Mother nature’s fury tracy wilson 1 looking back, i was sure that i was going to die that november afternoon. tornado watches in alabama are as common as eggs are for breakfast. so much so, that i had begun to ignore them altogether. this disregard for mother nature’s power nearly proved fatal for me and my sister. as we approached a fresh red light on a main thoroughfare through huntsville, i glanced at the sudden peculiar coloring of the sky. the unusual hue and the stillness of the air gave me a sudden sense of uneasiness. the light changed and we made the left turn that would lead us home. it was after the turn that everything around me seemed to be occurring in slow motion. i heard it before i saw anything. at first i was sure that a train or a big truck was directly behind the car. then i saw the debris, not the image of swirling winds we tend to associate with a tornado, but trash and wires and dirt. i remember a sudden feeling of weightlessness as we were lifted off of the ground. strangely, she lifted us up like a feather on a breeze. it seemed more like floating than flying until she launched us from her grip with a fury few will ever understand. 2 while i cannot remember the actual impact, pictures from the aftermath tell the story word for word. the tin can that once was a car was belly up in the top of a 100 foot maple. we hung there for hours, oblivious to the disaster around us. when rescuers could finally get to us, power lines made it too dangerous to touch the metal car. i awoke first 32 days after my ride in the sky and remembered much of the ordeal. my sister however, after lying in a coma for nearly three months, has no recollection of any detail from her life before the accident. lack of oxygen erased her past. my physical wounds have long since healed, but i spend many hours below ground. the slightest hint of thunder or an awkward colored sunset sends me racing to my life below to hide from her. read the passage on the left to answer the following questions:
1) based on the passage, we can infer that a) the car driven by the girls was not very safe. b) hurricanes are much more deadly than tornadoes. c) tornadoes cause everything to move in slow motion. d) the speaker and her sister were in the path of a tornado.
2) the passage's concluding message is that a) a car is safe shelter from tornadoes. b) people should heed storm watches and warnings. c) tornadoes are bigger threats than many people realize. d) if you are in a car during a storm, you should get out and run.
3) based on the passage, what can you infer about the speaker's future? a) she will become a meteorologist. b) she will be hesitant to drive a car. c) she will move away from tornado alley. d) she will likely always take cover during storms.
4) what can you infer about the speaker's sister? a) she awoke from her coma first. b) she is able to her sister. c) she did not survive the accident. d) she does not remember the day before the accident.
5) my physical wounds have long since healed, but i spend many hours below ground. the slightest hint of thunder or an awkward colored sunset sends me racing to my life below to hide from her. although the narrator's physical wounds from the tornado have long since healed, what does she imply has not been healed? a) the wounds of her family. b) the narrator's naivete about bad weather c) the narrator's spiritual or emotional wounds d) the marring of the landscape affected by the tornado
6) when the tornado was approaching the narrator's car from behind, what did she first think was coming toward her? a) a gigantic animal b) a collapsing building c) a flood of river water d) a train or a big truck
7) with which statement would the author of the passage most likely agree? a) it is best not to go underground during a severe storm. b) alabama is not a good place to live because of tornadoes. c) ignoring warning signs can lead to life-threatening consequences. d) rescue workers need to act more quickly during a natural disaster.