2 . It has been over 150 years since the Great Chicago Fire. The 1871 fire killed an estimated 300 people. It turned the heart of the city, wood-frame buildings quickly constructed on wooden sidewalks, into ruins, and left 100,000 people homeless. Like the Great Fire of London in 1666, the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Great Chicago Fire reminds us that big cities can still be frail.

But that same night, about 250 miles north of Chicago, more than 1,200 people died in and around Peshtigo. It was the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history. Survivors said the fire moved like a hurricane, jumping across Green Bay to light forests on the opposite shore.

Chicago’s fire came to be seen as a disaster that also led to the invention of steel skyscrapers, raised up on the city’s ashes. It has overshadowed the Peshtigo Fire. And for years, the two were seen as separate disasters. However, many of those houses and sidewalks that burned in Chicago had been built with trees grown around Peshtigo.

Chicago’s fire was long blamed - falsely - on an Irish-immigrant family’s cow kicking over a lantern. Some people thought the Peshtigo Fire started when pieces of a comet (彗星) landed in the forest, which has never been proven.

What we understand better today was that the Midwest was historically dry in the summer of 1871. When a low-pressure front with cooler temperatures rolled in, it produced winds, which can fan sparks (火星) into wildfires. The fires themselves generated more winds. Several parts of nearby Michigan also burned during the same few days ; at least 500 people were killed there.

At present, all of those fires on an autumn night in 1871 might help us see even more clearly how rising global temperatures and severe droughts, from Australia to Algeria to California, have made forests easier to burn, and people more likely to be harmed by the climate changes we’ ve helped create.

Climate protection strategy is fascinating the globe during the 19th Asian Games, not just athletic talent .    1     (boost) climate cooperation, China, with the centuries old history and unique culture, is using green measures. Hangzhou city has adopted a     2     (practice) eco approach. The emphasis of the Asian Games     3     (be) on “green, intellectual, frugal, and civilized” contests, reflecting a trend toward more ecologically friendly and sustainable practices in major events.

Avoiding fireworks during the opening ceremony promotes environmental awareness. Traditional fireworks displays are fun     4     pollute the air. The Asian Games intend to exhibit a     5     (commit) to sustainability while providing an engaging and memorable experience     6     all guests by replacing this event with digitally powered visual effects and sound presentations. The Asian Games’ eco friendly licensed items include backpacks     7     (make) from recycled bottles and frisbees from rice husks (谷壳). As all Asian Games venues and facilities employ green energy, the event’s green elements demonstrate China’s recent green transformation and     8     (it) responsibility and promise to meet the dual carbon goals.

The Games Village gave residents a “Low Carbon Account” as part of the green measures. Carbon points     9     (use) in promoting low carbon habits including p late recycling, green commuting, and plastic-free purchasing. Points could be traded for low-carbon Olympic mascots and other prizes. China continues to carry out a climate change policy, develop     10     better carbon market, and participate in global climate governance. China aims to peak and neutralize carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and 2060.

5 . Lightning (闪电) is a beautiful and inspiring phenomenon, but it can be deadly. Over the past 30 years, lightning has killed an average of 67 people per year in the United States alone.     1     . Follow these steps to safety the next time there’s fire in the sky.

Find shelter immediately

If you find yourself caught in a lightning storm, never stand under a tree, and avoid being close to power lines as they’re both excellent conductors (导体) of electricity and could potentially cause death, if not serious injury.     2     . It’s the key to minimizing danger.

Watch out for dangers

Windows provide a direct path for the lightning to travel. Keep windows closed, stay away from them and try to stay within inner rooms of the structure.     3     Using a landline phone is the main cause of lightning-related injuries. Lightning can travel into the home from through any material that conducts electricity. This includes landlines, electrical wiring, and plumbing.

    4    

Being near water is extremely dangerous during a lightning storm, so move away from the body of water. If you are fishing, swimming or on a boat, get out of the water immediately and hurry back to the bank.

Stay inside

Stay inside at least 30 minutes after the last strike. Don’t go out just because the rain is starting to let up. There is still a significant risk of lightning strikes from a departing storm.     5     .

Lightning is dangerous but you can minimize your risk. The advice is simple: increase the awareness of avoiding danger and master proper knowledge to protect yourself from a thunderstorm.

The 6.2-magnitude earthquake    1    hit an ethnic county lying    2     Northwest China’s Gansu province midnight Monday has killed 111 people in Gansu and neighboring Qinghai province, according to local earthquake relief headquarters.

According to China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake    3     (strike) at 11:59 pm Monday and has a focal depth of 10 km. The epicenter, Liugou township, is about 8 km from the county seat of Jishishan Bao’an, Dongxiang, Sala autonomous county in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu.

Witnesses told Xinhua the earthquake caused damages on houses, roads and other infrastructures. Several villages have suffered power failures and shortage of water.

According to local meteorological authorities, the    4     (day) low temperature in Jishishan is reported    5     (reach) minus 10 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

The provincial fire and rescue department has sent 580 rescuers    6     (aid) with 88 fire engines, 12 search and rescue dogs, more than 10,000 sets of equipment to the disaster area.

The railway authority has suspended passenger and cargo trains     7     (pass) through the quake zone and ordered a safety check of railway tracks.

Hu Changsheng, Party chief of Gansu, and Ren Zhenhe, governor of Gansu, rushed to the disaster area to command rescue and    8     (relieve) effort.

It was reported that every effort    9     (make) to provide assistance to    10    were affected and to restore normality to the region as quickly as possible.

Bhutan’s snow leopard (雪豹) population     1     (increase) by 39.5% since 2016, according to a new survey. Findings from over 10,000 camera trap images confirmed the presence of 134 snow leopards in the country, an     2     (impress) jump from the baseline of 96 snow leopards in 2016.

    3     survey showed promising evidence that Bhutan’s conservation efforts impact snow leopard populations     4     (positive). It involved 310 camera traps across 2.2 million acres of the big cat’s habitat.

“With less than 3% of the habitat surveyed, there are serious knowledge gaps in the population status of snow leopards,” said Dechen Dorji, Senior Director for Asia, Wildlife Conservation. “A 39.5% increase in Bhutan’s snow leopard population is remarkable and calls for the urgent need to     5     (strength) the population assessment efforts. These amazing     6     (creature) deserve our continued care and protection from illegal hunting, habitat destruction, and conflicts with people. Finding effective co-existence measures between local communities     7     snow leopards must continue to be at the top of the list.”

Although the news is uplifting, the species is still listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It     8     (threaten) globally by habitat losses, food shortage, conflicts with humans, and the climate crisis,     9     (request) continued protection to address these threats,     10     also affect the other wildlife in their habitat.