You can't keep children from a natural disaster, so how should you prepare them for it as parents? First of all, you should explain to them that acts of nature aren't necessarily disasters but can become one. These may include floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, winter snowstorms, wildfires, and earthquakes. The way to prepare children for these disasters is to educate them about what each type is and then make it fun by making them “Disaster Masters” or whatever title you can think of.

Making them Disaster Masters won't be easy. They must know what are in a disaster emergency kit(成套工具) and how to use them. You can get your friends involved, too. If your friends have children, they may want to be involved in your emergency preparations.

You have to pay attention to your conduct and the way you react to stress. The children will be easily influenced by your attitude and demeanor. The calmness, steady manner, and good humor of your spouse(配偶) and you will go a long way toward easing or reducing stress.

Explain to them what they're likely to encounter or see and describe how people may react. Disasters can come and go very quickly and generally don't last long. If you must stay away from home, try to get into a routine quickly and encourage them to make new friends. And it's important to let them know it's OK to cry during a disaster.

A.the importance of mutual help in disaster preparations

B.tips for preparing children for a natural disaster

C.the importance of educating children about natural disasters

D.ways to raise children's courage in natural disasters

A.when a natural disaster will come

B.why there are natural disasters

C.how to use a disaster emergency kit

D.how to teach others about emergency preparations

A.personality

B.lifestyle

C.emotion

D.behavior

A.must write down what they see and how they feel

B.should believe that the disaster will never last long

C.can cry if they are frightened

D.should help other children despite the danger

A.parents

B.young children

C.teachers

D.college students

Food is sometimes polluted with harmful substances. A person who eats such food may get an illness called food poisoning. Food poisoning is usually not serious but some types are deadly. The symptoms of food poisoning usually begin to appear within hours after people eat the poisoned food. Fever is one of the most common symptoms.

Some microorganisms(微生物) can cause food poisoning. After entering the human body, these tiny living things release poisons that make people sick.

Some chemicals can also cause food poisoning. They are often added to food while food is being grown, processed or prepared.

Some plants and animals contain natural poisons that are harmful to people. These include some seafood, grains, nuts, seeds and mushrooms.

When people handle food properly, the risk of food poisoning is very small. Microorganisms multiply rapidly in dirty places and warm temperatures. This means people should never touch food with dirty hands or put food on unwashed surfaces. Some food should be kept in a refrigerator to stop microorganisms from growing. Meat needs to be cooked thoroughly to kill any dangerous microorganism. People should wash food covered with chemicals before eating it. Finally, people should not eat wild mushrooms or other foods that grow in the wild. Some of these foods may contain natural substances that are poisonous to humans. In addition, some types of fish are poisonous.

Most people recover from food poisoning after a few days of resting and drinking more water. If people eat natural poisons, they must go to the hospital right away.

A.Polluted food may make people sick

B.Food poisoning means death

C.There are various types of food poisoning

D.Food poisoning can be serious

A.are accompanied by a fever

B.are too common to be noted

C.can be noticed within hours

D.can be ignored

A.some microorganisms

B.low temperatures

C.some chemicals

D.some animals

A.mushrooms should not be eaten

B.vegetables are safer than meat and seafood

C.natural poisons are more dangerous than chemicals

D.different types of food should be handled differently

A.natural materials are safe in food processing

B.chemicals are needed in food processing

C.food poisoning can be controlled

D.food poisoning is out of control

As is known to all, most people in the world are right-handed. This also seems to be true in history. In 1799, scientists studied works of art made at different times from 1500 B.C. to the 1950s. Most of the people shown in these works are right-handed, so scientists guessed that right-handedness has always been very common in history. Today only about 10% to 15% of the world's population is left-handed.

Why are there more right-handed people than left-handed ones? Scientists now know that a person's two hands each have their own jobs. For most people, the left hand is used to look for things or hold things and the right hand is used to deal with things. This is because of the different work of the two sides of the brain. The right side of the brain, which makes a person's hands and eyes work together, controls the left hand. The left side of the brain, which is the center for thinking and solving problems, controls the right hand. These findings show that more artists should be left-handed, and studies have found that left-handedness is twice as common among artists as among people in other jobs.

No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed instead of left-handed. Scientists have found that almost 40% of people become left-handed because their brain is damaged when they are born. However, this doesn't happen to everyone, so scientists guess there must be another reason why people become left-handed. One idea is that people become left-handed due to their parents. If a person does not receive the gene for right-handedness, he or she may become right-handed or left-handed according to the odds and the people he or she lives with.

Though right-handedness is more common than left-handedness, people no longer think left-handed people are strange or unusual. A long time ago, left-handed children were made to use their right hands like right-handed children, but today they don't have to.

A.art dates back to thousands of years ago

B.the works of art ended in the 1950s

C.most people shown in the works of art are right-handed

D.most owners of the works of art are right-handed

A.Less than 16％

B.More than a half

C.About 40%

D.The passage doesn't tell us

A.It's used to look for or hold things

B.It's used to work with things

C.It's used to make a person's eyes work together

D.It's used to think and solve problems

A.No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed

B.Left-handed people are cleverer than right-handed people

C.Today left-handed children are not made to use their right hands

D.Scientists think there must be some reason why people become left-handed

A.Scientists' New Inventions

B.Left-handed People

C.The Right Hand Is More Important

D.Different Genes, Different Hands

Many post-80s couples are complaining that going to the movies, shopping and attending parties have become impossible since their kids were born. That's the way most parents are living their lives, no weekends of their own, no time to visit friends, not even a chance of promotion in their jobs.

Asking for help from their parents might be a way out, but problems are that some aging parents are not strong enough to take care of the kids, and that the kids may also become too spoiled by their grandparents.

Then, here comes a solution: families with kids can form a small group, and parents of each family can take turns to look after all the kids in this group on weekends. Thus, other parents can have some quiet time and feel free to do something they've been planning for a long time. At the same time, the kids can make new friends and won't be hanging around with their parents all day long. This is baby-pooling.

A.they have to look after their parents

B.they are busy with their work

C.they have to look after their kids

D.they have no money

A.a question

B.a solution

C.a complaint

D.a suggestion

A.they ask their aging parents for help

B.they give up their jobs

C.families with kids form a small group

D.they take their kids wherever they go

A.The kids can make new friends

B.The kids won't be hanging around with their parents all day long

C.The parents can have much more free time

D.All of the above

A.post-80s couples and their parents

B.post-80s couples and baby-pooling

C.kids and their grandparents

D.post-80s couples and their friends

Asking for directions is the first thing we do when we reach a new place, or even when we are just trying to find a strange place. Knowing how to ask for directions can make our life much easier.

Use greetings and polite expressions. Starting the conversation with a greeting is necessary. If you want to get a nice answer, you'd better begin by saying “hello”. And some words like “may” “can” and “could” will also help you.

Increase your vocabulary. You should know the basic words when asking for directions in a different country. It may be useful for you to remember the names of some famous places. Then try to use the right words when asking for a direction.

Get to know the transportation system. Sometimes, you're likely to find that you are still far from the place you want to go to. Which kind of public transportation should you choose? You might ask like this: Is it far？Do I need to take the bus or the subway to go there?

Try to remember some landmarks(地标). Every city in the world has its own landmarks. You can decrease search time if you know where the most important landmarks are in the city. You may find that you are just around one of the landmarks.

Don't be too shy to ask. Learn to relax if you get lost somewhere. Every person may get lost now and then, especially when visiting a new city. But always make sure you can ask others for help.

A.Ask for directions

B.Use greetings and polite expressions

C.Get to know the transportation system

D.Increase our vocabulary

A.Three

B.Four

C.Five

D.Six

A.增加

B.浪费

C.减少

D.珍惜

A.It's necessary to start a conversation with a greeting

B.It's not useful to remember the names of some famous places

C.Every city has its own landmarks

D.You should learn to relax if you get lost

A.How to visit a new place

B.How to increase your vocabulary

C.How to use polite expressions

D.How to ask for directions