The quick action of Nick helped five people escape a fire on Hope Road. Nick said he usually left his house about 5:30 a.m. to do morning exercises, but that day he decided to stay at home to get his daughter ready for school. As he looked at his neighbor’s house, he realized that it was on fire. “I saw smoke and flames and ran over and started beating on the side of the house shouting, ‘Your house is on fire! Your house is on fire!’” Nick remembered it was at about 9 a.m. that the firefighters put out the fire.

Beverly Penny and her husband, Clark, along with their younger daughters, were sleeping in the living room, next to the kitchen, when they heard Nick beating on the walls. She opened the bedroom door and black smoke came in. She managed to get her kids out. Her dog tried to hide under the bed, but Penny caught it by the leg and threw it out of the door. However, chickens in one of the rooms weren’t so lucky.

Firefighters got the call at about 7:05 a.m. “When we arrived with our fire trucks, there were heavy flames outside on the house,” Jerry said. He called Nick a hero, saying that without his quick responses(回应) the result could have been much worse. “The firefighters were fast,” Nick said. “They arrived here within about three minutes.”

“They did a great job, and I can’t thank them enough,” Penny said, then looked at what remained in the house and shook her head as tears rolled down in her eyes. “Everything I have is gone. Luckily nobody was hurt in the fire.” She said the fire could have been caused by an electrical problem. “We’ve been having problems with mice, so that we could have had something to do with it,” she added.

Living with other people can be difficult, especially when each person has their own ideas about how they want to live. 【小题1】 Taking a few simple steps will help you share your living space harmoniously.

Discuss your expectations ahead of time.

【小题2】. This applies to finances, food, possessions, use of common areas, loud activities or parties, quiet hours and so on.

Divide up responsibilities.

Make a plan to divide up responsibilities and chores(家常杂务) between you and your roommate. For example, if your roommate is a good cook and you are not,【小题3】. It may also be a good idea to set up a chores schedule, where you will take turns cleaning the bathroom, taking out the trash and so on.

【小题4】.

Not everyone has the same ideas about day to day living as you do. Take your roommate's feelings into consideration. For instance, if you re dying to throw a party on Thursday night but your roommate has a final early the next morning, agree to postpone the party till Friday evening, instead.

Communicate effectively.

Communication is key in making the relationship work. If a problem comes up, it's better to talk about it right away than to ignore it. For example, say "Chris, it upsets me when I wake

up to find all the milk gone. If you use the last of something, can you please add it to the list?" If you simply cannot communicate openly and there is tension all the time,【小题5】.

Do’s and Don’ts of Donating

Giving up your unused or unwanted stuff is a great way to make space in your home for the items that you do enjoy on a regular basis. Not sure where to start? Here are some do’s and don’ts of donating your belongings.

Do Prepare Your Clothes

You’ve thoroughly cleaned out your closet and drawers, and have a mountain of clothing waiting to be donated. 【小题1】 Make sure all buttons are accounted for, and that you can’t see any dirty marks, or damage.

【小题2】

The number one rule of donating your stuff is to make sure that it’s in good, usable condition. Don’t pass along old clothes or furniture, chipped dishes, books that are missing pages, or toys with lost pieces. Nobody wants to accept your damaged belongings. Find a local company that will recycle these items instead.

Don’t even think of donating these items

With a little common sense it’s easy to figure out items that are ideal for donations.【小题3】As a gentle reminder, it’s never a good idea to donate car parts, dangerous waste, construction materials and weapons.

Don’t donate large appliances

Major appliances such as stoves, fridges, freezers, washers and dryers typically reside on the ‘do not donate’ list due to health and safety reasons. All items accepted for donation must be thoroughly clean and in good working order. With secondhand appliances, it can be difficult to guarantee that they fit the bill.【小题4】

Don’t donate recalled items

Every so often a product recall hits the news headlines. Highchairs, toys, holiday lights for Christmas trees—the list of recalled items due to safety concerns is endless. 【小题5】 A dangerous product should be thrown away, and not passed on to an unsuspecting person. Think of the well-being of others before dropping off something that’s viewed as a hidden danger in your own home.