_____ 2/ _____ 3/ _____ 4/ _____ 5/ _____ 6/ _____ (23-28) CHOOSE THE WORD OR PHRASE THAT BEST FITS THE BLANK SPACE IN THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE

1/ _____ 2/ _____ 3/ _____ 4/ _____ 5/ _____ 6/ _____

(23-28) Choose the word or phrase that best fits the blank space in the following passage:

Almost a hundred thousand people were killed and half a million homes destroyed as a result

of an earthquake in Tokyo in 1923. The earthquake begin a minute before noon when the

habitants of Tokyo (23)___________ Their midday meals. Thousands of stoves were overturned

as soon as the earth (24) ________ to shake. As a result, small fires (25) ___________

everywhere and quickly spread. The fire engines were prevented (26) ________ to help

because many of the roads (27) _________ open. It was impossible to use fighting equipment as

most of the water pipes had burst. Consequently, over ninety percent of the damage (28)

__________ by fire rather than by the collapse of buildings