Revolution that erupted from two volcanoes Like the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, these eruptions blew large amounts of sulphurous ash into the atmosphere, partly blocking the sun`s rays and temporarily cooling the climate.
France in 1789 was already bankrupt because of a long war in America. The government was threatened by a plot to organise riots financed by an ambitious aristocrat who wanted to become king. 1___The result of the eruptions was several years of cold, wet weather in Europe. Two violent storms in 3788 and 1789 destroyed the harvest in many parts of the 20 country and the resulting shortage of corn was made worse by the Finance Minister`s refusal to import corn from abroad on the grounds that the state could not afford it.
2___ When the people of France saw wagons full of 25 com go through their village streets they said, ‘There is plenty of com, but not for us: it`s for the king, the aristocrats, the rich who have plenty to eat while we go hungry.’ And then the maddened people would throw the sacks of corn into the nearest river.
Another volcanic eruption - in Indonesia in April 1815 - may have helped cause Napoleon’s defeat at the battle of Waterloo. 31816 was called the ‘year without a summer’. Torrential
rains marked the beginning of the Waterloo campaign, creating 35 deep mud which for many hours prevented Napoleon from moving his big guns.
The French revolution is one of many examples where a change of climate was the final blow to an already threatened society.
40 The Little Ice Age, which started about AD 1400, threatened the Scandinavian colony in Greenland. 4 They might have survived if, instead of sticking to their aristocratic society, they had moved from farming to hunting, like the Eskimos who replaced them.
At about the same period the great civilization of the Mayas in Yucatan faced ever worsening droughts. 5This had the opposite effect to that intended, since forcing people into the army meant they had to leave their land.
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Task 2. Find words or phrases in the article which mean:
• For a short time (paragraph 1)
• Financially ruined time (paragraph 2)
• For the reason that (paragraph 2)
• Made angry (paragraph 3)
• Very heavy rain (paragraph 3)
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