Blog for Unit 3

 reported speech

5 example

original: "Are you coming to the party?"

Reported speech: She asked if I was coming to the party.

original: "Have you finished your homework?"

Reported speech: He asked if I had finished my homework.

 original: "Did he call you yesterday?"

Reported speech: She asked whether he had called me the day before.

original: "Will you help me with this?"

Reported speech: They asked if I would help them with that.

original: "Can I borrow your pen?"

Reported speech: I asked if I could borrow his pen.

Grammar: Indirect Speech - Imperatives:

1. Alex asked us to bring snacks to the party.

   - Alex told us, "Bring snacks to the party."

  

2. The coach told the team not to underestimate their opponents.

   - The coach told the team, "Don't underestimate your opponents."

3. Sarah asked her brother to water the plants while she was away.

   - Sarah told her brother, "Water the plants while I'm away."

4. The boss instructed the employees not to share confidential information.

   - The boss told the employees, "Don't share confidential information."

Grammar: Indirect Speech - Say and Tell:

1. Mark said, "I will finish the project by tomorrow."

   - Mark said that he would finish the project by the next day.

2. Lisa told her friend, "We should explore new places."

   - Lisa told her friend that they should explore new places.

3. The scientist said, "The experiment yielded unexpected results."

   - The scientist said that the experiment had yielded unexpected results.

4. Tom told Jenny, "I have booked tickets for our vacation."

   - Tom told Jenny that he had booked tickets for their vacation.

Reading: Article: Storm chasers 2

• Storm Chasers

There's a loud rumbling, and right in front of us we see two 

tornados

 filling the grey sky. A man's voice says, "Oh, my goodness! Oh, no! Twin tornados!" The tornados seem to join together into one giant funnel, and the man yells, "TURN THE CAR AROUND! It's too close!" For four breathless minutes, the video alternates between shots of branches and objects slamming into the windshield and shots of the panicked man inside the car yelling, telling the driver to go faster. This is not a Hollywood action movie—this is a storm chaser video posted online. And like other such videos, it has hundreds of thousands of views.

Who are these people, and why do they drive towards 

deadly

 storms, risking their lives, while the rest of us run away or hide? Some storm chasers—people who get as close to severe storms as possible—are scientists who want to learn more about storms and how they develop. They hope that their research will help us better predict when and where storms will occur. With more information, they may be able to help people avoid the catastrophic 

property damage

—destruction of homes, schools and other buildings—and even worse, the 

casualties

 that often go along with huge storms. Other storm chasers are professional photographers, filmmakers, or TV reporters. Some are just people who are fascinated by nature and chase storms as a hobby.

Professional storm chasers travel thousands of miles a week in vehicles loaded with video and photography equipment, first-aid kits, and non-perishable foods in case of an 

emergency

, and scientific tools used to measure and predict the weather. The most famous storms occur in the springtime in an area called Tornado Alley in the mid-western United States. But there are people chasing storms around the world—in Europe, Bangladesh, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina. They study weather data and look closely at the sky to guess the timing and location of storms as they form. They hope to be there when a tornado forms and to follow it as it touches ground. If they are lucky, they will catch a tornado at least once in every ten trips.

But storm chasing is a dangerous hobby. Some people have been struck by lightning or injured

 by objects flying in the wind. But the most dangerous thing about it is the driving. The roads are often wet, it's difficult to see through the rain and fog, and it's hard to control the car in severe wind. Sometimes storm chasers have to be rescued, which takes emergency help away from other people. Storm chasers love the excitement and the beauty of storms, and the rest of us like to watch their videos, but too many storm chasers can be a problem.

Talk about a natural disaster that is common in your country. Have you ever experienced it? If so, share your experience.

In my country, one of the most common natural disasters are earthquakes. Although one did not experience it personally, I remember the devastating earthquake that occurred in 2010. It was a magnitude 7.0 earthquake and its epicenter was located near the capital. There was a lot of structural damage and many people lost their homes. Fortunately, rescue and relief efforts were quick and effective in providing support to the affected communities. Since then, stronger construction and safety measures have been implemented to reduce the impact of future earthquakes.