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FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Haiti Earthquake
(11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)

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100,000 feared dead in Haiti (14th January, 2010)

The huge earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday has caused terrible suffering and damage. It measured 7.3 on the Richter Scale and lasted for one minute. It was the worst earthquake in Haiti for 200 years. The centre of the quake was just 16km from Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince. Haiti's President Rene Preval described the scene in the capital as "unimaginable". He fears the quake killed over 100,000 people. He told reporters: "Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed.”

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Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. Around 80 per cent of its people live on less than two dollars a day. This is below the poverty line. It’s so sad that natural disasters always affect the world’s poorest. People in Haiti were still trying to recover from hurricane damage. Four deadly hurricanes in 30 days killed 800 people in 2008. Let’s hope the world’s rich nations help Haiti now. Many countries spend billions of dollars on wars that kill people. They now need to spend the same to help Haitians live.

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PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	The huge earthquake that	a.	and damage
2	caused terrible suffering	b.	over 100,000 people
3.	lasted for	c.	hit Haiti
4.	The centre of	d.	collapsed
5.	He fears the quake killed	e.	one minute
6.	Schools have	f.	the quake

Paragraph 2

1.	one of the poorest countries	a.	two dollars a day
2	live on less than	b.	in 30 days
3.	below the poverty	c.	from hurricane damage
4.	trying to recover	d.	line
5.	Four deadly hurricanes	e.	on wars
6.	spend billions of dollars	f.	in the world

LISTENING GAP FILL

The huge earthquake __________________ Tuesday has caused terrible suffering and damage. __________________ the Richter Scale and lasted for one minute. It was the worst earthquake in Haiti for 200 years. The centre of the quake __________________ Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince. Haiti's President Rene Preval described __________________ capital as "unimaginable". __________________ killed over 100,000 people. He told reporters: "Parliament has collapsed. __________________ collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed.”

Haiti is one __________________ countries in the world. Around 80 per cent of its people __________________ two dollars a day. This is below the poverty line. __________________ natural disasters always affect the world’s poorest. People in Haiti were still trying __________________ hurricane damage. Four deadly hurricanes in 30 days killed 800 people in 2008. Let’s hope the world’s rich nations help Haiti now. Many __________________ of dollars on wars that kill people. They now need to spend __________________ Haitians live.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

The huge earthquake that (1) ____ Haiti on Tuesday has caused terrible suffering and damage. It measured 7.3 on the Richter Scale and (2) ____ for one minute. It was the worst earthquake in Haiti for 200 years. The centre of the quake was just 16km (3) ____ Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince. Haiti's President Rene Preval described the scene in the capital (4) ____ "unimaginable". He (5) ____ the quake killed over 100,000 people. He told reporters: "Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed.”

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. Around 80 per cent of its people (6) ____ on less than two dollars a day. This is (7) ____ the poverty line. It’s so sad that natural disasters always (8) ____ the world’s poorest. People in Haiti were still trying to recover (9) ____ hurricane damage. Four deadly hurricanes in 30 days killed 800 people in 2008. Let’s hope the world’s rich nations help Haiti now. Many countries spend billions of dollars on wars that kill people. They now need to spend the (10) ____ to help Haitians live.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	hitting	(b)	hits	(c)	hit
2.	(a)	lasting	(b)	lasted	(c)	last
3.	(a)	by	(b)	from	(c)	to
4.	(a)	as	(b)	has	(c)	was
5.	(a)	fears	(b)	afraid	(c)	worry
6.	(a)	alive	(b)	live	(c)	living
7.	(a)	down	(b)	fall	(c)	below
8.	(a)	affect	(b)	effect	(c)	affects
9.	(a)	by	(b)	for	(c)	from
10.	(a)	some	(b)	same	(c)	shame

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	uffiensgr and damage
2.	seldta for one minute
3.	The rcteen of the quake
4.	taiplac city
5.	The tax icfefo
6.	Schools have epodlcals
Paragraph 2
7.	the tseporo countries
8.	lewob the poverty line
9.	nturlaa disasters
10.	eoecrrv from hurricane damage
11.	the world’s rich aosnitn
12.	endsp billions of dollars

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	described the scene in the capital as "unimaginable". He fears the quake killed over 100,000 people. He told
( )	reporters: "Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed.”
( )	7.3 on the Richter Scale and lasted for one minute. It was the worst earthquake in Haiti for 200
( )	killed 800 people in 2008. Let’s hope the world’s rich nations help Haiti now. Many countries spend billions of
( )	years. The centre of the quake was just 16km from Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince. Haiti's President Rene Preval
( )	dollars on wars that kill people. They now need to spend the same to help Haitians live.
( 1 )	The huge earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday has caused terrible suffering and damage. It measured
( )	Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. Around 80 per cent of its people live on less than
( )	poorest. People in Haiti were still trying to recover from hurricane damage. Four deadly hurricanes in 30 days
( )	two dollars a day. This is below the poverty line. It’s so sad that natural disasters always affect the world’s

THE READING / TAPESCRIPT

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	that Haiti The earthquake hit huge.
2.	It the 7.3 on Scale measured Richter.
3.	worst 200 earthquake years in Haiti The for.
4.	capital 16km Haiti’s city Just from.
5.	quake killed over 100,000 people He fears the.
6.	the world poorest countries One in of the.
7.	on two day live than a People less dollars.
8.	the line This below poverty is.
9.	hurricane from recover to trying Still damage.
10.	people billions on kill Spend dollars that of wars.

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about earthquakes for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

______________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about the Haiti earthquake. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about earthquakes. Include imaginary interviews with two people who survived a terrible quake – one is poor, the other is the leader of the country. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to your country’s leader. Ask him/her three questions about earthquakes. Give him/her three pieces on what he/she should do to help Haiti. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.

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News English Lessons FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Haiti Earthquake (11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)