1 . “Our first duty is to the place that raised us,” Omar Freilla says. “For me, it’s the South Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop.”

Although the South Bronx was one of the nation’s poorest and most polluted areas, with crowded roads and poisonous industrial sites, Omar saw a different kind of potential amidst its challenges. He envisioned a new approach to the mountains of discarded materials.

“A lot of what people throw away is perfectly good,” he says. Omar was just out of college and he started thinking about how he could get this “good garbage” to people who could use it. Instead of destroying things like old windows and doors, why not clean them up and resell them? Why not hire people who live in the community to do the work? Better yet, why not make this business a “cooperative”, which means that the people who work in the business own it and share the profits?

To start his business, Omar put up flyers along the truck-jammed, trash-filled streets of his neighborhood, looking for people to work with him. He soon found four other dedicated workers. They rented a warehouse (仓库) and started looking for donations of used materials.

They called up hardware stores (五金店), building supply distributors, and contractors, providing free shipping from construction sites. Their warehouse began to fill up. A hardware store gave 2,000 gallons of paint that was still good but was being thrown away because it was past its expiration date (产品有效期). A distributor donated 80 new toilets from a project that had been canceled. Contractors added unwanted doors, sinks, ceiling fans — even theater seats and a giant popcorn machine!

In April 2008, Omar’s cooperative opened its doors for business and began selling construction supplies — at reasonable prices — to neighborhood builders and homeowners. With the help of city officials, he also began planning a new training program to help local residents learn the skills they need to get good jobs that help the environment and even start cooperatives of their own.

Not in history has a modern city been so     1     (complete) destroyed. San Francisco is gone. The factories, warehouses, great stores, newspaper buildings, and hotels, are all gone. There remain only some houses on the outskirts of     2     was once San Francisco

Within     3     hour after the earthquake shock, the smoke of San Francisco’s burning was a horrible tower visible a hundred miles away. And for three days and nights this tower of fire swayed in the sky, reddening the sun, darkening the day, and     4     (fill) the land with smoke.

On Wednesday morning at a quarter past five     5     (come) the earthquake. A minute later the flames were leaping upward. There was no     6     (oppose) the flames. There was no organization, no communication. All the     7     (innovate) creations of a twentieth-century city had been broken by the earthquake. The streets were twisted out of shape and piled with the remains of     8     (fall) walls. The steel rails were twisted     9     different angles, the telephone and telegraph systems were cut off, and the great water mains had burst. All had been destroyed by thirty     10     (second) trembling of the earth.

3 . Lightning can strike anyplace on Earth. In fact, there are about 6,000 lightning strikes every minute, which is more than 8 million strikes every day. The risk of being struck by lightning is low, but the consequences of lightning strike injuries are serious. Even though your home is a safe shelter during a lightning storm, you might still be at risk. About one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur indoors.     1    

Avoid water.

Do NOT bathe, shower, wash dishes, or have any other contact with water during a thunderstorm.     2    

    3    

Do NOT use anything connected to an electrical outlet (电源插座), such as computers, game systems, washers, or stoves. Lightning can travel through electrical systems, radio and television reception systems, and any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.

Avoid windows, doors, porches, and concrete.

    4     Do NOT lie on concrete floors or lean on concrete walls during a thunderstorm. Lightning can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.

Don’t use corded (有线的) phones.

Corded phones are NOT safe to use during a thunderstorm. Do NOT use them.     5    

Follow the safety measures above can minimize your risk of being injured indoors on lighting days. Don’t take it for granted that only outdoor activities can put you in a dangerous place. Keep it in mind that inappropriate indoor activities can also be disastrous.

7 . Depending on the right combination of currents and wind, a large mass of Sargassum “seaweed”circling the Gulf of Mexico may soon wash up along the US coast near Florida. The bloom (藻华)，which is likely to be the largest ever recorded，is visible from space.

Sargassum is a type of leafy, rootless algae that form large floating mats on the ocean floor. It can be found in the Sargasso Sea and was first mentioned by Christopher Columbus in 1492 when he was afraid his ship would become trapped in it.

Sargassum is an important habitat for marine species because it provides food, shelter, and breeding grounds. It absorbs carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, just like other floating marine vegetation, according to Phys.org. However, when tons of it gathers along coastlines, it sends out a terrible strong smell which can cause headaches, eye discomfort, and upset stomachs. Too much algae on beaches can harm marine ecosystems and make it difficult for people to keep on with their recreational and fishing activities, costing communities millions of dollars.

Scientists have been tracking the formation of large Sargassum blooms. However, this year’s bloom could be the largest ever, covering more than 8,800 kilometers from the coasts of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico and weighing 10 million tons.

It is critical to improve Sargassum management. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) not only advocates best practices in Sargassum cleanup and removal, but also cooperates with governments and communities to develop policies, standards, and measures to protect public and environmental health. FAO is also promoting ways to repurpose Sargassum, turning it into products to provide additional employment and income. In fact, small businesses are already using Sargassum to make bricks, shoes, soaps and paper. Larger businesses are considering turning Sargassum into renewable energy, bioplastics, and compost.