to have hit the world. Geologists estimate that during the tremors, the whole of the state moved about
80 feet farther West, into the Pacific Ocean. Imagine the power of something that can move an entire
subcontinent! This is the problem that faces the scientists. They are dealing with forces so immensely
powerful that man cannot hope to resist them. All that can be done is to try to pinpoint just where the
earthquake will strike, and work form there.
But first - just what is an earthquake? And what causes it? In the early history of the Earth, when
it was cooling down, the rocks deep in the Earth’s crust created huge islands which floated on the
softer and hotter rocks below. .. rather like wood floats on water. Slowly, these islands drifted apart to
make the land-masses we know today as continents. But even now these ‘islands’ are not stable7,and
are still drifting very, very slowly. It is these imperceptible8 movements which create stress in the rock,
many miles below the surface. Ever so often, one of these stresses will break - and on the surface, the
deep underground movement is felt as an earthquake.
There are three large regions in the world where earthquaketare most likely to happen. Scientists
call them earthquakes zones. The First run along the East coast of the Asian continent, up through
Japan, across Alaska, then down the West coast of North America crossing Mexico and ending
somewhere in the Caribbean Sea. The second runs down the West coast of South America. The third
runs across the South of Europe and North Africa, through Greece and Turkey, and into the middle of
Asia. There are several other much smaller fault-lines, but these three are the main ones. If you take a
map of the world and mark on it the locations of all the major earthquakes in history, you will see that
they have occurred somewhere in these zones. So it is possible for , scientists to say where they think
earthquakes will strike, but they cannot say exactly when.
For instance it is known that at some time in the future there will be a major earthquake in
California, which is situated right above the best-known zone in the world, the San Andreas Fault, and
that when it comes, the damage and loss of life will constitute a major disaster. But because the earthquake
will come at any time between now and the next 8,000 years, it is not practicable9 to evacuate the cities.
The earthquake which struck Los Angeles in February 1971 was only a very small one compared with
what might happen, though it was undoubtedly caused by the Fault.
Californian scientists are doing their best to get early warning of any earthquake. On one part of
the fault they have two scientific stations four miles apart. The two buildings are finked by a laser-beam,
7. fixed; not likely to move 8. hardly noticeable 9. feasible, realistic
Can We Stop the Earthquakes?
69
and if there is even the slightest movement, the beaffi will be disturbed and a warning sounded.
But it is believed that there are other contributory1O causes to earthquakes. One could be the
position of the Sun and Moon in the sky. At certain times, the gravitational pull of these combine to
exert11 a stronger-than-normal influence on the Earth. At these times, it is possible that greater stress is
placed on the deep rocks and earthquakes become more likely.
Another factor may be what is known as ‘The Chandler Wobble’. This is the wobbling of the
Earth as it spins on its axis, and is caused by the change in position of the Earth in relation to the stars.
This too will undoubtedly set up stresses in the Earth’s crust.
But there is a third suspected cause, and one which gives scientists hope that one day there may
be some way of fighting earthquakes. During the 1960s a d am was built on Deccan Plateau in IndIa.
In 1967 there was an earthquake nearby–in a region where quakes had never been known before.
Major earthquakes followed the building of the Kariba Dam in Africa, another dam in the French Alps,
and filling of a huge artificial lake in Greece.
All these have one common factor - water. And is it a coincidence12 that the three major earthquake
zones are near large bodies of water, the Pacific Ocean d Mediterranean Sea? Scientists now believe
that it is possible that the water, under vast pressures, could be seeping into the deep-lying rock and
acting as a kind of lubrication. Where rocks press violently against one another, the presence of water
may quite well trigger off an earthquake. Some scientists are planning to select a part of the San
Andreas Fault hich is nowhere near human habitation, and inject water into it to see if they can start a
controlled earthquake. If they can, this may well lead to a process by of which the huge built-up
pressures undergroUnd can be artificially destroyed by a series of small controlled earthquakes. But
the scientists must be careful - it would be terrible if they were to trigger off something they could not
control later.
Meanwhile the main weapon of scientists against earthquakes is the science of seismology. This
is the careful and accurate monitoring of tremors in the earth. At various seismological stations all over
the world, each and every tremor is measured, pinpointed and recorded.
We can watch earthquakes as they happen and we can measure them. We can say where they
will occur ( within very broad margins) and we can put up strengthened buildings at those place where
ther are most likely to occur. And one day, perhaps soon, we may be able to forestall13 a major
disaster. But for the moment, the world must go on waiting.
Waiting for the greatest terror known to man - the growing rumble 14 of moving ground, the roar
of collapsing buildings and the cries of the trapped and the injured. And waiting, more hopefully than
ever before, for a weapon to fight this deadly enemy.
- Journal article
10. causative 11. apply 12. the fact of two happening at the same time by chance 13. prevent 14. to make long,
deep sounds.
70
Can We Stop the Earthquakes?
W ord Power
•
In the text the writer has used a word ‘Seisomology’ it means the study of earthquakes’. The
words given below denote different branches of study or science. Consult a dictionary and write
as given in the example.
For example : Biology : deals with the physical life of animals and plants
(i)
Geology
(ii) Astrology
(iii) Criminology.
(iv) Anthropology
(v) Sociology
(vi) Etymology
(vii) Psychology
(viii) Entomology
(ix) Philology
(x) Mythology
A.
g questions in one or two sentences each :
Answer the following
1.
What is the effect of an earthquake when it occurs under sea?
2.
How do earthquakes create destruction in mountain regions?
3.
What are the regions where earthquakes are most likely to happen called?
4.
How do the Californian Earthquake stations detect earthquakes?
5.
What is ‘The Chandler Wobble’?
6.
How does Seismology help scientists who work to counter earthquake situations?
B.
g questions in two to four sentences each :
Ansewer the following
1.
Why does the author call the Earth an enemy beneath our feet?
2.
What effect does an earthquake has when it strikes a modem city?
3.
Describe a few instances of the destruction caused by earthquakes.
4.
How does the continental drift theory explain earthquake?
5.
Give the locations of the three major earthquake zones.
6.
Describe how the gravitational theory explains earthquakes.
7.
What lead the scientists to believe that large water masses may be one of the major causes
of earthquakes?
C.
gg
Detail the causes of earthquake and sugg
ggest the steps you would like to undertake
when it occur or discuss ‘The enemy is the earth itself.’
Can We Stop the Earthquakes?
71
Voice
Look at the sentences from the text given below. Notice the functions of the underlined verb phrases:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Underground railways are wrecked.
30,000 houses were destroyed.
Only a few people were killed.
The two buildings are linked by a laser-beam.
The beam will be disturbed.
The nouns which occupy the position of subject in the sentences given above are not
the doers of the action but the receivers of the action.
Now look at same more sentences given below:
Ritu likes grammar
Mohit opened the door.
We will write many letters.
The subjects of the above sentences ( Ritu, Mohit, and we ) are the doers of the action. So the
sentences are said to be in the Active voice. The verb ( likes, opened, will write) are in the active voice.
The above sentences can be written like theseGrammar is liked by Ritu.
The door was opened by Mohit.
Many letters will be written by us.
Here, the subjects of the above sentences are not the does of the action. They receivers of the
action. So the sentences are said to be m the Passive Voice The verb ( is liked, was opened, will be
written) are in the Passive Voice. When the subject of the verb is the doer of the action, the verb is said
to be in the Active Voice.
When the subject of the verb is the receiver the action the verb is said to be in the Passive Voice.
gs :
Passive construction does two thing
A.
i. It brings the object/affected to the subject position ( and the
originaf”subject is optionally slotted into a by-phrase.)
ii. It introduces the verb be and the past participle form of the verb
(-ed/en.)
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Can We Stop the Earthquakes?
A truck
crushed
the car
(Sub)
(Verb)
(Obj.)
The car
was crushed
by a truck
(Sub)
be+v+ed
(by + Obj.)
With verbs that can have two objects, either object can be the subject of the Passive.
Ravi gave the book to Rupa. ( active)
e.g.
Rupa was given the book by Ravi. ( passive)
The book was given to Rupa by Ravi. ( passive)
gnificant chang
ge in the meaning
g of the sentence when we chang
ge
Note- There is no sig
it from active voice to passive voice.
In active voice the subject performs the action while in passive voice the subject of the verb is acted
upon.
•
Uses of passive construction
A passive construction is used in the following situations:
(i)
When the agent is unknown.
e.g. DDT was spread over the area.
(ii)
When the agent is too obvious.
e.g. English is taught at the InstItute of English. It cannot be written in active voice like this- (
English teachers teach English at the Institute of English.)
(iii)
When the process is more important than the agent, for instance, in scientific experiments,
recipes.
e.g. Water is added to sodium chloride. The mixture is boiled.
(iv)
When the agent does not want to reveal his identity.
e.g. An error was (Instead of: I made an error.)
(v)
When the speaker wants to hide the source of some confidential
information.
e.g. I was informed that the grammar lessons were boring.( instead of Megha informed me that
the grammar)
(vi)
To hide one’s ignorance or when your memory fails you, i,e. the agent is unknown to you.
e.g. This city was named Hyderabad in 1816. (instead of: Quli: Qutub Shah named the city
Hyderabad in 1816.)
Can We Stop the Earthquakes?
73
Let us see what are the changes we find while changing from Active Voice to Passive Voice
Active
He sings a song
Farmers grow rice
We help everybody
Passive
• Present Indefinite
A song is sung by him
Rice is grown by farmers.
Everybody is helped by us.
He wrote many letters
You stole a pen?
They gave no books
• Past Indefinite Many letters were written by him
A pen was stolen by you.
No books were given by them.
• Future IndefiniteShe will tell a story.
A story will be told by him.
He will write a Poem.
A poem’will be written by him
They will make kites.
Kites will be made by them
Note : Make a list of the changes which you have found in the above sentences.
g verbs.
Find out the past participle form of the following
see
slim
hear
run
say
walk
tell
give
Exercise
g sentences into Passive Voice :
Chang
g e the following
He makes tea.
•
She hid the key.
They wrote an application.
Children love animals.
They paid him his salary
They promised Meenaa new doll for her birthday.
I will answer all the questions.
The Doctor will prescribe me new medicine.
A friend told me the latest news.
Someone will give you new instructions before you leave.
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Can We Stop the Earthquakes?
eat
read
drink
lead
What do you worry about
The teacher will distribute the chart given at the end and then say :
I asked fifteen pupils what kind of things they worried about.
This is what they said.
Classify the answers. What type of problem is it? Put a tick ( ) in the coloumn.
(a)
I always worry about tests. I hate them.
(b)
Don’t have an friends. I worry about that.
(c)
I worry about war, and atom bombs.
(d)
I worry about my pet dog.
(e)
I never worry. I’m always happy.
(f)
I worry about hospitals and dentist.
(g)
I worry about everything. I’m nervous person.
(h)
I worry about getting into fights. I’m a coward.
(i)
I know it’s daft but I’m scared of the dark.
(j)
I can’t swim. I worry about drowning.
(k)
I worry about school work. I’m no good in maths.
(l)
I worry when I go in a lift. I hate being shut in.
(m)
My dad lost his job in June. I worry about money.
(n)
I worry about all the people starving in the world.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
Personal
problems
Family
problems
Schools
problems
9
World
problems
Can We Stop the Earthquakes?
75
Trapped in the old house
Harimohan was the fattest kid in the school. He didn’t have any mates. He played by
himself most times. He lived in the middle of town in a tall block of flats. About a mile from Hari
flat were hundreds of old houses. They were all empty. They were goingto be pulled down so
that new house could be built. Hari liked playing about in the old houses. His dad told him to
keep away from them. He said they were dangerous.
One Friday, on his way home from school, Hari went into one of the old, empty houses.
He saw a door leading down into a small dark cellar. Hari went into the cellar......to see what he
could find. Just then he heard a terrific crash. The roof of the old house had fallen in.Hari tried to
open the cellar door. It was stuck. Hari was trapped in the cellar.
The teacher will read the story given above and then say :
“Here are the five endings for this story. Only one fits the story.
Find the right ending.
Say why the other four do not fit.”
Ending A
Hari looked around the cellar. He saw a small gap in the wall. He crawled out and ran home. He
did not tell anyone about his lucky escape.
Ending B
There were lots of old newspapers in the cellar. Hari set the papers on fire. An hour later he was
rescued by a policeman who saw the smoke.
Ending C
Lalit, Harry’s best mate, came looking for Hari heard Hari’s shouts for he help and pulled him
out.
Ending D
Hari was rescued three days later by some policeman who used dogs to find him.
Ending E
Hari shouted very loud. “Help! Help! Luckily Hari’s was in their back yard hanging out the
washing. He heard Hari’s cry for help and rescued him from the old
Speaking Time
Talking to a doctor : Role Play
Amit
: Good morning, doctor.
Doctor
: Good Morning, Please sit down. Yes, what’s the problem?
Amit
: I have fever and sore throat.
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Can We Stop the Earthquakes?
Doctor
: Let me see. Open your month, please. Yes, there is an infection. How high was the fever?
Amit
: It was 101 degree when I started from home.
Doctor
: Are you feeling cold?
Amit
: Not much
Doctor
: Do you have cough?
Amit
: Yes, specially at night. I can’t sleep because of it.
Doctor
: Any other problem?
Amit
: I have a headache also.
Dictor
: That’s because of fever OK Take these tablets and syrup three times daily for three days.
Amit
: Any restrictions about food?
Doctor
: Don’t eat oily or spicy food. Avoid cold water and cold drinks and take proper rest OK?
Amit
: O.K. Doctor, Thank you very much.
Pair work : Practise the above dialogues with your partner and try to use them while visiting your
doctor.
W riting Time
Expand the following passage in your own words.
“An earthquake strikes without warning. When it does, its power is immense strikes a modem
city, the damage it causes is as great as if it has struck a primitive village gas main - burst , and
explosions are wrecked. Whole buildings collapse, dams burst, bridges fall. Gapping crevice
appear in busy streets. If the ‘quake’ strikes at sea, huge tidal waves sweep inland. If it strikes in
mountain regions, avalanches roar down into the valleys.
Things to D o
•
Join a emergency service course (NSS, NCC, Scout, Red Cross etc.) Learn
about the equipments and their uses in first aid.
Can We Stop the Earthquakes?
77