Each spring, millions of people take photos among the famous cherry trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington DC-some even get married there. That’s what Jody Axinn did 10 years ago.

“Now, the romantic spot is unrecognizable. The whole section is under water,” says Axinn who is revisiting the cherry trees with her family. “When I got here 10 years ago, the place was flooded regularly, but certainly not twice a day, every day.”

There are two forces working together to affect the Tidal Basin, the trees and monuments around it. The seawall around the basin, built with mud dug up from the Potomac River bottom, has sunk about five feet over the past century.

“At the same time, the water level in the basin has gone up by more than a foot because of climate change,” explains Leslie Frattaroli, manager of the National Park Service (NPS). “The Tidal Basin looks like a small lake, but it’s actually part of the Potomac River, because there are gates at the upstream and downstream ends of the basin that allow river water to rush through. Therefore, it is gradually rising along with the level of the world’s oceans.”

Combining these two factors, the water is six feet above where the seawall was originally designed to keep it out. Later this spring, the park service will start to raise parts of the walkway around the basin and along the Potomac River.

“It would be impossible to complete the $113 million project without removing the cherry trees along the water,” Leslie says. “The good news is that when the project is completed in 2027, 274 new cherry trees will be planted.”

Among the trees to be removed is a very famous little tree known as “Stumpy”. At high tide (潮汐), the base of the tree is flooded. Although it is in extremely bad conditions, its remaining three or four small branches burst into flower each spring, with the Washington Monument standing tall in the background.

A little knowledge can help you survive when a big earthquake happens. The keys are education and preparing in advance. The earthquake safety instructions below will not make you an expert. 【小题1】

Drop to the ground.

The “Drop, Cover, and Hold on” technique(技巧) for earthquakes is the cousin of the famous “Stop, Drop and Roll” for fires.【小题2】 So as soon as it happens you should drop to the floor. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Find a safe place.

【小题3】 If there isn’t a table or desk near you, stay in an inside corner of the building. If possible, stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall.

【小题4】

Use your hands and arms to protect these important areas from falling objects(物体). If you have any breathing disease, make sure that you cover your head with a T-shirt or something else until all the dust has settled. Dirty air is not good for you.

Remain inside until shaking stops.

Research suggests that many injuries in an earthquake happen when people inside buildings try to move to a different place inside the building or try to leave. 【小题5】 Stay where you are for a minute or two until it’s safe to go out.

Record fires sweeping across the Amazon this month have been catching global headlines as scientists and environmental groups are worried that they will worsen climate change and do damage to biodiversity (生物多样性).

As the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon is often called “the lungs of the world”. It is also home to about 3 million species of plants and animals, and 1 million local people. The huge lands of rainforest play an important role in the world’s ecosystem because they take in heat instead of it being reflected back into the atmosphere (大气层). They also store carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) and produce oxygen, making sure that less carbon is given off, mitigating the effects of climate change.

“Any forest destruction is a harm to biodiversity and the people who use that biodiversity.” Thomas Lovejoy, an ecologist at George Mason University told National Geographic. The shocking result is that a lot of carbon goes into the atmosphere.” he stressed. “Facing the global climate change, we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity. The Amazon must be protected,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.

Data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) show that the number of forest fires in Brazil quickly increased by 82 percent from January to August this year from a year ago. A total of 71,497 forest fires were recorded in the country in the first eight months of 2019, up from 39,194 in the same period in 2018. INPE said. “It’s reported that the forest areas in the Brazilian Amazon have decreased something between 20 and 30 percent compared to the last 12 months,” Carlos Nobre, a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo, told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

Brazil owns about 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest, whose drop could have severe results for global climate and rainfall. The size of the area ruined by fires has yet to be determined. but the emergency has spread over Brazil’s borders, reaching Peruvian, Paraguayan and Bolivian areas.