Assingement no 26	Textbook p. 117 ex 1/2			20.02.2004

Ex 1.
Most slaves who were brought to the new World to work on farms and plantations came from the "Slave Coast" in West Africa. To make as much money as possible, slaves were packed into ships like goods. It was estiminated that one third of all slaves dies before reaching America. The Atlantic crossing was described by a former slave this way: "We were catched like animals and were taken to the coast, where a ship was waiting for us. There we were soon put below deck. I was offered food by some white men and then I was beaten because I refused to eat it. It was impossible to escape because we were watched closely by the crew. When we finally reached America we were eximined by different people. We had ro jump up and down, we were looked at by white men. We were finally told by some old slaves that we wouldn't be eaten but that we would be forced to work in the fields. Later we were sold.

Ex 2. Earthquake shakes Northern Calirofnie
On October 17, 1989 the second largest earthquake in the history of the United States caused great damage in parts of Northern California.
At 5.04 pm local time the earth began to shake. The quake's center was 75 miles south of san Francisco, near Santa Cruz, where the downtown area was destroyed completely. The Quake did last for about 15 seconds and was feeled far beyond the Bay Area. More than 60 People died and hundreds were injured. Lots of people lost their homes. The total damage which was caused by the earthquake was estimates at $10 billion.
The San Francisco region is known to be a major earthquake area, and a strong quake was expected for a long time. This earthquake, however, came without warning. The worst damage was done when a mile-long part of the top level of a two-level highway  in Oakland, a city on the east side of San Francisco Bay, fell onto the lower level. Many cars crushed and 42 people died. A few miles away, cars and passengers were also trapped when a 50-foot piece of the Bay Bridge, which connects San Francisco and Oakland, suddenly fell down. 
People now aks how these highway could fell down although they were desidned to survive even more powerfull quakes.