1 .

Everyone tries to get to school on time. But when bad weather gives you trouble, can you still make it before the bell rings?

In northern China during spring, big sandstorms (沙尘暴) often make trouble for students and everyone else. When the sky is dark with sand (沙子), buses and cars all move much more slowly. Sometimes, people can’t even see for 20 meters. Sandstorms usually happen in spring. They have happened in more than 10 provinces in northern China this year.

People in southern China don’t have to worry about this kind of bad weather. Most of the sand comes from Gansu and Inner Mongolia (内蒙古). In northern China, lots of places have few trees and don’t get much rain. People there have been cutting down too many trees. When there aren’t many trees, the ground can’t keep enough water. Over the years, the ground dries up and turns to sand. When spring comes and the ice melts (融化), the ground becomes looser (更松散的). Strong winds take the loose sand into the sky.

Sandstorms are bad for people’s health. If people breathe too much sand, they could cough or have asthma (哮喘). Sandstorms also give farmers lots of problems. Sometimes their sheep get lost in the storms and never get back home. The winds also tear down farmers’ houses.

To stop sandstorms, you can ask your parents to help you plant some trees this spring. If you see people cutting down too many trees, tell them about the dangers of sandstorms, and ask your government to stop them from cutting.

2 . A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey (在土耳其发生7.8级地震) on February 6, 2023. What were you doing when you heard of the news? We asked some people and here were their answers.

5 . Earthquakes usually come without warning. What should you do if this happens to you? An earthquake is dangerous, but there is still something you can do to protect yourself.

Stay calm as the earth begins to shake.

Your chance of survival in an earthquake goes up if you can keep calm. Staying calm is not easy, but it can save your life.

If you are inside when the earthquake starts, hide under a table or a bed.

You need to have something strong over your head to protect you from falling objects. Do not stand near walls or windows and stay out of the kitchen. The kitchen is dangerous because of many glass objects.

If you are outside, get to an open area as fast as you can.

Stay away from buildings and tress. If you are in a car, pull over (靠边停) to a place where there are no trees or tall buildings and stay in the car. If you are close to the sea, try to get as far away from the water as possible. Earthquakes can cause huge waves (浪) that can really harm the people nearby.

When the earthquake is over, there is still plenty of danger.

For example, fires often come with an earthquake. If you see a fire, quickly move outdoors to an open area.

Always remember to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

6 . Last Friday a storm swept through two villages in the New Territories, destroying (摧毁) fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged (破坏) that their owners had to leave them, and fifteen others had broken windows or broken roofs(屋顶). One person was killed, several were badly hurt and taken to hospital, and a number of other people received smaller hurt. Altogether (总共) over two hundred people were homeless(无家可归) after the storm.

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

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

Mrs. Wu Meifeng said that her husband had just left for work when she felt that her house was moving. She ran outside at once with her children.

“There was no time to take anything，” she said. “A few minutes later, the roof came down.”

Soldiers(战士)helped to take people out of the flooded (水淹的) area and the welfare department (福利机构) brought them food, clothes and something to stay at.

7 . Everyone tries to get to school on time. But when bad weather gives you trouble, can you still make it before the bell rings?

In northern China during spring, big sandstorms (沙尘暴)often make trouble for students and everyone else. When the sky is dark with sand, buses and cars all move much more slowly. Sometimes, people can’t even see for 20 metres.

Sandstorms usually happen in spring. This year, sandstorms started in late March. They have happened in more than 10 provinces in northern China this year. More than 70 million people have had problems in those places because of the sandstorms.

People in southern China don’t have to worry about this kind of bad weather. Most of the sand comes from Gansu and Inner Mongolia（内蒙古）. In northern China, lots of places have few trees and don’t get much rain. People there have been cutting down too many trees. When there aren’t many trees, the ground can’t keep enough water. Over the years, the ground dries up and turns to sand. When spring comes and the ice melts（融化）, the ground becomes looser（更松散的）. Strong winds take the loose sand into the sky.

Sandstorms are bad for people’s health. If people breathe（呼吸）too much sand, they could cough or have asthma（哮喘）.

Sandstorms also give farmers lots of problems. Sometimes their sheep get lost in the storms and never get back home. The winds alsotear downfarmers’ houses.

What can you do to stop sandstorms? Here’s an idea: Ask your parents to help you plant some trees this spring.

If you see people cutting down too many trees, tell them about the dangers of sandstorms, and ask your government to stop them from cutting.

Do you know what makes lightning（闪电）?Why does lightning strike（击打）?

Lightning strikes happen when ice and water in clouds rub（摩擦）together, and cause atmospheric（大气层的）changes. When this happens, it creates a static charge（静电）．Lightning can strike inside the cloud, between two clouds or between a cloud and Earth. It’s the last kind of strike that is the most dangerous for humans.

Lightning can be very dangerous. Every year, lightning kills people because it can start big fires or because it reaches a temperature of 28, 000 ℃. About 1, 000 people are hit by lightning every year in the United States, and about 100 of them die as a result.

Lightning makes people shocked, and it happens all over the world! Scientists think that there are more than three million lightning strikes every day in the world—that’s thirty strikes every second（秒）. An American man Roy Sullivan, who worked in a park, survived from the most lightning strikes. Between 1942 and 1983, he was hit seven times! And he keeps the highest world record.

Lightning is sure not something to play with. When lightning strikes, it’s best to stay inside a large building. To stay safe, do not stand under trees, on hills or near water. Also, do not lie down on the ground, or the electricity may go through you and cause a heart problem.

9 . Typhoons（台风）in the northern part of the world have girls’ names. Sometimes they have very beautiful names. Rose is a pretty name but there was nothing pretty about Typhoon Rose. It was the worst typhoon to hit Hong Kong in more than thirty years.

It began to rain early on the morning of Monday, August 16^th, 1971. At ten o’clock in the morning, Typhoon Rose was still 130 miles away but already the wind was blowing people’s umbrellas away. The wind became stronger and stronger. The typhoon shelters（避风港）were soon full of boats. Ships that were too big to go inside the shelters put down more anchors（锚）. Some very big ships went out to sea. It is safer for a big ship to be at sea in a typhoon because then it cannot be blown onto rocks. Kai Tak Airport closed. No planes were able to take off or land. At 9:00 in the evening, all lights went out.

No one slept well that night. It is difficult to sleep in such bad weather.

In Typhoon Rose, more than one hundred people died. 229 people were injured（受伤）and 66 of these had to go to hospital. 1,500 people lost their homes. The people of Hong Kong will no quickly forget Typhoon Rose!

10 . Oct 29, 2012 was a dark day for the American people. A huge hurricane (飓风) named Sandy hit the US, along with thunderstorms, heavy snow and flooding. It caused great damage in many places. Cities like New York were left with flooded streets and no electricity.

A hurricane is a kind of tropical cyclone (热带气旋) that is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, South Pacific, or North Atlantic Ocean. When it appears in the northwestern Pacific, it is called a typhoon. Southern China has the longest record of experiencing typhoons in the area.

So hurricanes and typhoons are the same thing; the only difference is where they happen. They form on the sea and are caused by temperature differences.

There is another kind of cyclone called a tornado. A tornado forms from the twisting (扭曲) of rising air. It's a violently rotating (旋转的) column of air that connects with clouds above it and the land below.

Tornados form on the land and often begin with thunderstorms. The US has the most tornados of any country. This is because of some of the special features of the North American continent. The continent spreads from the tropical north to the arctic (北极的). There are no large mountains from east to west, so it is easy for warm and cold air to meet. When this happens, thunderstorms soon follow.

As for Hurricane Sandy, scientists believe that it began due to unusually warm water. Then it joined with a large Arctic weather system, which increased its size and changed it into a winter storm with far more power.