「自然災害」- Talking About Natural Disasters In English

今日のレッスンは「自然災害」についてです

Today’s lesson is about – Natural Disasters

Vocabulary – 語彙

Earthquake

Flood

Tsunami

Rain

Volcano

Mud slide

Drought

Wild fire

Storm/ Hurricane/ Typhoon

Blizzard

Avalanche

Pandemic

Nuclear disaster

Emergency warning systems

Evacuation

Emergency shelter

Video

Example Sentences -例文

Natural disasters are not nice, but they do happen, especially in Japan.

Earthquakes are the most common and this is when the ground shakes. I know this happen a lot, and hopefully there are no big ones any time soon!

A flood is when there is too much water. This can happen from too much rain, but it can also happen from a tsunami, which is when the sea comes inland. These are normally started by an earthquake that happens in the ocean.   

If there is a lot of rain in the mountains, it can cause the ground to become weak and it will fall, causing a mud slide. These can also be caused by earthquakes and they cause a lot of damage and block roads.

A lot of earthquakes are caused because Japan is sat on fault lines, which also means there are lot of volcanoes. Mount Fuji is a big mountain … but it is also a volcano and could explode at any time.

In the summer things may get very hot and if everything dries out and dies, this is a drought. Sometimes this can cause wild fires, which is when the dry forest goes on fire and this can cause a lot of damage. You see this happen a lot in parts of America and it seems very bad.

In the autumn the weather will cool, but there are likely to be more big storms, when they are very big and dangerous, we call them Hurricanes/ Typhoons and they can cause flooding and damage from the wind.

In the winter, a really strong snow storm is called a blizzard and these can block roads and cause people to be trapped in their home. They are scary as it can be very hard to see where you are going as the falling snow is so thick.

In the mountain areas, the snow on the ground my slide down the mountain and it is a bit like a mudslide. This is an avalanche and many skiers get trapped under the snow when these happen.  

Another type of disaster is …a pandemic. I am sure I do not need to remind you about how bad 2020 was! Hopefully we never see anything like that again.

A nuclear disaster is also something that can happen. Usually these are manmade, but I guess they can be affected by natural disasters, such as the incident in 2011 that happened in Fukushima.

Whenever there is a disaster, you will get notified. The TV, radio and your phone will all receive an emergency broadcast from the Emergency Warning System.

If the disaster is close by, you will need to quickly leave, which is called an evacuation. You should make sure you know where you need to go and how to get there. If your home is unsafe to return to, you will need to stay in an emergency shelter. These do not look fun, but it is necessary while the disaster is managed and things are made safe.

Questions -質問

1. What type disaster do you worry the most about?

2. Have you ever felt an earthquake?

3. Do you have an emergency plan and know where to evacuate to?

4. Do you think Mount Fuji will erupt?

5. Have you ever heard the emergency broadcast?

6. Do you know where the emergency shelter is?

7. Do you think there will be another pandemic?

8. Have you had a storm in your area before?

9. Do you think nuclear power plants are dangerous?

10. Do you ever go into the mountains when it snows?

Example Answers – 回答例

1. I fear them all. I think a tsunami seems like the most terrifying

2. I have never felt an earthquake. I think it must feel very strange.

3. No I don’t. I need to think about this, as it could save my life one day.

4. It has been said an eruption is overdue. I hope it does not happen.

5. Yes, I have heard it, because they tested the system here. My phone made a very loud noise.

6. I have no idea where the shelter is.

7. I really hope not, the 2020 was so very annoying and the restrictions made things difficult.

8. I have had many storms, some bad, but no real damage was caused.

9. Yes and no. They are normally fine and safe …but when things go wrong, it can get very bad, very quickly.

10. It does not really snow here, but I would be careful in the mountains if it snowed, in case there was an avalanche and I got trapped.

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