ruin: suggests collapse and is applicable to whatever has given way or fallen apart through decay, corruption, neglect, or loss: the old house had fallen to ~.     (give way支撑不住implies that a support or structure is unable to carry a load or withstand a force)


havoc: suggests an agent that pillages, destroys, or ravages and the resulting confusion and disorder: the ~ of the earthquake.  （pillage劫掠, 比sack程度弱，ravage破坏implies depredation and destruction，如a hurricane that ravaged the Gulf coast飓风破坏了墨西哥湾海岸）  


devastation: implies a widespread laying waste, as by war or natural catastrophe, but it is also applicable to something that overwhelms an individual with comparable decisiveness: tried to overcome the ~ of losing a spouse.


destruction: suggests an utter undoing by or as if by demolition or annihilation: saw the rapid ~ of his entire life's work.    （demolish拆毁建筑物，如they demolished the old buildings他们拆毁旧建筑）   （annihilate消灭完全摧毁=wipe out, 如homes and cities annihilated by enemy attack敌人发动攻击，摧毁了房屋和城市，如he annihilated his opponent in the last election上次选举中彻底击败对手）


ruin崩塌毁灭: 表示倒塌，即支撑不住或垮掉，如因腐朽腐败忽视损失，havoc毁坏扰乱混乱: 表示毁坏并造成混乱，devastation摧毁: 表示战争或自然灾难使某地大面积荒废，或类似的让人难以承受的灾难，destruction完全摧毁: 表示完全毁灭，被拆除或消灭


记忆方法: 1）首字母RHDD任何动荡<==摧毁

              2）摧毁的意思是带来灾难mean the bringing about of or the results of disaster.