【推荐1】Home fires can happen quickly, destroying lives and property, but unlike other disasters, most home fires can be prevented. Read on to learn 4 unexpected home fire dangers.

Having old smoke alarms

An effective smoke alarm can make much difference when it comes to surviving a house fire. It's not enough to change the batteries twice a year, you also need to replace your alarms every decade. "You should test your smoke alarms every month, "says Lorraine Carli, vice president of the National Fire Protection Association. "But also don't forget to check the dates and replace an alarm that is more than10 years old."

Leaving the kitchen while you cook

One in five Americans admitted leaving food cooking unattended on the stove, found an American Red Cross survey. Walking away from food cooking in the kitchen is a serious fire risk." The leading cause of home fires is cooking and the leading cause of those fires is unattended cooking," says Carli. If you need to use the stove or oven, be sure to keep an eye on it.”

Turning the heat too high when you cook

Turning up the heat too high can be deadly, even if you're in the kitchen while you cook. Kevin Kelley, senior director of the American Red Cross, recommends paying close attention and turning off the burner if you see smoke or grease(油脂)starting to boil while frying food.

Having a dirty stove while you cook

If your stove is covered with grease, a small kitchen fire can get out of hand quickly. Clean and clear the area around the stove before turning on the heat, or the result will be dangerous.

【推荐2】My husband and I had been married nearly twenty-two years when I acquired Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a disorder where my immune system (免疫系统) responded to a virus by producing painful blisters (水疱). Although my long-term evaluation was good, I, who had been so fiercely independent, rapidly became absolutely helpless.

My husband, Scott, stepped up to the plate, taking care of kids and cooking dinners. He also became my personal caretaker, applying the medicine to all of my blisters because my hands couldn’t do the job. Needless to say, I had negative emotions, bouncing from embarrassment to shame caused by total reliance on someone other than myself.

At one point when I had mentally and physically hit bottoms I remember thinking that Scott must somehow love me more than I could ever love him. With my illness, he had become the stronger one, and I the weaker one. And this disturbed me.

I recovered from my illness, but I couldn’t seem to recover from the thought that I loved my husband less than he loved me. This seeming distinction in our love continued to annoy me for the year following my illness.

Then recently Scott and I went on a long bike ride. He’s an experienced cyclist; I’m quite the green hand. At one point with a strong headwind and sharp pain building in my tired legs, I really thought I couldn’t go any further. Seeing me struggle, Scott pulled in front of me and yelled over his shoulder, “Stay close behind me.” As I fell into the draft of his six- foot- three- inch frame and followed his steps, I discovered that my legs quit burning and I was able to catch my breath. My husband was pulling me along again. At this very moment I woke up to what I now believe: during these and other tough times, love has the opportunity to become stronger when one partner learns to lean on the other.

I pray my husband will always be strong and healthy. But if he should ever become the struggling one, whether on a bike ride or with an illness, I trust I’ll be ready to call out to him: Stay close behind me-my turn to pull you along.

【推荐3】Many adults see rainy days as perfect for relaxing and curling up with a good book or a favorite movie.     1     They want to run, play, and release their pent-up energy. The situation isn’t hopeless, though. There are many rainy day activities that are perfect for children of all ages.

As soon as kids begin to feel frustrated from being trapped in the house, they will become destructive, and the kitchen table and chairs will become jungle gyms. In this case, help them to release their energy in a productive manner. Try turning the music loud and dancing.    2    

Rainy days often lead to a desire for sweet treats, so make baking one of kids’ favorite rainy day activities. Grab the kids and make some cookies, cakes or pies. Allow the kids to do most of the work, except for handling sharp objects or touching the stove or oven.    3     They will also be content with a stomach full of warm cookies and milk.

    4    These give the kids a chance to develop their imagination and improve their fine motor skills. Set the kids up in an area of the house that is easily cleaned up. Allow them to explore their creativity.

Playing dress-up is one of kids’ favorite rainy day activities. Pull out some clothes that aren’t worn often and have the kids dress up.    5     If a video camera is handy, record it and let the kids watch it with a bag of popcorn.

【推荐1】As a young man, Ralph was a skilled artist, a potter. He had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his eldest son developed a severe stomachache. Thinking it was only some common intestinal (肠道的) disorder, neither Ralph nor his wife took the condition very seriously. But the disease was actually acute appendicitis (阑尾炎) and the boy died suddenly that night.

Knowing the death could have been prevented if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, Ralph's emotional health declined under the enormous burden of his guilt. To make matters worse, his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than Ralph could handle, and he turned to alcohol to help him as a way of reducing mental stress. As a result, Ralph became an alcoholic. As the alcoholism progressed, Ralph began to lose everything he possessed-his home, his land, his art objects, everything. Eventually Ralph died alone in a San Francisco motel room.

When I heard of Ralph's death, I reacted with the same contempt the world shows for one who ends his life with nothing material to show for it. "What a complete failure!" I thought, "What a totally wasted!"

As time went by, I began to reevaluate my earlier rash (草率的) judgment. You see, I knew Ralph's now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most caring, most loving men I have ever known. I watched Ernie with my children and saw the free flow of love between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.

I hadn't heard Ernie talk much about his father. It is so hard to defend an alcoholic. One day I worked up my courage and decided to ask him. "I'm really puzzled by something," I said. "I know your father was basically the only one to raise you. What on earth did he do so that you became such a special person?"

Ernie sat quietly and reflected for a few moments. Then he said, "From my earliest memories as a child until I left home at 18, Ralph came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, 'I love you, son.'"

Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to judge Ralph as a failure. He had not left any material possessions behind. But he had left behind one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known.

【推荐2】“How do you account for your remarkable accomplishment in life?” Queen Victoria of the UK asked Helen Keller. “How do you explain the fact that even though you were both blind and deaf you were able to accomplish so much?”

Ms.Keller’s answer is a tribute to her dedicated teacher. “If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown.”

According to speaker Zig Ziglar, “Little Annie” Sullivan, as she was called when she was young, was no stranger to hardship.“She was almost sightless herself (due to a childhood fever) and was, at one time, diagnosed as hopelessly” insane by her caregivers. She was locked in a dark underground room of a mental institution because of mental problems. Little Anne Sullivan would attack anyone who came near sometimes. However, an elderly nurse believed there was hope and she offered to help the child. Every day she made all her efforts to give little Anne words of love and encouragement. She believed Little Annie could recover, if only she were shown love.

Eventually, doctors noticed the change in the girl. Where they once witnessed anger and hatred, they now noted a gentleness and love. They moved her upstairs where she continued to improve. Then the day finally came when this seemingly ”hopeless’’ child was released.

Anne Sullivan grew into a young woman with a desire to help others as she herself was helped by the kind nurse. It was she who saw the great potential in Helen Keller. She loved her, disciplined her, played with her, pushed her and worked with her until the flickering candle that was her life became a beacon of light to the world. Anne Sullivan worked wonders in Helen’s life; but it was a loving nurse who first believed in Little Annie and lovingly transformed an uncommunicative child into a compassionate teacher.

“If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown.” But if it had not been for a kind and dedicated nurse, the name of Anne Sullivan would have remained unknown.