A rich man was riding along the road and saw an old man digging in his garden. There was a young tree lying on the ground. The rich man asked the old man, “What kind of tree are you planting there, my good man?”

“This is a fig (无花果) tree, sir,” he said.

“A fig tree?” the rich man was very surprised. “Why, how old are you, may I ask?”

“I am ninety years old.”

“What!” shouted the rich man. “You’re ninety years old. You are planting a very young tree now and it’ll take years to give fruits. You certainly don’t hope to live long enough to get any fruits from this tree.” The old man smiled and said, “Tell me, sir, did you eat figs when you were a boy?” “Sure.” The man did not know why he asked this question.

The old man asked, “Who planted the fig trees?”

“Who? I don’t know.”

“You see, sir,” the old man said slowly, “Our forefathers (祖先) planted trees for us to enjoy and I am doing the same for the people after me.”

The rich man was quiet, then said, “You are right, my good man. We should do some things for the people after us. Thank you very much.”Then he rode away.

A rainstorm swept through two villages in the New Territories and fourteen houses fell down. Seven others were so badly damaged (被损坏的) that their owners had to leave them. And fifteen others had broken windows. One person was killed, several were badly hurt and taken to hospital, and a number of other people were hurt slightly. Over two hundred people were homeless after the rainstorm.

A farmer, Mr. Tan said that the rainstorm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour.

“I was eating with my wife and children when we heard a loud noise,” he said. “A few minutes later our house fell down. We tried our best to climb out but then I realized that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him, safe but scared.”

Mrs. Woo Mei Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she felt that her house was shaking. She ran outside at once with her children. “There was no time to take anything,” she said “A few minutes later, the house fell down.”

Soldiers helped to take people out of the flooded (水淹的) area and the government (政府) brought them food, clothes and shelters.

Nature’s warnings (大自然的警告)

When the sky suddenly turns dark and the wind is strong, be careful! A dangerous storm might be coming. The black clouds and the strong winds are nature’s warnings. If you find them, don’t wait for rain. Act right away to keep safe.

Safety Steps

When you see lightning flash (闪电), quickly get into a building. Even after you are indoors, it is not smart to go near doors and windows.     12     A room with no windows is the safest place to be. Do not wash your hands during a storm. Do not risk using anything that runs on electricity (电), either. Although you really want to play computer games, don’t!     13     Try reading a book instead. Reading is more fun than playing computer games.

If you can’t get to somewhere safe, stay out in the open. You may feel safe under a tree, but that is not a good place to be.     14     If you don’t, some loud noises may have your hearing hurt.

Lightning Strikes (雷击)

Lightning does not strike people very often.     15     But if you do, call 120. Only trained workers should care for a person who has been hit by lightning.

If you follow these rules, you should stay safe during a storm.