A. Determining the main idea. 

   Choose the best answer. Do not refer to the text.

The main idea of the article is that ________.( B )

(a) an earthquake hit a resort city by surprise

(b) after being trapped in the ruins for some two weeks, all the survivors were rescued by the miners at last

(c) the miners continued the rescue work after the departure of the International Rescue Corps

(d) trapped in the ruins, Pedrito and the others did their best to stay alive

B. Comprehending the text.

   Choose the best answer.

1. When the floor swung violently, Arnel asked others to ________.( A )

(a) stay where they were

(b) run away as quickly as possible

(c) hide under the guard-station table

(d) jump out of the window

2. When the earthquake took place, Arnel was with ________.( A )

(a) William and Jingjing

(b) Pedrito and Adela

(c) William and Pedrito

(d) Pedrito and Jingjing

3. When a second tremor came, Pedrito ________.( B )

(a) was hit and lost consciousness

(b) was protected by a mattress

(c) went out of the dark corridor

(d) was pressed by tons of rubble

4. What happened to William?  ( B )

(a) He was safe under a table

(b) He was cornered under a table

(c) He tried to free Jingjing from the chunks

(d) His hand was jammed under a beam

5. After the earthquake took place, Marzan hurried to ________ first.  ( B )

(a) his company at Balatoc

(b) the office of the mine's operations vice president

(c) the fallen hotels in Baguio

(d) his home

6. More than once, Pedrito Dy forced his thoughts to his family members because ________.( C )

(a) he was worried about them

(b) he despaired of seeing them alive

(c) the thought of them would help him hold on

(d) he longed to see them

7. On the 3rd day, the miners arrived and they first ________.( C )

(a) cleared away the barriers

(b) managed to shift the debris

(c) used hammers to cut through the concrete chunks

(d) used a crane to lift the chunks

8. On the 7th day the foreign teams packed their equipment and left because ________.( C )

(a) they had rescued all the survivors

(b) they had to be back for another emergency

(c) they saw no hope

(d) they were too tired to search on

9. When the miners tunneled toward the gym, ________.( B )

(a) they lit the barrier on purpose

(b) they accidentally lit the barrier

(c) Arnel felt there was more hope now

(d) Jingjing knew she was going to die

10. On the 13th day, Pedrito Dy began to smash his head against a knob of the concrete because ________.( A )

(a) he realized that he would never be found

(b) the suffering drove him out of mind

(c) he wanted to be heard by the miners

(d) he wanted to send signals to Jingjing

11.How many days had Pedrito been trapped beneath the debris when he was rescued at last?  ( C )

(a) 12

(b) 13

(c) 14

(d) 15

C. Understanding vocabulary.

   Choose the correct definition according to the context.

1. Adjacent to the tower were seven floors of rooms that rose like steps.  ( A )

(a) Next to

(b) Far from

(c) In front

(d) Behind

2. A mattress stored in the corridor forced him down onto his hands and knees miraculously shielding him.  ( C)

(a) covering

(b) hitting

(c) protecting

(d) pressing

3. He opened his mouth like a baby bird to catch the precious drops. I will live, he vowed.  ( B )

(a) said

(b) swore

(c) whispered

(d) shouted

4. For several hours they had probed the ruins with ultra-sensitive microphones, listening for the tapping that the miners had reported.  ( A )

(a) searched

(b) dug

(c) shouted

(d) excavated

5. When miners tunneled toward the gym, they used a cutting torch that accidentally ignited the barrier.  ( C )

(a) hit

(b) ignored

(c) lit

(d) touched

6. He raised his free hand stiffly to his face.  ( A )

(a) rigidly

(b) slowly

(c) easily

(d) lightly

7. Then, as he dozed off again, he heard men's voices closed by.  ( B )

(a) woke up

(b) fell into a light sleep

(c) outfainted

(d) fell off

8. Stunned, one miner yelled, "Relax! We'll get you out."  ( A )

(a) Surprised greatly

(b) Delighted

(c) Disappointed greatly

(d) Excited

9. William's internal injuries were dragging him relentlessly toward death.  ( A )

(a) pitilessly

(b) gradually

(c) sadly

(d) easily

10. Then the floor collapsed, and they plummeted into blackness.  ( A )

(a) fell down

(b) shifted

(c) heaved

(d) cracked

11. Jingjing twisted her side, struggled to shift the debris from William's body, but she could not budge the heaviest chunks.  ( C )

(a) lift

(b) budget

(c) move

(d) carry

D. Discussing the following topics.

1. Why did the rescuers refuse to give up their hunt for the survivors of the earthquake?

2. How did Petrito and the others survive the earthquake?.