As we go through life, interesting and exciting experiences can test our limits. Sometimes our adventures can even leave us feeling frightened. This was certainly the case for me one day in 1951. One early morning I was awakened with quite a shock. The earth was trembling below me and the roof was swaying up above. It was an earthquake!
I was living on the outskirts of Hualien City in a remote mountain town at the time of the quake. Many of the buildings had been built on a riverbed. People feared that if a strong earthquake occurred, the entire city would be left in ruin. As all of us ran to higher ground for safety, we wondered if that terrible moment had come. All of the shaking caused a great deal of devastation. Homes collapsed, families lost loved ones and the ground opened up in great cracks all around us.
Language Lab
trying adj.
difficult to deal with
- Our friend is going through trying times right now, and we need to support him.
- The company had a trying season, but it's recovering now.
- Susan is good at dealing with trying customers.
tremble v.
/ˈtrɛmbəl/
to shake slightly because of some force
- Last night as we were watching TV, the earth beneath our feet suddenly began to tremble.
to shake slightly because you are afraid, nervous, excited, etc.
- He trembled at the very thought of giving a speech.
tremble n.
- There was a slight tremble in the news anchor's voice as she reported the terrible news.
devastation n.
/ˌdɛvəˈsteɪʃən/
to destroy much or most of (something) : to cause great damage or harm to (something)
- The tsunami caused widespread devastation on the island.
to cause (someone) to feel extreme emotional pain — usually used as (be) devastated
- The documentary depicts the pain and devastation countries suffered during WWII.
devastate v.
/ˈdɛvəˌsteɪt/
- The whole area was devastated by the brush fire.
collapse v.
to break apart and fall down suddenly
- The building collapsed after the bombing.
- This corporation collapsed during the global financial crisis.
to fall down or become unconscious because you are sick or exhausted
- The runner finished the marathon, but collapsed at the finishing line.
Info Cloud
Welcome to info cloud, friends. Whenever a business or inventor does something truly new, we say that they are breaking new ground.
This is quite a common phrase, especially in this day and age.We hear of tech companies and scientists breaking new ground on an almost daily bases.
You may also sometimes hear this phrase as breaking fresh ground. Either way it refers to digging in to something different, something fresh.
For example, film directors have broken new ground by incorporating 3D and 4D into their movies.
We can use a similar term to modify nouns, groundbreaking. Much like the whole phrase, it emphasizes that something is new.
It’s most common to hear the term apply to technology, companies will often describe a new item as groundbreaking.
But you’ll also see it used to talk about research and ideas. A scholar just published groundbreaking research that challenged his entire field.
The word groundbreaking has one other important meaning that is worth noting. It can also be used to talk about a ceremony at a construction site.
The groundbreaking ceremony literally refers to a ceremony where important individual use special shovels to dig out the first bit of dirt for an important project. In that instance, they are really breaking new ground.