An earthquake is a shaking of the ground{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(cause) by the sudden breaking and shifting of large sections of Earth's rocky outer shell. Earthquakes are among the most{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(power) events on earth, and their results can be terrifying. Rock movements during an earthquake can make rivers{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(change) their course. Earthquakes can cause great damage and loss of{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(live). Large earthquakes beneath the ocean can create a series{#blank#}5{#/blank#}huge and destructive waves called tsunamis{#blank#}6{#/blank#}flood coasts for many miles. Earthquakes almost never kill people{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(direct). Instead, many deaths and injuries in earthquakes result from {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(fall) objects and the collapse（倒塌）of buildings, bridges, and other structures. Fire caused from broken gas or power lines is another major danger during{#blank#}9{#/blank#}quake. Spills（溢出）of {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(harm) chemicals are also a concern during an earthquake.

    “I saw rice plants as tall as sorghum, each ear of rice as big as an ear of com and each grain of rice as huge as a peanut. I could hide in {#blank#}1{#/blank#} shade of the rice crops with a friend.” That is the dream of the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (agriculture) scientist Yuan Longping.

    Yuan Longping, born {#blank#}3{#/blank#}September 7, 1930, is known for developing the first hybrid rice varieties in the 1970s. Since then, hybrid rice {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (grow) in over 20 countries,{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (attract) attention from the whole world, especially areas at risk of hunger.

    This year 88-year-old Yuan Longping has {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (successful) developed rice growing in saltwater and desert. Though his rice could reduce food shortage, the new strain has a long way to go {#blank#}7{#/blank#} it can be widely spread.

    Yuan Longping's achievement has brought him many awards and {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (honor) both at home and abroad. As Yuan Longping accepted his Lifetime Achievement Award, he said that {#blank#}9{#/blank#} lifetime achievement means is to achieve your dream with all your life.{#blank#}10{#/blank#}, fame and wealth mean much less to him than his research, and he says he will focus on developing better rice.

    A pale, yellow moon was rising as I was walking home from my friend's house. We had spent the evening taking care {#blank#}1{#/blank#} her younger sister and had watched two really frightening horror films on TV.

    Imagine my shock when, suddenly, from the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (distant) I heard a loud cry and saw a strange white form moving towards me at top speed through the air. I {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (open) my mouth but no sound came out. The terror I felt stopped me {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (scream) for help. I fell to the ground and kept my eyes tightly shut, in case I would end up staring into the eyes of a terrible beast.

    After a couple of {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (minute), when I realized that I hadn't been hurt, I {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (careful) opened my eyes and looked around. It was then {#blank#}7{#/blank#} I heard some sounds coming from a nearby tree. I looked up and saw a large, white owl sitting on a branch, watching me with what seemed to be a(n) {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (puzzle) expression on its face.

    I could have kicked {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(I) for being so stupid. It's strange how the mind can play tricks on you. I promised myself that that was {#blank#}10{#/blank#} last time I would go wandering around late at night after watching horror films!

    Looking out of the window of his Ford truck, Bob Fitzgerald sees large, undesirable plants growing in the fields.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (visitor) to his neighborhood in Princess Anne, Maryland {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(main) see dying forests and empty farmland.

    Fitzgerald says the land{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(be) in his family for over 3 centuries. "I'd say in the next 20 years. You're going to lose{#blank#}4{#/blank#}very high percentage of that land."

    The land around the Chesapeake Bay has been sinking for hundreds of years. But climate change is making things{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(bad). As sea level rises, salt water is entering rivers and other waterways. As a result, the ground is becoming too salty for crops{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(grow) on.

    Maryland's Eastern Shore is home to some of the oldest farms in North America.

    Fitzgerald says he has seen big changes during his life.

    "You just can't believe{#blank#}7{#/blank#}it's been taking things over in the last 15 or 20 years. I can show you land around here that people raised tomatoes on when I was a little boy. And now it's gone."

    Around the world, scientists warn that coastal farms are under{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(threaten) from rising seas and salt water. A World Bank report estimates rice production in coastal areas of Bangladesh may fall{#blank#}9{#/blank#}15 percent by the year 2050. Another study found hundreds of millions of people will{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(force) to move inland because of rising waters.