THE GREAT HANSHIN EARTHQUAKE The Great Hanshin earthquake, or the Kobe earthquake as it is more commonly known ‘overseas’, was an earthquake in Japan that measured 7.3 on the Japan Meteorological Agency magnitude scale. It occurred on January 17 th , 1995 at 5:46 a.m in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture, and lasted for approximately 20 seconds. The epicentre of the earthquake was on the northern end of Awaji Island near Kobe, a cosmopolitan city of over 1.5 million people. A total of 6,434 people, mainly in the city of Kobe, lost their lives. Additionally, it caused approximately ten trillion yen in damage. It was the worst earthquake in Japan since the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923, which claimed 140,000 lives. Questions : 1. The word ‘overseas’ in the text is closest in meaning to ____________. A. abroad B. at sea C. by sea 2. The word ‘occurred’ in the text is closest in meaning to ____________. A. ended B. happened C. started