Strange things were happening in the countryside of northeastern Hebei. For several days, the water in the village wells rose and fell, rose and fell. There were deep cracks that appeared in the well walls. At least one well had some smelly gas coming out of it. Chickens and even pigs were too nervous to eat, and dogs refused to go inside buildings. Mice ran out of the fields looking for places to hide, and fish jumped out of the water. At about 3:00 a.m., on 28 July 1976, bright lights were seen in the sky outside the city of Tangshan and loud noises were heard. But the city's one million people were asleep as usual that night.
Chickens and pigs were too nervous to eat — 一般过去时描述状态
过去进行时与一般过去时的区别：前者强调"当时正在"，后者陈述"发生过"。
too…to… 太…而不能
too + adj./adv. + to do sth 表示"太…以至于不能…"，是否定含义。
Chickens and pigs were too nervous to eat. 鸡猪太紧张而不愿进食。
He was too tired to walk. 他累得走不动了。
注意：too…to… 可用 so…that…cannot… 改写。
At 3:42 a.m., everything began to shake. It seemed as if the world were coming to an end! Eleven kilometres directly below the city, one of the most deadly earthquakes of the 20th century had begun, a quake that even caused damage more than 150 kilometres away in Beijing. Nearly one third of the whole nation felt it! A huge crack, eight kilometres long and 30 metres wide, cut across houses, roads, and waterways. Hard hills of rock became rivers of dirt. In less than one minute, a large city lay in ruins. Two thirds of the people who lived there were dead or injured. Thousands of children were left without parents. The number of people who were killed or badly injured in the quake was more than 400,000.
as if the world were coming to an end 使用了虚拟语气。as if / as though 引导的方式状语从句，当表示与事实相反的假设时，用虚拟语气。
与现在事实相反：用过去式（be 通常用 were）
It seemed as if the world were coming to an end! 仿佛世界末日来临！
She talks as if she knew everything. 她说话的样子好像她什么都懂似的。
分数表达 one third / two thirds
英语分数表达法：分子用基数词，分母用序数词；分子大于1时，分母加s。
one third = 1/3；two thirds = 2/3
1/2 = a/one half；1/4 = a/one quarter
注意：分数+of+名词作主语时，谓语与of后的名词一致：
Two thirds of the people were dead.（people是复数）
One third of the city was destroyed.（city是单数）
Everywhere survivors looked, there was nothing but ruins. Nearly everything in the city was destroyed. About 75 percent of the city's factories and buildings, 90 percent of its homes, and all of its hospitals were gone. Bricks covered the ground like red autumn leaves, but no wind could blow them away. Most bridges had fallen or were not safe to cross. The railway tracks were now useless pieces of metal. Tens of thousands of cows, hundreds of thousands of pigs, and millions of chickens were dead. Sand now filled the wells instead of water. People were in shock — and then, later that afternoon, another big quake shook Tangshan again. Even more buildings fell down. Water, food, and electricity were hard to get. People began to wonder how long the disaster would last.
Bricks covered the ground like red autumn leaves 使用了明喻（simile），用 like 将砖块比作秋叶，生动描绘了地震后的惨状。
明喻结构：A + like + B（用 like/as 连接两个不同事物）
这是高考阅读理解中常考的修辞手法，需识别并理解其表达效果。
But hope was not lost. Soon after the quakes, the army sent 150,000 soldiers to Tangshan to dig out those who were trapped and to bury the dead. More than 10,000 doctors and nurses came to provide medical care. Workers built shelters for survivors whose homes had been destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people were helped. Water and food were brought into the city by train, truck, and plane. Slowly, the city began to breathe again.
those who were trapped — who 引导定语从句修饰 those（那些被埋的人）
survivors whose homes had been destroyed — whose 引导定语从句修饰 survivors，表示"家园被毁的幸存者"
区别：who 在从句中作主语/宾语；whose 在从句中作定语，表示"…的"。
拟人修辞 the city began to breathe again
the city began to breathe again 使用了拟人（personification），将城市比作有生命的个体重新呼吸，形象地表达了城市恢复生机的状态。
拟人是高考阅读常考修辞，将无生命事物赋予人的行为或情感。
Tangshan started to revive itself and get back up on its feet. With strong support from the government and the tireless efforts of the city's people, a new Tangshan was built upon the earthquake ruins. The new city has become a home to more than seven million people, with great improvements in transportation, industry, and environment. Tangshan city has proved to China and the rest of the world that in times of disaster, people must unify and show the wisdom to stay positive and rebuild for a brighter future.