Many people believe that “It is always calm before a storm.” Actually it is not true. Before the Tangshan earthquake, strange things happened. Some animals were too n________to eat and the water pipes in some buildings cracked and b_______. At 3:42 a.m. the terrible earthquake broke out. In fifteen seconds, a large city lay in r_______ The suffering of the people was e________. Almost everything was d_______ and thousands of children were left homeless. Before people could r__________from the first quake, a second one hit the city. Some rescue workers and doctors were t_________ underground. Water, food, and e________were cut off. People began to wonder how long the d________ would last.
L_________, people all over the nation offered the helping hand. With the joint efforts, the city began to breathe again.