2 . Schools across the US East Coast canceled outdoor activities, commercial airline traffic was slowed and millions of Americans were urged to stay indoors on Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, blanketing cities in thick and yellow smoke.

“It’s critical that Americans experiencing dangerous air pollution, especially those with health conditions, listen to local authorities to protect themselves and their families,” US President Joe Biden said.

New York’s world-famous skyline, usually visible for miles, disappeared because of the smoke, which some residents said made them feel unwell.

“It makes breathing difficult,” Mohammed Abass said as he walked down Broadway in Manhattan. “I’ve been scheduled for a road test for driving, for my driving license today, and it was canceled.”

“It looks like Mars out there,” said Fox Forecast Center meteorologist Brian Mastro just before 2 p.m.

New York Goveror Kathy Hochul called the situation an “emergency crisis,” noting that the air pollution index for parts of her state were eight times above normal.

In Bethesda, Maryland, a high school moved its graduation ceremony indoors, while a Brooklyn, New York, elementary school deferred its “Spring Fling” dance party. A school in Montelair, New Jersey, called off a fifth-grade trip to an amusement park.

The smoke was wafting (飘荡) over the US northern border from Canada, where hundreds of forest fires have burnt 9. 4 million acres and forced 120,000 people from their homes in an unusually early and intense start to Canada’s wildfire season.

Tyrone Sylvester, 66, playing chess outside in Manhattan’s Union Square us he has on most days for 30 years, but wearing a mask, said he had never seen the city’s air quality so bad. “When the sun looks like that,” he said, pointing at the smoky sky, “we know something’s wrong. This is what global warming looks like.”

Poor air quality is likely to continue into the weekend, with a developing storm system expected to shift the smoke westward across the Great Lakes and deeper south through the Ohio Valley and into the mid-Atlantic region, AccuWeather said.

3 . Joey, who was six at the time, had the day off from school. His father, Joe Welch, a 50-year-old photographer, planned to spend the day boating in the huge river. Joe had never before been into the muddy waters, which were famous for crocodiles (鳄鱼). He had researched what to do if they encountered one-just in case.

Joe turned to scan the boat, less than 20 feet from the water’s edge and then he was busy making some sandwiches at a wildlife refuge. Seconds later, he heard a splash and a scream. Joey had slipped at the edge of the water. When Joe rushed there, he saw his son’s right arm in the jaws of a crocodile which was at least eight feet long and close to 200 pounds. Time seemed to stop as Joe ran toward his son. The river was almost three feet deep. As Joey struggled and screamed, Joe began pulling him back toward the bank. A young man ran over, screaming at Joe to pull his son out of the water. But Joe feared what would happen to Joey’s arm if he pulled too hard. While Joe knocked on the beast’s head, the young man kicked its stomach. After the stranger’s three or four kicks, the crocodile released Joey and escaped back into the water. Joe picked up his son and found that he’d suffered only a few cuts and scrapes. Joe thanked the stranger and sped home. A nearby hospital determined that Joey was OK.

Joe has tried to find out who helped save his son, but he has learned only that the man was a boxer from Spain. He had been in the country visiting his family. “ He’ s like an angel,” Joe says.

4 . I was hiking with Sam and Kyle to show them a cliff where they could feel the sea spray on their faces. I knew the area could be dangerous, but I was not worried for I had hiked there many times.

We sat in the sun and watched the waves throw themselves against the rock. Then I crept (爬) up to the edge, Kyle right behind me. I found a seat-shaped place and sat down with much contentment. When Kyle came near, I gave him my place. He settled in and I moved a few feet over where the smooth rock had no holds.

Suddenly, a monstrous wave came. I felt myself starting to slide. The water washed me off the cliff and forced me under. I screamed for help. I swam hard for the shore. I was not a strong swimmer but I tried rimming for shore anyway, battling the warm water the best I could. Soon, I realized the sea had swept me farther out.

“Sam!” I yelled. “Kyle, help me and send a helicopter!” After about thirty minutes, I saw a helicopter. I could see Sam and Kyle looking anxiously from it. My eyes lit up and my heart missed a beat. The helicopter buzzed overhead, and then kept on going. I floated on my back to make myself more visible, my body pale in contrast to the darker ocean. When the helicopter came by again, I moved my arms and legs desperately to attract their attention. Again, the helicopter disappeared. Helpless, I stared in disbelief as they missed seeing me twice in a row. Deciding that I needed to save my energy, I continued floating on my back and closed my eyes.

Gradually, a noise grew louder. I soon realized a helicopter was overhead. The crew had seen me, but it might be too late. Waves of exhaustion overwhelmed me. My leg muscles tightened uncontrollably. “This is it,” I thought, as I gave up to the weight that was pulling me down.

Then, I felt a strong arm wrap across my chest and turned to see a rescue diver. He asked me if I was alright. The next thing I knew was that I was in the air. The waves that had just been big enough to kill me suddenly seemed small.

7 . The Lomax family needed a dog. Though their house was already full with seven people, they knew a dog would truly make the house a home. So they settled on a dog whom they named Jack.     1    

It was Jack’s protective instinct (本能) that would eventually save the lives of Lomax family. Indeed, if it wasn’t for him, the family may never have survived the terrible accident that would eventually befall (降临到头上) them one cold January day in 2017.

It was a night like many others. Autumn, the family’s youngest child and her mother Ashley had settled into bed in one of the bedrooms on the second floor. Jack, who rarely left Autumn’s side, had settled in there as well.     2     At some point during the night, while the family was fast asleep, a fire had started in one of the other second-floor bedrooms, Jack had picked up a whiff (些微的气味) of the smoke in the next room. In an instant, the brave dog jumped into action.

The four-legged family member knew something was wrong but had no way of telling his owners.     3     She pushed him off her and tried to roll over but he began again. Then he went to Autumn and did the same thing until both were up.

    4     She screamed at the top of her lungs as she ran from the room, alerting (使警觉) the rest of the family to the disaster that was taking place. Jack did his part again too, barking as loudly as he could. Ashley’s scream woke the four other adults and two more children.     5    

In no time at all, the fire had engulfed (吞没) nearly the entire home, but luckily, all of the Lomax had made it out alive, with Jack leading the way.

8 . The ground we walk on seems firm, but deep under the earth and under the sea the rocks change and move. In some parts of the world there are “fire mountains”， which we call volcanoes. From time to time they burst open and throw out fire and burning ashes. These volcanoes are very dangerous.

Hong Kong does not have any volcanoes but there are many volcanoes in Indonesia and Philippines. There is also a famous mountain near Tokyo, Japan, which is a volcano too. Its name is Mount Fuji. For much of the year it is covered with snow.

One of the most famous volcanoes which erupted in recent times was Krakatoa, on an island in Indonesia. The first explosions took place on 20th May, 1883, but the biggest eruption did not come until the 26th and 27th August of that year. The people on the island were used to the explosions by that time, and so they were completely unprepared for this terrible happening. Almost all the people on the island died and the explosion also made huge waves in the sea, which drowned (淹死) many people on the other island nearby. After the eruption was over, people saw that the whole northern part of the island had completely disappeared. Scientists say that 15 cubic (立方) kilometres of rocks and ash were thrown up in the explosion. The noise of the explosion was heard nearly 5,000 kilometres away in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and the city of Jakarta was completely dark for about two and a half hours.

9 . Norwood, a junior High School student, was driving three friends home in St. Petersburg, when another driver crashed into her from her left and made her car hit the tree. The impact jammed shut the driver’s side door, so Norwood climbed out the front window. Two of her friends managed to get out of the car unharmed, but her 16-year-old friend Zarria didn’t. She run back to the car only to find Zarria was just sitting there reactionless.

A lot of people started to gather around to see what was happening. Norwood started yelling, “Back up, back up, she needs space.” Norwood pulled Zarria out of the back seat, avoiding broken glass from the window. “That’s when I checked her pulse on her neck. I put my head against her chest, and I didn’t really hear nothing. So that’s when I just started doing CPR on her.” Norwood told the reporter. After the 30 compressions and two rescue breaths, Zarria regained consciousness. Ambulance quickly arrived and rushed her to the hospital to receive medical help.

When Miller, Norwood’s high school teacher, learned that Norwood saved a friend just   one day after completing CPR training, she was at a loss of words and so proud. Norwood participates in the school’s Athletic Lifestyle Management Academy (ALMA). The program prepares students for various careers in health science. “We do vital signs and they learn how to take blood pressure and check pulse.” Miller introduced. And another one of the skills learned is CPR. “There are two components, a hands-on skills component where they have to demonstrate that they’re able to do CPR well, and then there’s a written test component, showing that they remember that knowledge.”

Thanks to Norwood’s quick thinking, Zarria is recovering well. She also isn’t surprised by her friend’s actions. “She will always help any way she can, so I wasn’t really shocked about that.”