We often hear the phrase:“You’ve a greater chance of being struck by lightning.” It is used to describe something that hasn’t got much chance of happening. However, the common saying undermines(掩盖) the very real dangers of lightning. Last Friday, at least 5 people were killed by lightning in Nepal. Lightning strikes are the second most common cause of deaths during natural disasters in the US. The first is floods. Around 400 people nationwide are struck by lightning each year, and of those73 people die. That means more people are killed by lightning than by tornadoes and hurricanes. Because lightning kills only one or two people at a time, its danger does not receive as much attention as other disasters.

So to raise awareness, the US has made June 22 to 28 National Lightning Safety Week. It aims to warn the public of the dangers of lightning and provide safety tips during thunderstorms. “If you hear thunder , you are in danger from lightning,” said Rocky Lopes, a disaster educator at the American Red Cross.“Thunder means that lightning is close enough to hit you at any minute, so you should move indoors immediately and stay there until after the storm has ended. The single most important thing to remember is to seek hiding place,”Lopes said.

Summer is the high time for lightning storms, so when lightning strikes across the sky, remember these safety tips:

Stop working, fishing, swimming or playing in open fields.

If you can count less than ten seconds between a thunder and a lightning flash, take cover inside the nearest building.

Do not stand under a tree.

Get off bicycles or motorcycles.

Crouch down(蹲下)if there is no hiding place.

Avoid open spaces, wire fences, metal objects and electrical objects such as hair driers.

1.The popular opinion about being struck by lightening is that 　　　.

A. there is a greater chance for being killed by lightening than any other natural disaster

B. it is the most dangerous among all the natural disasters

C. the chance for a person to be struck by lightening is very small

D. it is impossible for people to be killed by lightening

2. The average death rate of being struck by lightening in US is about 　　.

A.18%　　　　　　　B.50%　　　　　C.30%　　　　D.73%

3. Among all the safety tips, the most important one is that when you hear thunder in the open air， 　　　.

A. just stand by your bicycles and motorcycles

B. quickly find a place to go inside

C. count ten seconds between a thunder and a lightening

D. don’t have a hair drier in your hand

4. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. There are more people killed by tornadoes and hurricanes than by lightening in US each year.

B. There are on average 5 persons killed by lightening in Nepal each day.

C. The death rate of being stuck by lightening is much higher than by other natural disasters.

D. The National Lightening Safety Week is made to warn the public against lightening.

Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami(海啸), adding weight to ideas they possess a “sixth sense” for disasters, experts said on Thursday.

Sri Lanka wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island’s coast seemingly missed wild beasts, with no dead animals found.

“No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit. I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening,” H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka’s Wildlife Department, said on Wednesday.

The waves washed floodwaters up to 3 km (2 miles) inland at Yala National Park in the southeast, Sri Lanka’s biggest wildlife reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants. “There has been a lot of evidence about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. But it has not been proven,” said Matthew van Lierop, an animal behaviour specialist at Johannesburg Zoo.

“There have been no specific studies because you can’t really test it in a lab or field setting,” he said.

Other authorities agreed with this conclusion.

“Wildlife seem to be able to pick up certain phenomenon, especially birds. There are many reports of birds detecting coming disasters,” said Clive Walker, who has written several books on African wildlife.

Animals certainly rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing to avoid danger such as predators(食肉动物).

The idea of an animal “sixth sense” is a lasting one that the evidence on Sri Lanka’s damaged coast is likely to add to.

This passage is mainly about________.

A. the damage that was caused in the Indian Ocean tsunami

B. why animals can save them from natural disasters

C. how to protect the wildlife when disaster happens

D. the different opinions about animals’ natural power

Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. It has been proved that animals have a “sixth sense”.

B. Research has been made on the special movements of animals before disasters.

C. It’s generally considered that animals can sense the coming of disasters.

D. Animals have depended on the known senses to escape the Indian Ocean tsunami.

What does the term “sixth sense” in the text means?

A. It is the natural ability of animals that can save them from danger.

B. It is the animal’s imagination in the brain.

C. It is some hidden power to say in advance that something will happen.

D. It is a kind of sense that is the same as smell or hearing.

Which section does the text most probably appear in a newspaper?

A. News Report.        B. Discovery.       C. Science Fiction.      D. Culture.

DONATE YOUR OLD JEANS AND DO THE PLANET GOOD

What Will Be Done With All This Denim?

         All the denim (牛仔布) will be donated to Cotton. From Blue to Green. This denim drive recycled jeans into UltraTouch^TM Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation, which is used to help build houses in places that have been damaged by hurricanes and other natural disasters. Your jeans will help keep clothes out of landfills, and build houses for families to live in! UltraTouch^TM is made of 85% recycled fibers and is an environmentally safe, natural cotton fiber insulation.

It’s a Fact: It takes about 500 pairs of old jeans to insulate one average-size US house.

Here’s How You Can Get Involved!

1.     Get a parent’s permission and select as many denim jeans as you like. (Any denim clothing is OK.)

2.     The denim must be used and can be any brand.

3.     The denim can be any color or size but must have been worn by a human. (no doll clothes!)

4.     Jeans must be received by June 30, 2011.

POST A JOB AD—IDEAL FOR CASUAL ADVERTISERS

REGISTER NOW AND POST A JOB AD

      All job Advertisements are reviewed and uploaded usually within 24 hours.

Standard Job Advertisement

$65.00 + GST (Goods and Service Tax) = $ 71.50

Premium Job Advertisement

$80.00 + GST = $88.00

No additional costs for all the features below.

Standard Job Ad Features:

---Active for 30 days

---Include your company LOGO

---Update or Edit live ads online anytime

---Access state of your job ad

---Unlimited text to describe your vacancy

(able to insert HTML links—very useful if you want candidate to apply using your own online application on your corporate website)

---Able to copy and paste your active job ad from other job sites including logo and layout

Premium Job Ad Features:

---All the features of a standard Job Ad

---Displayed on top of the main job search page with highlighted colors also within the standard job ads in its highlighted format. For any questions contact us.

REGISTER NOW AND POST A JOB AD

1.The denim clothing that you intend to donate ____________.

A. can be either new or second-hand         B. can be of any size or color

C. must be a certain famous brand               D. can be worn by dolls and humans

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the ad?

A.        UltraTouch^TM may be the name of a building material.

B.        UltraTouch^TM can protect houses from natural disasters.

C.        The deadline of the denim clothing donated is July 20, 2011.

D.        The denim clothing is collected to provide clothes for the homeless.

3.Premium Job Ad is different from Standard Job Ad because it ____________.

A. doesn’t need paying additional money     B. can be shown on top of the main job search page

C. is active for more than 30 days online       D. can be inserted HTML links on your own website.

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of natural disasters over the past few years, and it is assumed that global warming and climate change could cause even more disasters in the future. Some of the world’s leading cities are facing disasters like floods and heat waves.

    London

    London’s flood defences are getting older. Since 1982, the Thames Barrier(水闸)has protected the city from the threat of flooding, but it was only designed to last until 2030 and close once every two or three years. About 26 years later the barrier now closes five or six times a year and according to Environment Agency predictions, by 2050 the barrier will be closed on almost every tide if the problem is not addressed.

    There are 26 underground stations, 400 schools, 16 hospitals, an airport and 80 billion worth of property in London’s flood risk area, so large scale flooding would be disastrous.

    Paris

    Over a six week period in July and August 2003, more than 1 1,400—mainly elderly people—died in France from dehydration(脱水)and extremely high body temperature in a deadly heat wave. Heat waves of similar intensity(强度)are expected every seven years by 2050, so what can be done to make sure such a disaster does not happen again?

    One solution is to have air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes. But this is considered a short-term solution, as the increase in demand for electricity also increases carbon emissions(排放).

 In Paris the local authorities are encouraging architects to design new types of buildings such as the building “Flower Tower,” which uses a covering of bamboo to act as a natural air-conditioner.

Shanghai

    Shanghai is the fastest growing city on Earth. It has a population of 18 million and is only 4 meters above sea level. Sea levels are predicted to rise by 20 cm within the next century.

    An estimated 250，000 people move to Shanghai every year in search of work, placing extra demands on energy consumption. China relies heavily on coal—fired power stations, but these emissions increase temperatures and, in turn, warmer seas increase the risk of typhoons.

1.What problem should be settled now in London?

A．How to protect the city’s property

B．Where to build its flood defences

C．How to use the Thames Barrier to protect the city

D．How to improve the function of the old flood defences

2.Which of the following measures can’t solve the heat wave disaster in Paris?

A．Putting up new types of buildings with a covering of bamboo

B．Having air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes

C．Forbidding the city to build“Flower Tower”

D．Encouraging architects to design new types of buildings

3.The major threats to Shanghai are           ．

A．increasing population and coal-fired power stations

B．rising sea levels and typhoons

C．extremely high temperature and rising sea levels

D．extra demands on energy consumption and typhoons

4.The purpose of the passage is       ．

A．to tell us how to protect the big cities

B．to give advice on how to defend natural disasters

C．to explain what causes flood and heat waves

D．to warn us of the increasing natural disasters in big cities

5.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Big Cities Facing Big Disasters

B．Big Disasters in the Future

C．The Increase of Natural Disasters

D．Solutions to Natural Disasters

Environmental health is defined as the control of the factors (因素) in the environment that may have harmful effects on people’s physical, mental, or social well-being (安乐). Because natural disasters expose people to danger by bringing up or threatening their immediate environment, effective management of environmental health after a natural disaster is of great importance.

The environmental health measures that must be considered after a natural disaster include the supply of appropriate shelter for individuals or groups of people left homeless, the distribution (分配) of safe and accessible water, and the protection and distribution of safe food products and so on.

To effectively manage environmental health during and after a disaster, it is important that a state of preparation is in effect before the event actually occurs. During an emergency, success largely depends on making good, rapid judgment and appropriate response measures. High-level decision makers, therefore, must be familiar with sound measures beforehand and should be given an accurate judgment of the disaster’s specific effects as quickly as possible.

This book is intended to serve as a guide for those who may be called upon to make emergency decisions after disaster strikes. The recommended environmental health measures have been listed in the order of priority in which they should be taken during an emergency. However, each natural disaster is unique in the degree or type of emergency. In response to any given disaster, decision makers may find it necessary to change the priority assigned to any particular measure.

1.The first paragraph is mainly to _____.

2.In order to effectively cope with the emergency, the most important is that _____.

3.We can’t do just as the recommended environmental health measures because _____.

4.The best title of this passage should be _____.