Rainforests are disappearing at a surprisingly fast speed, largely due to human development over the past few centuries. Once covering 14% of land on Earth, rainforests now make up only 6%. Since 1947, the total area of rainforests has probably been reduced by more than half, to about 6.2 to 7.8 million square kilometers.

Many biologists expect rainforests will lose 5-10% of their species every ten years. Rapid deforestation could cause many important rainforest habitats to disappear completely in the next hundred years.

Such rapid habitat loss is due to the fact that 100 acres of rainforest are cleared every minute for agricultural and industrial development. In the Pacific Northwest’s rainforests, logging companies cut down trees for wood used in building while paper industries use the wood for pulp. In the Amazon rainforest, large agricultural industries clear large parts of forests for growing crops. In the Congo rainforest, roads and other infrastructure (基础建设) development have reduced habitat and cut off living areas for many rainforest species. Throughout both the Amazon and Congo, logging operations clear-cut to build roads or for other purposes. Some rainforests are threatened by large hydroelectric power projects. Development is encroaching on rainforest habitats from all sides.

Economic inequalities increase this rapid deforestation. Many rainforests are located in developing countries with economies based on natural resources. Wealthy nations drive need for products, and economic development increases energy use. These needs encourage local governments to develop rainforest at a slow speed. Poor people who live on or near these lands are also motivated to improve their lives by changing forests into farmland.

Many countries have passed safety laws that require seat belts in vehicles. A modern three-point seat belt, also called a safety belt, is a harness to prevent the driver or a passenger from flying forward and hitting hard against the interior of a vehicle during a collision. A modern seat belt will help to position you properly to gain maximum benefit from your car’s airbags that will inflate (使充气) during a collision. Using a seat belt also prevents you from being ejected (弹出) from a car into the path of oncoming traffic. Research shows that when you wear a modern seat belt, you reduce the risk of death or serious injury by 70% or more during an auto accident.

Seat belts have existed in different forms since the early days of automobiles, and they have changed from a single lap belt to the three-point seat belt we use today. In 1911 the first airplane seat belt was installed. Then, in the 1920s they were used in racecars. By the 1930s, a group of American physicians created lap belts for their own vehicles and urged vehicle manufacturers to provide seat belts on all vehicles.

Dr. C. Hunter Shelden made a major contribution to our safety with his article in the November 5, 1955 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). He strongly encouraged the manufacture and use of door locks, airbags, and retractable (伸缩式的) seat belts, like the ones we use today. The modern three-point seat belt, including a lap belt and a shoulder belt, was introduced as standard equipment on Volvo cars in 1959.

In 1970, the state of Victoria in Australia made the wearing of a seat belt compulsory for every car driver and front-seat passenger. Today many countries have also mandated (授权) the use of five-point safety harnesses for carefully designed child safety seats that can protect a child during a serious car accident.

An airbag is a Supplemental Restraint System, or SRS, and consists of a rapidly inflatable restraint cushion that works together with a seat belt to protect you during a collision. Modern cars often contain several airbags in various locations. Since airbags can only inflate once and will quickly deflate after the initial impact, they will not provide any protection for you during a secondary collision.

The inflation of airbag can protect or hurt you. The risk zone for a driver’s airbag is the first 8 centimeters from its pre-inflation location. While driving, you should remain about 25 centimeters from the airbag in the center of the wheel. As a driver, wear your seat belt and make sure children correctly use their seat belts. Failure to wear a seat belt properly means the airbags in your car might injure or even kill you during an accident.

An essential part of your safe driving skills is the habit of making sure that you and each of your passengers are always properly positioned and wearing a seat belt. There are many wonderful benefits of being able to drive a car, but there are also severe consequences during an accident for anyone who chooses not to wear a seat belt.

For a long time, comedy has been viewed as a profession for men only. But this has changed in recent years. Many female comics (喜剧演员) have made their mark on the stage not by ignoring the issues of gender inequality, but by bringing them to light.

Yang Li, 28, is one of them. Yang has done stand - up comedy (单口喜剧) for about three years and often focuses on the difficulties females face. For example, she recently made the headlines with a biting joke about how women are described in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“In The Avengers (《复仇者联盟》), there are six heroes, and only one of them is a woman,” she said during a July episode of Rock & Roast (《脱口秀大会》). Yang was referring to Black Widow, whose super - power is the ability to slow down her aging. “How exactly is she supposed to save the world by surviving until all the bad guys die?”

“What I said is not only a joke, but also something female comics are facing, as well as women in general,” Yang told Jiemian News.

Chinese comics twins Yan Yi and Yan Yue echoed this opinion. They once joked that “the only movie that doesn't describe two women fighting with each other over a man is The Shing (闪灵) (an iconic horror movie from the US).”

Despite getting more important roles, however, women still face challenges in the comedy industry, according to Six Tone, a publication based in Shanghai.

“I've found that audiences tend to be more judgmental about a female comedian's appearance,” Yang Mengqi, who made the top 30 on Rock & Roast, said. To avoid unwelcome attention, female comics have to be especially prudent (精明的) in choosing what clothes they wear to perform.

The other challenge is that females are sometimes taken less seriously, despite abundant evidence of their talent and commitment in the male - dominated field.

Maple Zuo is a comic who performs in both English and Mandarin. “It's hard to fit in when I'm the only female comedian (at a show),” said Zuo, who has toured internationally. “Every time there's a comedy scene party, they always spontaneously (自然而然地) divided up into two groups: one for the male comics, another for their girlfriends,” she said. “I always end up hanging out with the girlfriends.”

Even so, many Chinese female comics feel optimistic about their future. Yang told Sixth Tone, “When people ask what has motivated me to stick with stand - up comedy, my response is simple: I hope to use whatever influence I have to improve gender equality.”