Task 1. Read the text and mark the sentences True or False.
Haiti in Ruins After Huge Earthquake
Television pictures are slowly beginning to show how great the damage is in Haiti following
the huge earthquake on Tuesday. A magnitude 7.3 quake, just 16km from the capital, hit the
Caribbean nation as people were going home after work. Much of the country has been devastated.
Many major buildings in the capital Port-au-Prince have collapsed, including the Presidential Palace
and the UN headquarters. Haiti's President Rene Preval described the scene in the capital as
"unimaginable". The Red Cross says up to 3 million people have been affected. Mr. Preval fears
"well over 100,000 people" may have died.
Haiti's ambassador to the USA, Raymond Joseph, said there was "no way of estimating"
how many casualties there were. Countries around the world are acting quickly to send whatever
help they can to Haiti. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. More than half of its people
live below the poverty line on less than two dollars a day. It is one of the poorest-equipped
countries on Earth to deal with such a catastrophe. The nation was still trying to recover from being
hit by four deadly hurricanes in 30 days in 2008. Its economy is in ruins and it has a long history of
corruption and coups.
Example: The earthquake that hit Haiti was a magnitude 16 in strength. False
1. Most Haitians were having their breakfast when the earthquake hit. _______
2. The President’s palace was in ruins after the earthquake. _______
3. The article says Haiti’s president believes 3 million people are suffering. _______
4. Haiti’s ambassador to the US has a good idea of casualty figures. _______
5. Most Haitians are so poor they live on less than two dollars a day. _______
6. Haiti was hit by four different hurricanes in 2008. ______