【推荐2】There is no way to stop hurricane or make it change direction, so if you ever find yourself in the path of hurricane, be sure to follow any emergency procedures（紧急程序）that your community has in place. Here are some other hurricane safety tips.

■ Be sure you have a battery-powered radio, batteries, fresh drinking water and a supply of food. Also, if anyone your family needs special medication（药物），be sure you have full supply.

■ Tell neighbours, friends and family members your emergency plans. Tell them where you'll go if you need to leave your home.

■ If you live near the ocean, in low-lying area, or in a mobile home, leave your home and travel inland to a safe place. You could stay with a friend or family member, in an inland hotel or motel, or in an emergency shelter area.

■ Keep listening to the radio if a hurricane is approaching. If local authorities instruct you to evacuate, do it immediately.

"Before a hurricane arrives, be sure your family's car is filled with fuel. If the electricity goes out, the fuel pumps at gas stations will not work.

■ Stay inside during the storm. You could be seriously injured if you go outside.

You should always take good care of your pets and keep them indoors during a storm. If you have to evacuate your home, remember that pets are not allowed in most emergency shelters and hotel rooms. If you leave pets behind, be sure you set out plenty of food and water for them. Also, be sure they're wearing a collar with your family's name and phone number on it.

【推荐3】The hemlock(铁杉) trees along the Wappinger Creek, New York, look healthy. However, scientist Gary Lovett says the white balls which provide protection for the bugs are created by a tiny insect. It’s hard to believe the tiny bug could kill a tree. However, trees can end up with millions and millions of the pests. When there are that many, it ends up killing the tree.

The bug from East Asia is slowly killing trees across the USA. The trouble－making bug is just one of many invasive(入侵的) pests that have slipped into the United States. They can hurt other living things in their new home.

Many invasive pests arrive on wooden pallets piled inside shipping containers. They support and separate goods, and keep them from sliding around. Invasive pests often tunnel into the pallets.   How can we stop pests from riding on pallets? Lovett says new rules are needed. The companies that make pallets don’t want more rules. Congress has added an amendment(修正案) in the 2018 Farm Bill to try and prevent this problem. However, Lovett is not hopeful it will make much of a difference. Pallets are checked by inspectors. Many are sprayed with bug－killing pesticide. “I believe in the system，” said Brent McClendon, president of The National Wooden Pallet and Container Association. He also said shipping containers are checked very carefully.

Still, each year 13 million containers are shipped to the U.S. Each is full of wooden pallets. Lovett says: “Inspectors can’t possibly check everything. All it takes are a few bad pallets; we should get rid of wooden pallets.” He believes pallets should be made of plastic or eco－composite wood. Eco－composite wood is a mix of wood fiber and plastic. Insects cannot hide into it. One problem is that these choices cost more. They may be worth the extra money, though. Invasive pests cost the U.S. $5 billion a year. Trees don’t just die in forests. They also die in cities and our yards. Then, they need to be replaced. That costs money, too.

【推荐1】Recently we celebrated my grandmother’s 90th birthday. Family members traveled to my hometown to visit her. This was the first time in many years that I had seen so many of them. Though this was an opportunity to see family, many people did not make it. Honestly, living far from hometown, I had missed many family gatherings. But this one made me realize how much I was really missing.

It seemed strange when I was looking at the faces, realizing whom they were and greeting them with open arms. After chatting for a while, we caught up on each other’s news. Several relatives suggested having a family reunion soon if everyone wasn’t so busy. But my grandmother’s generation was much busier, yet still found time to gather. They understood the importance of visiting one another. They knew time is flying and that those you care about most won’t be here forever.

Today, we focus on our careers and raising our kids. Our extended family isn’t the center it once was. Besides, we keep in touch on social media. But what we really miss are the potato salad, the moments of laughter and sudden bursts of excitement when we hug someone we haven’t seen for over 10 years. Although the next get-together is always a year or so away, people aren’t goods and everyone has an expiration (到期) date.

I left my grandmother’s party with a much better sense of who I am and where I come from. I spent valuable time with people who contributed to who I am today. I had forgotten how much I love them and I was reminded how much I am loved.

【推荐2】People often say that the Englishman’s home is his castle. They mean that the home is very important and personal to him. Most people in Britain live in houses rather than flats, and many people own their homes. This means that they can make them individual; they can paint them, and change them in any way they like. Most houses have a garden, even if it is a very small one, and the garden is usually loved. The house and the garden are the private space of the individual.

People usually like to mark their space. Are you sitting now in your home or on a train? Have you marked the space around yourself as your? If you are on the train you may put your coat or small bag on the seat beside you. If you share a flat, you may have one corner or chair which is your own.

Once I was travelling on a train to London. I was in a section for four people and there was a table between us. There was no space on my side of the table at all. I was angry. Maybe he thought that he owned the whole table. I had read a book about non­verbal communication, so I took various papers out of my bag and put them on his briefcase! When I did this he stiffened and his eyes nearly popped (瞪出) out of his head. I had invaded (侵犯) his space! A few minutes later I took my papers off his case in order to read them. He immediately moved his case to his side of the table. Of course, it is possible that he just wanted to be helpful to me!

If you are visiting another country, you may feel that you don’t have any private space. Hotel rooms look much the same in every country in the world. All day long, you share public spaces with other people. You see the local people in their private spaces and you feel lonely and “outside”. Local people can create their private spaces by talking about things you don’t know about. And you even feel that they like you to be outside them so that they will enjoy being inside even more! This is one of the difficulties of being a traveler! But if you understand it then it helps you. Haven’t you enjoyed being part of a group and “owning” a bit of space?

【推荐3】My first reaction was annoyance. It was Friday afternoon, and I was within an hour of finishing my work for the week. As I was leaving, a nurse brought ne one more patient message. The statement read: "Mrs. Jones called to say that she has had blurred vision(视觉模糊)ever since her medical test this morning." I smiled. Suddenly our tests were causing eye problems.

This week my patients had questioned everything. My patient with high blood pressure had stopped coming to her treatment on the advice of an Internet chat room. A woman who had a mental problem was substituting St. John's word for her medication. Now Mrs. Jones was imagining problems. I rolled my eyes.

My second reaction was worry. As I looked through her record, I tried to figure out why she would have blurred vision, but nothing in her record explained the new problem. She's probably just anxious, I thought. Still, she wouldn't have called if she had been all right. I picked up the phone.

What I next felt can only be described as delight. Before I made the call, the nurse ran in Mrs, Jones called. Her vision is fine. Turns out she picked up the wrong glasses when she left the office. The X-ray technician has been having the same problem. I let out a laugh. Mrs. Jones had been right. Her vision had been blurred. Now we know why.

Finally I felt shame. I came to realize what Mrs. Jones had taught me. I had first known she was wrong that her anxiety had clouded her judgment. Instead, my medical training had clouded mine. Now I feel thankful that Mrs. Jones figured it out before 1 made a mistake about our relationship. Patients come to me for my help. They pay me to listen, diagnose, treat and talk. That suggests trust; I must remember that, and trust them too.