ERATH WEEK---A DIARY OF THE PLANET

Enduring Storms

Several more rounds of severe storms, tornadoes and flash flooding struck many parts of the American Midwest and Northeast as bad weather continued across the US for a second month.   

Monsoon Storms

A south-west monsoon has caused havoc in parts of Sri Lanka. Government meteorologists said that unexpected monsoonal winds blew directly across the country from the Southern Hemisphere at about 100km/h, producing several rounds of stormy weather. Nearly 250 houses in the capital Colombo were damaged.

Mt. Etna Erupts

   Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano erupted shortly after midnight on July 1, shooting “bombs” of lava nearly 1.5 meters in diameter on the eastern side of the mountain. The 30-minute eruption could be seen for several miles, but did not threaten any nearby villages.

Hurricane

   Hurricane Blas lost strength as it moved over cooler waters in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Mexico. Blas formed off southwest Mexico during the previous week, but squalls on the outer fringes of the storm lashed western Michoacan State, killing four people when their wood and cardboard home collapsed.

Monkey Repellent

   After years of unsuccessful attempts to keep crop-eating monkeys out of Japanese fields, a Tokyo research team believes that it may have finally found a way to prevent the damage caused by the monkeys. Animal raids on crops were successfully prevented by shooting chilli powder into the air, irritating the eyes and noses of monkeys that passed in front of carefully-placed warning sensors. “We’ve tried al kinds of preventive measures, but the monkeys are smart enough to outwit the tricks, “said Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station in western Tokyo.

1..

. According to the information, which of the following statements is TURE?

A. The eruption of Mt. Etna lasted thirty days.

B. Hurricane Blas was formed off the coast of Italy.

C. The American Midwest had fine weather throughout July 1998.

 The eruption of Mt. Etna did not destroy local villages.

2..

. According to the information, the monkeys in the Japanese fields ________.

A. destroy crops                  B. kill unsuspecting humans

C. spread eye diseases to humans    D. stop farmers from working

3..

. The information in the “Earth Week” diary _______.

A.       predicts future weather patterns

B.        gives advice on dealing with monsoons

C.        shows that weather can be unpredictable

D.       shows the effects that storms have on animals

Dash of Hope
"Dash" is a symbol which represents every day we've spent alive on earth. Therefore, how you spend your "dash" is important.
Recently I  36  about a little girl named Hope. After learning more about her life, I couldn't help but feel it was not by  37 , nor happenstance（意外事件）, that she had been named "Hope". The strong feeling of sympathy and generosity  38  in her young heart made a lasting impression on me and countless others.  39  I never had the opportunity to meet her, I wish I had. It seems as though she was wise beyond her tender years and very, very special.
Hope was a twelve-year-old girl who was  40  a "wish" in early December 2010 by the "Make-A-Wish" Foundation after being  41  that she had a rare type of bone cancer. However, when she found out that more than 150  42  in her area were waiting for their wishes to be achieved , she unselfishly used her wish to  43  that those children have their wishes granted. She also asked that it be done  44  January 16, 2011. Unfortunately, however, the organization informed her that her  45  request could not be granted as the funds were simply  46 . They calculated that they would need to raise more than one  47  dollars in thirty days in order to grant her wish.  48 , but not discouraged, she turned her disappointment into an enthusiasm that inspired caring  49  to take up helping grant the wishes of the other children, and eventually  50  as well. Newspaper columnists and reporters for radio and TV stations  51  the story of this caring young girl who had  52  the hearts of so many and as word spread, the community was challenged. Committees were fanned and schools, corporations and various organizations assisted in  53  money to help make Hope's dream come true.
Her efforts were not in vain as they continue to help others, not only  54 , but spiritually and emotionally as well. At the gathering to celebrate her life, "A Celebration of Hope" on January 16, 2011 , the  55  was made that they had indeed received donations totaling more than one million dollars. Her wish had been granted!

We may look at the world around us, but somehow we manage not to see it until whatever we’ve become used to suddenly disappears.  36 , for example, the neatly-dressed woman I  37  to see—or look at—on my way to work each morning.
For three years, no matter  38  the weather was like, she was always waiting at the bus stop around 8:00 am. On  39  days, she wore heavy clothes and a pair of woolen gloves. Summertime  40  out neat, belted cotton dresses and a hat pulled low over her sunglasses. 41 , she was an ordinary working woman. Of course, I  42  all this only after she was seen no more. It was then that I realized how  43  I expected to see her each morning. You might say I  44 her.
“Did she have an accident? Something  45 ?” I thought to myself about her  46 . Now that she was gone, I felt I had  47  her. I began to realize that part of our  48  life probably includes such chance meetings with familiar  49 : the milkman you see at dawn, the woman who 50  walks her dog along the street every morning, the twin brothers you see at the library. Such people are  51  markers in our lives. They add weight to our  52  of place and belonging.
Think about it.  53 , while walking to work, we mark where we are by  54  a certain building, why should we not mark where we are when we pass a familiar, though  55 , person?

At 3:30 a.m. Pearl Carlson was shaken awake by a forceful pull. King, the family dog, was trying to pull her out of bed.Then she smelled smoke and heard the sound of fire from her parent's room. Pearl's screams awaked her mother， Fern and father, Howard, who had recently been in hospital for lung disease. Helping Howard to a first-floor window, Fern told him to climb out, then ran to her daughter.

Still inside, King appeared at Pearl's window, making squeaking (短促尖叫) sounds. When running toward Pearl's bedroom, Fern realized her husband hadn't yet escaped. She made her way back through the smoke and flames, following King's sound to where Howard lay semiconscious (半昏迷) on the floor. Fern helped him get outside. King came out only after both were safe.

As day dawned, the Carlsons saw that King's paws were badly burned, and his entire body was burned too. His chain collar had gotten so hot that it burned his throat, making it impossible for him to bark (叫) normally. Only after the seven-year-old dog refused food did they find pieces of wood in his mouth and realize that King, who slept outside, had bitten through a wood door to warn his family.

1. Who was King in this story?

A. The family sore                               B. The family daughter.

C. The family dog.                               D. The master.                              

2. According to the story, the first one who was completely out of danger could be          . 

A. Howard                   B. Fern                 C. Pearl and Fern                 D. Pearl

3. After reading this story, we've learnt that the following statements could be reasonable except               .

A. the dog made a big hole in the door

B. the dog awoke mother first

C. the dog was the last one to escape from the burning room

D. the dog was badly burned , hurt and not able to eat

4. From this story it can be inferred that              .

A. Pearl loves her parents very much

B. Howard is the best man of the family

C. the woman loves her children more deeply than her husband

D. the dog is man's best friend

When you cough or sneeze, you’d better turn your head away from others and cover your mouth with the full part of your hand. And then, you should say, “Excuse me.”
This seems so simple, but it is surprising how many kids have never been told to do this. Actually, I notice adults all the time who cough and sneeze in public without placing a hand over the mouth. One important thing I point out to the kids is that after they sneeze or cough on their hands, they should wash their hands as soon as possible. If not, they will be passing those germs (细菌) along to everything and everyone they touch.
If you come to a door and someone is following you, hold the door. If the door opens by pulling, pull it open, stand to the side, and allow the other person to pass through first, then you can walk through. If the door opens by pushing, hold the door after you pass through.
After a few weeks of seeing kids try to get through doors in the school and watching them enter restaurants as the door hit other people, I knew I had to discuss the problem with my students. Teaching them small acts of kindness, such as letting someone else go through a door first as they hold it open, may seem unimportant, but it can go along way toward helping students realize hot to be polite and thank others. Once they’ve been told, they’re halfway there.
When we have to go up moving stairs, we will stand to the right. That will give others who are in a hurry a choice of walking up the left-hand side of the moving stairs. When we are going to enter a lift, the underground, or a doorway, we will wait for others to exit before we enter.
After college when I moved to London, I was surprised at how polite everyone was in the subways. I was even more touched when I traveled to Japan. In both places, people made efforts to make way for others. On moving stairs, everyone stood to the right and walked to the left. On lifts, everyone would stand over to the side and allow others to exit before they would begin to enter.
【小题1】When you cough or sneeze, you should ________.

A． doctor

B．traveler

C．parent

D．teacher