Speed Reading — Tonga Tsunami - Level 3 — 300 wpm

Now do this put-the-text-back-together activity.


This is the text (if you need help).

A cleanup operation has begun in Tonga after the island nation was hit by a tsunami and covered in volcanic ash at the weekend. The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai undersea volcano erupted on Saturday. Experts believe it was the world's biggest volcanic eruption in over 30 years. It sent tsunami waves across the Pacific to Japan and the U.S. coast. It also destroyed large parts of Tonga. Islanders are now trying to restore services and normal life to the country. However, the ash is making this difficult. A lot of the rescue and recovery work cannot go ahead until the ash has been cleared. It has buried many buildings. It is also blocking many of the country's roads.

Tonga's government called the eruption from the volcano and the tsunami "unprecedented". It said the twin disasters have severely affected life on the island. There is no Internet because the only underwater cable connecting Tonga to the World Wide Web was cut by the eruption. Engineers are trying to restore full communications. It is also difficult to fly aid into the country because the airport is damaged. Tonga's government is worried that rescue efforts may bring COVID-19 into the country. Tonga shut its borders to international arrivals in 2020. It said it was "covid-free" before the tsunami. It now fears international aid workers could bring a "tsunami of COVID-19" into the country.

Comprehension questions
  1. What does the article say Tonga is covered in?
  2. Where was the volcano that erupted?
  3. Which two countries did the tsunami reach?
  4. What are islanders now trying to restore?
  5. What does the article say has been buried?
  6. What did Tonga's government say about the twin disasters?
  7. What did the eruption do to Tonga's Internet cable?
  8. What are engineers trying to restore?
  9. When did Tonga shut its borders
  10. What does Tonga's government worry that aid workers might bring?

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