What’s the weather going to be like tomorrow? In fact, we can know it by checking out nature.

Want to know how hot it is outside? Listen to a cricket (蟋蟀)! The more it sings in a minute, the hotter it is. Spiders (蜘蛛) can make a prediction of cold weather. If you find a lot of spiders inside your house, it means it might get cold soon. Spiders go indoors when the weather is cool, so be careful with them in the dark places of your home.

Pine cones (松果) can tell whether dry weather is coming. Pine cones open their scales (鳞片) when the weather gets very dry. They do this to spread seeds (传播种子). When the air is a little wet, they close up to keep their seeds dry. Pine seeds travel by wind, so they have to stay as dry and light as possible in order to fly.

Nature is man’s teacher. Man should protect the nature, and man should get along well with it. There is much more that people can learn from nature.

4 . The Big Stone River is one of the most amazing stone rivers in the world.

The Big Stone River is the most interesting sight (景象) of Taganai Park in Russia. Different from other rivers, it is filled with rocks and stones. Not a drop of water can be seen. Interestingly, as one comes near to the rocky river, the sound of running water can be hear rocks fell down from the mountains slowly and made the river of rocks.

The Big Stone River is about 6 km long and is made up of many small rocky rivers. It cuts through a thick forest like a real river. It is about 200 meters wide and in some places, it is up to 700 meters wide. Some of the rocks weigh up to 10 tons each and the layer (层) of rocks goes down 6 meters deep.

Scientists believe it is the consequence of the movement of glaciers (冰川) about 10,000 years ago. At that time, ice covered the top of the mountains. As time went by, the ice turned into water. The Seeing the amazing river is a great experience. The best way to experience this natural wonder is from above. Come and visit it when you come to Russia.

5 . This famous poem (诗), Happy Rain on a Spring Night, was written by Du Fu (712—770, the Tang Dynasty) when he was living and farming in Chengdu. His farming experience taught him to be thankful (感谢) to nature and it is shown in this poem.

The very first word, “good”, shows the poet’s joy and love for the spring rain. The rain is good because it “knows” the proper time to come. Here the poet uses personification (拟人), as if the rain was smart enough to come in time for the farmers’ busy season.

When the rain comes, it appears during the night without making any noise. Unlike the summer storms, the spring rain finishes its task without being known.

In the third couplet (对句), the poet describes a peaceful scene to us. In the night sky, the clouds look dark and heavy. It’s a sign that there will be enough rain during the night. The light from the boat makes the dark scene a bit livelier.

Lastly, the poet starts to imagine. Tomorrow morning, he thinks, the city of Chengdu will become beautiful when all of the flowers bloom after the rain.

6 . On November 13, 2023, people across Kenya (肯尼亚) took part in their first national tree-planting holiday. The holiday was created to encourage people to plant trees.

Kenya is famous for its beautiful forests and wildlife. But large areas of Kenya’s forests have been cut down, either for the wood or for farming. So there is less and less land covered by forests in Kenya. The government has a goal of planting 15 billion trees by 2032 to cover 30% of its land with trees.

In early November, the government announced (宣布) National Tree Growing Day would fall on November 13. To prepare for the day, the government got 150 million young trees ready for planting. The government also created a special app to help organize the tree planting. The app helps people collect young trees, find places to plant, and record their efforts. It also helps the government find out how many trees have been planted in different areas around the country.

On that day, people all over Kenya turned out (出现) in large numbers to take part in the holiday. In the capital, hundreds of people joined in, even though it was raining. Government leaders led planting efforts in different parts of the country. Workers, students, families and other groups showed up to take part.

9 .

What subject do you worry about the most at school? Many students worry about math. Some students can’t sleep well the day before a math exam. Others may feel very nervous during the exam itself. But there might be a way to make the subject less stressful.

“For students who are worried about math, posture (姿势) makes a big difference,” Erik Peper, a researcher from a university told Daily Mail. That’s right—sitting up straight can help you do better in math exams.

Researchers tested 125 college students. They asked them to do a math exam while sitting in a slumped-over (趴倒的) position, or sitting up straight. After the test, 56% of the students said the exam was easier to do if they were sitting up straight.

Slumping over is a defensive (防备的) posture. It can bring out negative (消极的) memories in the body and brain. This can stop you from thinking clearly, Peper said.

Students who were not nervous about taking the math exam didn’t necessarily benefit (受益) from better posture. But they did find that doing math in a slumped-over position was more difficult, Science Daily reported.

Good posture isn’t just helpful for taking math exams. Musicians, sports players and public speakers can all benefit from it. When you feel stressed out, you can also try to sit up straight or stand tall. It can help you feel more positive (积极的) and focus better.

10 . On average (平均), firefighters get a fire call every 24 second s in the US. Every 87 seconds, a home fire happens. Just between January 1st, 2019 and January 1st, 2024, there were 11,180 home fire deaths in the country. But the best escape time for a fire is just three minutes or less. So everyone should pay attention to fire safety at home.

To avoid starting a fire, we must know common causes. Cooking tools are the number-one cause of home fires. Be especially careful when using them. Never leave the kitchen while cooking and make sure the tools are completely off after cooking. Electrical appliances (电器) can lead to a fire, so check them often to make sure they are working properly. Smoking is another common cause of house fires. It’s never a good idea to smoke indoors, so take a few steps to go out. Last, don’t forget little kids. They usually find fire exciting and think of fire as a toy. So keep them away from fire and teach them about dangers of fire.

How can we prevent home fires? The following tips may help.

Get smoke alarms

The first step is to install (安装) enough smoke alarms through your home. Get one in every room.

Prepare fire extinguishers

Keep fire extinguishers (灭火器) available at home. They can put out small fires. Check them often to make sure they work properly.

Create a plan for escape

A good plan should start with two escape ways from every room. Then know how fast your family can run, tell kids when and how to get out, and make a house map with all doors and windows. At last, choose a meeting place outside. And don't forget to practice it often with every family member.

You might think that these fire safety tips are common sense. However, it's difficult to think of them especially when you're in a life-and-death moment. Take action with the tips and never take fire safety lightly at home.

CREATE AND PRACTICEAHOME FIRE ESCAPE PLAN