Mining tragedy at marcinelle

In August 1956, after a fire in one of the pits, 265 people choked to death in a matter of minutes in the mine of Bois de Cazier at Marcinelle. More than half of the victims were immigrant workers. According to the official report, the accident had been caused by human error. The fire started at eight o'clock in the morning and tragedy was unavoidable because the great majority of miners were working without oxygen masks, meaning there was no escape from the thick smoke filling the mine. Consecutive shifts of rescue workers worked hard for fifteen days, but tragically only a small number of miners were rescued.

Every year the disaster is marked by a remembrance service at Marcinelle Cemetery in memory of the victims of the accident.

Safe from careless driving

The number of road deaths and serious injuries among car users has fallen by twenty-three per cent in recent years thanks to the increased use of seatbelts. At the same time, the number of slight injuries has risen by fifty per cent, which indicates that the number of road accidents in general is in fact going up. The main reason for the fall in road deaths in Britain is that more people are choosing to travel by car rather than risk cycling or walking along busy roads. Because people in cars are more protected from the force of any impact, they are less likely to be seriously injured than people on foot. It seems, then, that as long as drivers continue to be careless, self-protection is the key to surviving today's traffic.

9. Look at the words in bold in the extracts and try to explain them.

10. Choose the correct item.

1). The_______ statement reported the survival of fifty people.

A high B official C legal D top

2). His yacht and mansion have been ________at £6 million.

A valued B cost C prized D counted

3). She nearly _________ on her sandwich as she was eating very fast.

A suffocated B drowned C fainted D choked

4). The secretary corrected all the_________ in the computer printout.

A errors B drawbacks C gaps D prints

5). Fortunately, he suffered no________ in the accident.

A wounds B pains C injuries D damages

6). The use of unleaded petrol has _________ in recent years.

A grown up B enlarged C increased D extended

7). People who suffer from lung ___________ should not smoke.

A sickness B disease C illness D ill health

11. First, match the verbs in the list with the four types of disasters, then choose any five of them and make sentences as in the example.

fire, car accident, flood, earthquake

spread bump catch collide

strike crash into drawn accelerate

rock put out bum collapse

sweep away pour brake wash away

overflow ram sway shake

e.g. The fire spread quickly to the other floors.

12. Now, choose verbs from the list above to fill in the gaps in the following extracts from reports or witness statements. Guess what type of accident or disaster is being described in each.

A "Many people and animals are known to have d_________ as they were w________ a_______ down streets which turned into fast-flowing rivers."

B "The ground began to s_________ violently. The tops of buildings seemed to s_____________ and then they started to c__________ around us."

C "It s________. so quickly that within minutes the building had turned into an inferno. Several floors were completely b___________ out. Help soon arrived, though, and the blaze was p___________ o___________ after a few hours."

13. Fill in the gaps with the words below.

trauma, wound, injury, harm, damage, breakage

1. Motorcyclists without helmets run the risk of serious_________

2. The fire caused so much _________to the house that the owners had to have it rebuilt.

3. I think that it will be hard for Andy to recover from the _______of witnessing such a terrible accident at such a young age.

4. The soldier had a deep bullet_______ in his leg and was desperately calling out for help.

5. Miraculously, the collapsed roof did no serious ________ to the little girl who had been hiding under the bed.

6. These fragile items are insured against________

14. Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verbs in the list.

repair, cure, heal, treat

The cut on my knee ___________well, but I've got a scar now.

Grandma's remedy of hot tea and honey managed to ___________my sore throat.

The doctor ____________the patient for minor burns and bruises.

The cottage roof collapsed during the earthquake, so they had to _________it.