HSK 5 · Article · 338 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-to-do-in-an-earthquake-in-china

五月十二日的演练

What to do in an earthquake in China

Name: ________________ Date: ________

五月wǔyuè十二shí’èr日rì上午shàngwǔ，很hěn多duō中国zhōngguó学校xuéxiào的de铃声língshēng会huì突然tūrán响起xiángqǐ来lái。老师lǎoshī大声dàshēng说shuō：“地震dìzhèn了le！”学生xuéshēng们men马上mǎshàng躲duǒ到dào桌子zhuōzi下面xiàmiàn，一yì只zhī手shǒu抓住zhuāzhù桌子zhuōzi腿tuǐ，另lìng一yì只zhī手shǒu保护bǎohù头tóu。这zhè不是búshì真的zhēnde地震dìzhèn，是shì演练yǎnliàn。

为什么wèishénme是shì这zhè一yì天tiān？二零零八年èrlínglíngbānián五月wǔyuè十二shí’èr日rì，四川sìchuān汶川wènchuān发生fāshēng了le八bā级jí大dà地震dìzhèn。差不多chàbuduō七万qīwàn人rén在zài地震dìzhèn中zhōng失去shīqù了le生命shēngmìng，还有háiyǒu近jìn两万liǎngwàn人rén失踪shīzōng。第二年dì’èrnián开始kāishǐ，五月wǔyuè十二shí’èr日rì成chéng了le中国zhōngguó的de“防灾减灾fángzāi-jiǎnzāi日rì”。每年měinián这zhè一天yìtiān，学校xuéxiào、公司gōngsī和hé小区xiǎoqū都dōu会huì练习liànxí，遇到yùdào地震dìzhèn应该yīnggāi怎么zěnme做zuò。

练习liànxí的de第一dìyī件jiàn事shì，是shì记住jìzhu三sān个gè动作dòngzuò：伏地fúdì、遮挡zhēdǎng、抓住zhuāzhù。意思yìsi是shì：马上mǎshàng蹲下dūnxià，不要búyào站zhàn着zhe，也yě不要búyào乱跑luànpǎo；躲duǒ到dào结实jiēshi的de桌子zhuōzi下面xiàmiàn，保护bǎohù好hǎo头tóu和hé脖子bózi；抓住zhuāzhù桌子zhuōzi，跟着gēnzhe它tā一起yìqǐ动dòng，直到zhídào地de不bú动dòng了le。

地de不bú动dòng了le以后yǐhòu呢ne？这时候zhèshíhou才cái可以kéyǐ离开líkāi。走zǒu楼梯lóutī，不bú坐zuò电梯diàntī，不要búyào推tuī，也yě不要búyào挤jǐ，一直yìzhí走zǒu到dào人rén少shǎo、四周sìzhōu没有méiyǒu楼lóu的de地方dìfang，比如bǐrú操场cāochǎng。

很hěn多duō人rén觉得juéde，演练yǎnliàn只是zhǐshì做做zuòzuo样子yàngzi。可是kěshì真的zhēnde地震dìzhèn来lái的de时候shíhou，人rén往往wángwǎng只有zhíyǒu几jǐ秒miǎo可以kéyǐ反应fǎnyìng，练liàn过guò和hé没méi练liàn过guò，差别chābié很hěn大dà。

如果rúguǒ现在xiànzài发生fāshēng地震dìzhèn，你nǐ身边shēnbiān哪里nálǐ最zuì安全ānquán？

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
另	lìng	other; another
保护	bǎohù	to protect; to safeguard; protection
失去	shīqù	to lose
生命	shēngmìng	life
动作	dòngzuò	movement; action; move; motion
推	tuī	to recommend (as in 推荐)
操场	cāochǎng	playground; sports field
样子	yàngzi	appearance; look
往往	wángwǎng	often; frequently; usually
秒	miǎo	second (unit of time or angle)
地震	dìzhèn	earthquake
躲	duǒ	to hide

English (for the teacher)

On the morning of May 12, the bell suddenly rings at many Chinese schools. A teacher shouts, “Earthquake!” The students immediately dive under their desks, one hand gripping a desk leg and the other protecting their head. It isn’t a real earthquake; it’s a drill.

Why this day? On 12 May 2008, a magnitude 8 earthquake struck Wenchuan in Sichuan. Nearly seventy thousand people lost their lives, and nearly twenty thousand went missing. From the next year, May 12 became China’s “Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day”. Every year on this day, schools, companies and residential compounds practise what to do in an earthquake.

The first thing they practise is remembering three moves: drop, cover, hold on. It means: crouch down at once, don’t stay standing and don’t run around; get under a solid desk and protect your head and neck; grip the desk and move with it until the ground stops moving.

And once the ground is still? Only then can you leave. Take the stairs, not the lift, don’t push or shove, and keep walking until you reach an open place with no buildings around, such as the sports ground.

Many people think a drill is just for show. But when a real earthquake comes, people often have only a few seconds to react, and having practised makes a big difference.

If an earthquake happened now, where near you would be safest?