Question

When rescue workers pulled Car Jianqiang out of the rubble, the first thing he did was cover his

eyes against the sun, which he hadn’t seen in 75 hours. Then, overjoyed that his life had been

spared, he gave a big wave to the cheering bystanders.

May 12 dawned sunny and temperate in Hanwang, Can recalls. He breezed through his morning

classes in the school and enjoyed a linch of fried rice before heading for his 2 o’clock Maths

class on the fourth floor.

At 2:28, China’s worst earthquake in three decades upended his world, the time was frozen on

the face of the broken town clock. As the shaking intensified, he crept under his desk on the

advice of his teacher. It would prove a fateful decision. Within seconds, the ceiling started

falling, then the desk started sliding across the collapsing floor. He grabbed a leg of the desk and

held on as the building went into free fall. Within seconds, he was buried alive.

As the dust settled, he heard cries for help, then silence.Slowly Can took stock. He lay face

down, crouching, with his legs pinned under a chunk of concrete. He soon realised someone was

nearby.They introduced themselves in the dark. Gou Ke, also 18, had been in a classroom, one

floor below. They hadn’t met previously, but having someone six feet away was an ernormous

comfort.

Gou had a cellphone. He tried to send text messaged, but the service was down. In a bid to boost

morale, he played some downloaded music from his phone into the void.

In the pitch dark, Cao cleared a little more space by moving small pieces of concrete and brick.

He found it hard to gauge the passage of time. Periodically he’d sleep, getting some relief from

the claustrophobia and difficulty of his predicament. Upon awakening, however, he’d assume a day had passed when it was probably only a few hours. Slowly his legs were growing

increasingly numb.

Cao, was extremely hungry and unbelievably thirsty. On Thursday afternoon his fate finally

changed. After he had heard emergency workers for hours, light appeared from a hole, a yard

above his head. Hi throat was parched to shout, but he saw three rescue workers. He asked for

water. The workers lowered a tube and he sucked down a container of rehydration solution. After

an agonising wait, he was on his way to a waiting ambulance.

A) Give the meaning of each of the following words as used in the passage. One word answers

or short phrases will be accepted. [3]

i) overjoyed

ii) intensified

iii) gauge

B) Answer the following questions briefly, in your own words.

i) What was Cao’s first reaction when he was pulled out of the rubble by the rescue workers? [2]

ii) How did Cao try to save himself when the earthquake destroyed the school? [2]

iii) Whom did Cao find in the rubble? [1]

iv) Why did Cao find it difficult to spend the time? [2]

v) How was Cao finally rescued?​

Answer 1

Answer:

up r answer is (iii)

hope its help you