You’ve probably heard people expressing alarm about the spread of ―fake news‖ – stories that look like news articles but describe things that never happened. Fake news is written to attract attention, to trick people so they will look foolish, or to work as satire ( 讽 刺 ) making a point about society. But regardless of the source’s motivation, spreading fake news embarrasses you and harms others, so follow these steps to ensure you only share real news.

Check its grammar

Legal news sites check their grammar carefully, so articles with many errors are usually fake. Also watch out for sentences written in all capital（大写的） letters and the use of multiple exclamation points（感叹号） at the ends of sentences. These are designed to bring about an emotional reaction, but they aren’t considered professional, so trustworthy publications don’t use them.

Read the whole article

Even in real news articles, headlines sometimes overstate or simplify the point of the article. Before reacting, read the article carefully to make sure you understand the whole context. Sometimes the claims of fake news articles become unreasonable as the article goes on.

Consider the source

If you’ve never heard of the publication, check the ―About‖ section on its website. Fake news sites often lack such a page, provide little information or even admit that they are fake. Also check an online article’s URL; if it ends with ―.com.co‖, it’s probably a fake news site.

Check the support

Does the article support its claims with quotations and citation（s 引用）from experts? If not, don’t trust it. If so, you should still look up those sources and make sure they actually say what the article claims. There are also websites, such as snopes.com, that will tell you whether the facts in online articles are accurate.

Flood (洪水) Safety Guidelines (指南)

Flood (洪水) is one of the most dangerous natural disasters. It may come suddenly and sweep away (冲走) everything. It is important to learn some safety guidelines and get prepared for a flood, especially for those living near a river. 【小题1】.

Things to do before a flood 

Although flood is dangerous,  【小题5】 .

When it’s hot outside and we have to go out, surely we want to keep cool. We can put on hats, wear light clothing, or stay at a cool place. However, nothing can beat a good fan. Now I’ll show you how to make a good DIY (Do It Yourself) paper fan.

What to prepare

Please prepare two pieces of paper. All paper will work, but your DIY fan can be used for a long time with quality (优质的) paper. Then get glue, two sticks, etc.

How to make a DIY fan

The first step is to draw pictures on the paper. Just draw anything you like. The next step is to fold up (折叠) the paper. Then glue the two pieces of folded paper together. After that, paint the sticks. The final step is to glue the sticks onto the folded paper. And everything is done.

If you look at your watch, you will be surprised: it takes less than 15 minutes to make a good paper fan. Then you can fold it up and drop it in your bag. When you are out in the heat next time, just take it out and enjoy the gentle wind.