The terrifying flooding of Venice could and should have been avoided. It hasn’t been this bad since 1966, when the water reached 6 feet, 4 inches. Back then, 【小题1】 (frighten) Italians called for immediate action. 【小题2】, once the water moved away, they didn’t take it as seriously as before and thought over the issue for almost 40 years. The massive MOSE flood 【小题3】 (protect) system that was finally approved in 2003 still hasn’t been completed.

“Meanwhile, Venice is disappearing beneath the water,” said Jacopo Giliberto. “Climate change and rising sea levels are 【小题4】 (blame). But so is the fact that we pumped water from an underground aquifer (蓄水层) 【小题5】 the 1930s to the 1980s, 【小题6】 (cause) the ground beneath us to fall with impressive speed. Proud Venice is 【小题7】 world treasure, an open-air art museum, so officials instead chose more expensive invisible dams that won’t disturb the view. So far, we 【小题8】 (spend) more than $ 6 billion on MOSE, which won’t be put into use until next year at the earliest.”

“The project is a disaster, and Italians just aren’t good at long-term planning,” said Maurizio Ferrera. “Look at our booming national debt, 【小题9】 now sits at $2.7 trillion, 138 percent of our GDP. If we are to save Venice, we’ll have to change our political culture. 【小题10】 is unclear whether we have the will.”

Earthquakes 【小题1】 (be) quite common. In fact, thousands of earthquakes are happening almost at every moment. However most of them are too weak 【小题2】 (feel). During a big earthquake, there is often a big noise first. Then the earth shakes 【小题3】 (terrible) and many houses fall down.

【小题4】 one of the most deadly natural disasters in the world, the earthquake often results in many people being injured or killed. In 2008, 【小题5】 severe(严重的) earthquake hit China’s Sichuan Province, 【小题6】 (kill) more than 80,000 people there.

Besides the great damage and death 【小题7】 (cause) by the earthquake, other accidents such as fires often follow. More buildings may 【小题8】 (damage) and more injuries may be caused. For 【小题9】 (century), people have been making studies of earthquakes. About 2,000 years ago, for example, a Chinese scientist named Zhang Heng invented a machine 【小题10】 could find out the direction where the earthquake waves came.

Strange things happened in the city of Tangshan. The well walls had deep cracks. A 【小题1】 (smell) gas came out of them. At 3:42 【小题2】 the morning of July 28, 1976, everything began to shake. It seemed as if the world were coming to an end. One of the most deadly earthquakes of the 20th century had begun. Soon the whole city lay in ruins. Two thirds of the people 【小题3】 lived there were dead or injured. The number of people 【小题4】 (kill) in the quake was more than 240,000. Everything in the city 【小题5】 (destroy). People were shocked at this and wondered how long the disaster would last. The army 【小题6】 (organize) teams to dig out those who were trapped and to bury the dead. Workers built shelters for 【小题7】 (survive). Food and water were taken to the city. 【小题8】 (slow) the city began to breathe again. Tangshan began to revive 【小题9】 (it) and get up on its feet again. With strong support from the government and the tireless efforts of the city's people, a new Tangshan was built. Tangshan city has proved that in times of disaster, people must unify and show the wisdom to stay positive and rebuild for 【小题10】 brighter future.