Who doesn’t love sitting beside a cosy fire on a cold winter’s night? Who doesn’t love to watch flames (火苗)curling up a chimney? Fire is one of man’s greatest friends, but also one of his greatest enemies. Many big fires are caused by carelessness. A lighted cigarette was thrown out of a car or a train window or a broken bottle lying on dry grass can start a fire. Sometimes a fire can start on its own. Wet hay(草)can begin burning by itself. This is how it happens: the hay starts to rot(腐烂)and begins to give off heat which is   trapped inside it. Finally, it bursts into flames. That’s why farmers cut and store their hay when it’s dry.

Fires have destroyed whole cities. In the 17th century, a small fire which began in a baker’s shop burnt down nearly every building in London. Moscow was set on fire during the war against Napoleon. This fire continued burning for seven days. And, of course, in 64 A.D.a fire burnt Rome. Even today, in spite of modern fire-fighting methods, fire causes millions of pounds’ worthy of damage each year both in our cities and in the countryside.

It has been wisely said that fire is a good servant but a bad master.

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. 【小题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. 【小题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. 【小题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.

【小题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. 【小题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.

At 5:12 am on April 18, 1906, people living in San Francisco were awakened by a 40-second earthquake. After a 10-second stop, an even stronger earthquake struck, lasting 25 seconds. Survivors saw the ground move in waves as high as three feet. The earthquake damaged streets, and streetcar rails.

Fires broke out soon after the earthquake, caused primarily by overturned stoves (炉子) or damaged electrical wiring. Because the city’s water mains had suffered more than 300 breaks, no water was available (可用的) to fight the fires, which rapidly burned beyond control. To control the fire, firefighters began to dynamite (炸毁) buildings in its path. Unfortunately, this method sometimes spread the fire. By the evening of April 18, 1,700 soldiers had arrived in San Francisco to help both local people and the firefighters.

After burning uncontrolled for three days, the fire finally burned itself out by the morning of April 21. More than 28,000 buildings had been destroyed, resulting in about $500 million in damage.

Although the official number of deaths was 311, it is now believed that about 3,000 people were killed. About 250,000 people (two-thirds of the city’s population) were left homeless. They were forced to live in tents (帐篷) in public parks.

Among the earthquake’s survivors was the famous Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso. On the night of April 17, he had performed (表演) the role of José in Georges Bizet’ s 1875 opera, “Carmen,” and had been scheduled for another performance on April 18. Caruso was so shocked by the earthquake that he made up his mind never to return to San Francisco again.

Ansel Adams, age 4, survived the earthquake along with his family, though their house and many things were damaged. An aftershock threw young Adams face-first into a garden wall, giving him what his friend Cedric Wright would call an “earthquake nose.” Describing his broken nose, which was never repaired, Adams would later joke, “My beauty was damaged forever. But he felt the power of the quake, which he called his “closest experience with terrible human suffering.”