Learn English from real news stories - The search for survivors continues after two strong earthquakes hit Venezuela.
Key Words and Phrases
| Word / Phrase | English Definition | Chinese Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| against the odds | highly unlikely to happen | 逆境中；极不可能却发生 | He was in a terrible car crash, but against the odds, he made a full recovery. |
| makeshift | made for a sudden need, usually bad quality and temporary | 临时搭建的 | People use sandbags as a makeshift barrier to keep flood water out. |
| negligence | not giving enough care or attention to someone or something, usually causing harm | 疏忽；失职 | The teacher was found guilty of negligence after some children went missing on a school trip. |
The Story
The search for survivors continues after two earthquakes shook the ground of Venezuela on June 24th. The first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.2 and the other 7.5. The earthquakes have caused devastation to the South American country.
More than 1,700 people have died and the number of dead is rising. The earthquakes have caused the collapse of 1,400 buildings.
Many Venezuelans have expressed anger over the state’s response to the natural disaster. Volunteers are racing to locate survivors who may still be trapped under the rubble of fallen buildings.
News Headlines
| Headline | Source |
|---|---|
| Venezuela rescuers finding quake survivors against the odds | DW News |
| ‘I recognized her ring’: identifying Venezuela’s dead in a makeshift morgue | France24 |
| Angry Venezuelans accuse government of negligence over earthquake response | BBC News |
Critical Thinking Questions
- Should disaster reporting emphasise dramatic rescue stories (“against the odds”), or focus more on systemic accountability (“negligence”)?
- What is the difference in tone between “negligence” and stronger words like “incompetence” or “corruption”?