26、One of the worst things that can happen on our earth is an earthquake. When earthquakes happen near large cities, many people may be killed and many buildings may be knocked down. Fires may start and do more damage than the quake itself.
Earthquakes come from a shaking of the rocks under the surface of the earth. Forces within the earth push against the rocks until they break. Sometimes, the earth above the break will also split (裂开) open.
We cannot tell when an earthquake is coming. But we do know the places on the earth where they happen most often. Much damage is stopped by building stronger buildings in these places.
As many as a million earthquakes may happen in a year. But most of them do no damage, for they happen under the sea.
The following is a car seller's experience of an earthquake.
"While sitting in my office, discussing business with a friendly customer, I heard a loud noise and then began to feel the ground shake. I looked up and the customer was already out of the door. On the showroom (陈列室) floor, behind where he had been, was a Ford Thunderbird. The car jumped completely off the ground ... with all four wheels hanging in the air."
"Frightened, I ran in the direction of the showroom floor, there was not a single human to be found inside the building. I was the last out ... but I made it."