CHAPTER 2 - Predicting Earthquakes

Vocabulary Comprehension - Words in Context

A. Complete each sentence with the best answer. The words in bold are from the passage.

1. One example of evidence is ______
A) fingerprints
B) intelligence

2. If someone claims something is true, then the information is ______
A) possibly true
B) proven to be true

3. When you have a limited amount of something, there ______
A) will be extra for later
B) might not be enough

4. If you take something into account, you ______ it.
A) forget about
B) consider

5. Kate always tells the truth, so you should ______ her story.
A) believe
B) not believe

6. When you sense something, you ______
A) are aware of it
B) see it

7. When something seems odd, it is ______
A) strange
B) normal

8. If something happened recently, it might have happened ______
A) many years ago
B) a few days ago

Can Animals Predict Earthquakes?

Dear Scientist Sam,

I noticed my dog acting very nervous only a few minutes before a recent earthquake shook the house. Is it possible that my dog knew the earthquake was going to happen?
Janet

Sam's reply:

It's hard to answer your question, since not all seismologists¹ or animal experts agree that animals can predict earthquakes. Those that disagree claim that we should take into account other things that affect animal behavior, such as hunger. On the other hand, many people who believe that animals can predict earthquakes often have records of very strange animal behavior right before_the ground shakes. To them, this is evidence that animals can indeed predict earthquakes.

In short, the truth is that we aren't sure. Animals might be able to sense earthquakes before they happen, but there is no solid evidence that they can. However, one thing that most seismologists can agree on is that more research is needed. Animals may be the key to predicting earthquakes before they happen, and could help save many lives.