Tsunami

The killer sea wave known as tsunamis are so quiet in their approach from afar, so seemingly
harmless, that until recently their history has been one of surprise attack.

Out in the middle of the ocean, the distance between tsunami wave crests can be 100 miles
and the height of the waves no more than three feet: Sailors can ride one and suspect nothing. At the
shoreline, the first sign is often an ebbing a moving way from the land of the waters that leaves
fish, stranded and slapping on the bottom. However, this is not retreat but rather a gathering of
forces. When the great waves finally do strike, they rear up and hit harbor and coast, causing death
and damage.

These seismic sea waves or tidal waves, as they are sometimes called bear no relation to
the moon or tides. And the word tsunami, Japanese for harbor wave, relates to their destination
rather than their origin. The causes are various: undersea or coastal earthquakes, deep ocean
avalanches or vocalism. Whatever the cause, the wave motion starts with a sudden move like a hit
from a giant paddle that displace the water. And the greater the undersea hit, the greater the
tsunamis damaging power.

In 1883, Krakatoa volcano in the East Indies erupted, and the entire island collapsed in 820
feet of water. A tsunami of tremendous force bouncing around Java and Sumatra, killing 36000
people with wall of water that reached 115 feet in height.

In 1946, a tsunami struck first near Alaska and the, without warning, hit the Hawaiian
Island, killing 159 people and causing millions of dollars of damage. This led to the creation of the
Tsunami Warning System, whose nerve centre in Honolulu keeps a round-the-clock vigil with the
aid of new technology. If the seismic sea waves are confirmed by the Honolulu centre, warnings are
transmitted within a few hours to all threatened Pacific points. Tsunami have been deprived of their
most deadly string-surprise.

1. The writer describes in detail .

a. How harmless the tsunami seems to be for sailors
b. What damage the tsunami caused in Japan
c. When the tsunami tends to attack unexpectedly
d. Why tsunami are called the killer sea waves
e. Where tsunami have been most severe their attack
2. Why are tsunami seemingly harmless when they start?
a. The waves out in the ocean were not alarmingly high
b. The ebbing of the waters leaves fish stranded and slapping on the bottom
c. The great waves strike, reaching up and hitting harbor and coast
 d. The waves approaching from afar gather forces and moves the waters away from the land
e. The seismic sea waves bear no relation to the moon or tides
3. The word vigil in is closest in the meaning to, except .
a. Watchfulness
b. Lookout
c. Surveillance
d. Careless
e. Awareness
4. Which is following statement about paragraph 4 is not true?
a. Krakatao is located in West Indies
b. The eruption of Krakatoa caused tsunami wave
c. More than thirty thousand people dead in this tragedy
d. The effect of Krakatoas eruption until Sumatra
e. Krakatoas eruption is before nineteenth century
5. The following are possible causes for seismic waves, except .
a. Earthquake under the ocean
b. Underwater avalanches
c. The rise and fall of sea levels
d. Ocean volcanoes
e. Seashore earthquake
6. The danger of tsunami has been reduced by .
a. Establishing local nerve centers
b. The countries around the Pasific Rim
c. Close control from a new warning centre
d. Warning the nerve center of seismic wave
e. The tsunami warning system at the bottom of the sea
 Zebra

Zebras are equids , a family of mammals and members of the horse family, native to
Africa. The word zebra comes from the Portuguese zevra, which means wild ass. One
can certainly see how the zebra might have been mistaken for the wild ass at first glance,
since the animals have similar body types. Zebras are probably most famous for their
distinctive striped coats, which make them quite memorable animals.
In addition to being found in parts of Africa, zebras are also held in captivity in zoos
and conservation parks in many parts of the world, for people who want to see these
animals in person without taking a safari trip. Several attempts have been made to
domesticate the zebra, with some animals being trained as riding or driving animals.
However, zebras appear to be too unpredictable and flighty to fully domesticate, despite
the best efforts of intrepid riders. Instead, some people breed zebra hybrids, crossing full
blooded zebras with horses and other equids to produce more easily trained and handled
animals which retain the characteristic zebra stripes.
There are several different species of zebra, but all of them are in the same
genus,Equus, which they share with horses. Like other equids, zebras are odd-toed
ungulates with muscular bodies which are built for running. Zebras were among the
earliest animals to split from the original equids, along with asses, and as a result, they
have had an extended period of time to adapt to the unique challenges of the African
landscape.
These animals have very stout, muscular bodies which are designed for immense
speed and strength. When threatened, a zebra can choose to run, often choosing a zig-
zagging pattern to distract the predator, or they can fight, using powerful jaws and heavy
hooves to attack their enemies. Like asses, zebras have tufted tails, and they also have
short, upright manes of coarse hair, along with unusually large ears which give these
animals a very good sense of hearing.
Zebras are herbivores, eating grass, foliage, and various shrubs. Depending on the
species, a zebra may be adapted more for the open plain, or for more heavily wooded and
mountainous areas. In all cases, zebras are very social animals, living in large herds which
are typically overseen by a single stallion. A zebra's gestation period is 13 months, typically
producing a single foal which may join the herd when it reaches adulthood, or strike out on
its own to find another group of zebras.
The stripes of the zebra appear to have several functions. For one thing, they
distract and confuse predators, especially when zebras are in a herd formation, because the
stripes make it hard to pick out an individual zebra. The stripes also appear to be unique to
each animal, allowing zebras to readily identify each other, and they help to camouflage
individual zebras, especially in wooded areas, where the play of light and shadow allows
the zebra to blend.
There is some debate as to how to describe the zebra's stripes. They are typically
described as white animals with black stripes, but zebras actually have entirely black skin.
The most common zebra mutations create animals which are darker, rather than lighter.
This proves that the zebra is actually black with white stripes. While this might seem a bit
pedantic, it can make a good jumping-off point for end debates at parties, if one feels so
inclined.
 Zebra adalah semacam kuda, sebuah keluarga hewan menyusuia dan anggota
jenis kuda, asli dari Afrika. Kata Zebra berasal dari bahasa Portugis zevra yang
berarti adalah keledai liar. Seseorang pasti akan melihat salah pertama ketika melihat
kuda liar ini untuk pertama kali, karena binatang ini mempunyai tubuh yang mirip.
Zebra paling popular karena belang yagn berbeda, yang membuat hewan tersebut
mudah diingat.
Selain ditemukan di bagian Afrika, Zebra juga ditahan di Kebun binatang dan
Taman penangkaran di beberapa bagian dunia, sehingga orang yang ingin melihat
binatang ini tanpa harus melakukan perjalanan safari. Beberapa usaha telah dilakukan
untuk menjinakkan Zebra, dengan beberapa binatang dilatih untuk ditunggangi. Akan
tetapi, Zebra nampaknya terlalu susah diprediksi dan bertingkah terlalu jinak,
meskipun usaha terbaik dari penunggang terberani. Meskipun , beberapa orang
membiakkan Zebra, menyilangkan Zebra asli dengan kuda atau jenis spesies kuda lain
untuk menghasilkan yang lebih mudah dilatih dan binatang yang lebih mudah di
tangani yang mempertahankan karakteristik belang Zebra.
Ada beberapa spesies Zebra yang berbeda, akan tetapi semuanya masuk dalam
jenis Kuda, yang sama dengan kuda kuda lain. Seperti jenis kuda, Zebra adalah odd-
toed ungulates dengan tubuh berotot yang dihasilkan dari berlari. Zebra adalah diantara
binatang paling awal yang berpisah dari equid, bersama dengan keleday dan hasilnya,
mereka mempunyai waktu yang lebih lama untuk beradaptasi pada tantangan di daerah
Afrika.
Binatang ini mempunyai tubuh besar, berotot yang didesain untuk kecepatan dan
kekuatan. Ketika diancam, seekor Zebra dapat memilih untuk berlari, sering memilih
pola zig zag untuk mengelabuhi sang pemangsa, atau mereka dapat berkelahi,
menggunakan kekuatan cakar dan kuku kuatnya untuk menyerang musuh musuhnya.
Seperti keledai, Zebra mempunyai ekor yang berumbai, dan mereka juga mempunyai
rambut pendek yang menjulang keatas, bersamaan dengan daun telinga lebar tak biasa
yang memberikan binatang ini pendengaran yang sangat bagus.
Zebra adalah memakan tumbuhan, rerumputan, dedaunan dan berbagai macam
semak belukar. Tergantung pada spesiesnya, seekor Zebra mungkin beradaptasi untuk
dataran terbuka, atau hutanlebat dan daerah perbukitan. Secara keseluruhan, Zebra
adalah binatang social, hiudp dalam jumlah yang besar yang sering kali diketuai oleh
satu kuda jantan. Masa kehamilan Zebra adalah 13 bulan, yang hanya melahirkan satu
anak kuda yang akan bergabung dengan kelompok ketika sudah mencapai dewasa, atau
menciptakan sendiri kelombok kuda yang lain.
belang dari Zebra mempunyai beberapa fungsi. Salah satunya, mengelabui dan
membingunkan lawan, khususnya ketika Zebra berada dalam kawanannya,karena
belang membuat belang akan menyulitkan untuk menyerang satu mangsa. Belang juga
menunjukkan keunikannya pada masing masing binatang, membuat Zebra mengenal
satu sama lain, dan belang tersebut membantu menyamarkan zebra,kususnya di daerah
hutan, dimana terang dan bayangan membuat zebra menyatu.
ada beberapa perdebatan tentang bagaimana untuk mendeskripsikan belang
pada Zebra. Mereka biasanya dideskripsikan sebagai warna putih dengan belang hitam,
akan tetapi pada dasarnya kulit Zebra berwarna hitam. Mutasi umum Zebra membuat
binatang ini lebih gelap ketimbang terang. Ini membuktikan bahwa Zebra pada
dasarnya berkulit hitam dengan belang putih. Mungkin ini terdengar cukup keilmuan,
ini juga menjadi loncatan untuk mengakhiri debat, bagi seseorang yang merasa ngotot.