تمرین مکالمه

Survivors

Ma Yuanjiang survived eight days trapped under the rubble of an earthquake in China.

How many days did Ma Yuanjiang survive trapped under the rubble? Ma Yuanjiang survived eight days trapped under the rubble.

He had no food or water, so he ate paper and drank his own urine.

What did he eat and drink? He ate paper and drank his own urine.

Ma had no training in survival.

Did Ma have any training in survival? No, he had no training in survival.

He was a business executive, yet somehow, against all odds he survived longer than almost anyone else who has ever been trapped.

What did Ma do longer than almost any else who has ever been trapped? He survived longer than almost anyone else who has ever been trapped.

How could this be? Movies and books often depict survivors as tough, confident guys who know everything.

How do movies and books often depict survivors? Movies and books often depict survivors as tough, confident guys who know everything.

But what about in real life? Who is most likely to survive a disaster?

This is a question writer Laurence Gonzalez is very interested in answering.

Is Laurence Gonzalez a writer? Yes, he is writer.

Whenever a disaster strikes, Gonzalez begins looking for news headlines about people who survived even when many others perished.

What does Gonzalez look for when disaster strikes? When disaster strikes he looks for news headlines about people who survived.

Then he contacts these people and learns their stories.

What does he learn when he contacts these people? He learns their stories.

He’s been doing this for years.

How long has he been doing this? He’s been doing this for years.

According to Gonzalez, there are a few specific traits that most survivors share.

According to Gonzalez do most survivors share a few specific traits? Yes, according to Gonzalez most survivors share a few specific traits.

You might be surprised to read this, but most survivors are not the strongest or most skilled in the group.

Are most survivors the strongest or most skilled in the group? No, most survivors are not the strongest or most skilled in the group.

In fact, the “Rambo types” as Gonzalez calls them are often the first to die.

Who is often the first to die? The “Rambo types” are often the first to die.

He says that people like Navy Seals take more careless risks, making them more likely to die.

Why are people like Navy Seals more likely to die? People like Navy Seals are more likely to die because they take more risks.

On the contrary, small children and people with little experience in a given situation are more likely to survive because they take fewer risks.

Why are small children and people with little experience more likely to survive? Small children and people with little experience are more likely to survive because they take fewer risks.

Gonzalez says being humble is one of the greatest assets of a survivor.

What is one of the greatest assets of a survivor? Being humble is one of the greatest assets of a survivor.

He also says that most survivors are people who don’t see themselves as victims.

Are most survivors people who see themselves as victims? No, most survivors are people who don’t see themselves as victims.

Instead of whining or complaining about what went wrong, survivors try to stay positive.

What do survivors do instead of whining or complaining about what went wrong? Survivors try to stay positive instead of whining or complaining about what went wrong.

While survivors tend to be humble, they also tend to be independent thinkers.

Besides being humble, what else do survivors tend to be? They also tend to be independent thinkers.

When the World Trade Center was hit by hijacked planes, hundreds of people were trapped in the towers.

What hit the World Trade Center? Hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center.

Security guards told these people to stay where they were and to wait for help.

What did the security guards tell people? Security guards told people to stay where they were and to wait for help.

Most of the people who listened perished.

What happened to most of the people who listened? Most of the people who listened perished.

Those that didn’t follow the rules were more likely to survive.

Were those that didn’t follow the rules more likely to die? No, those that didn’t follow the rules were not more likely to die. Those that didn’t follow the rules were more likely to survive.

Most of the survivors who were interviewed by Gonzalez also shared something else in common - they had strong family bonds.

Is having strong family bonds a common survivor trait? Yes, having strong family bonds is a common survivor trait.

Many people told him that they never lost their will to live because they really wanted to see a loved one again.

Why did many people say they never lost their will to live? Many people said they never lost their will to live because they wanted to see a loved one again.

Holocaust survivor, Victor Frankl, managed to live three years in a Nazi death camp because he was determined to see his wife again.

Who was Victor Frankl determined to see again? Victor Frankl was determined to see his wife again.

What about you? Now that you know the traits of a survivor, do you think you’re one?