Have you ever heard of an avalanche (雪崩)? The avalanches is a kind of sudden natural disaster like earthquakes. During an avalanche a lot of snow and ice rush down the mountains. As they rush, the snow and ice move faster and faster. In fact, snow from an avalanche can move as fast as two hundred miles an hour. That is three times faster than a car on a highway!

Most avalanches happen after big storms. In the mountains like the Alps and the Himalayas, there is snow and ice all year round. After big storms, new snow puts more pressure (压力) on the snow that is already in the mountains. It can make the old snow rush down.

Avalanches are very dangerous. Heavy snow moving down the mountains may pull trees and rocks along. That can cause great damage, such as pushing down houses and killing people. Luckily, no one lives in the mountains where avalanches are easy to happen. So not many people die from avalanches each year.

Most people who may lose their lives in avalanches are ski lovers. It’s important for them to stay safe while having fun in the snow mountains. Scientists can usually tell whether an avalanche might happen or not. If you are a ski lover, remember to pay attention to scientists’ warnings before you go skiing.

A big sandstorm hit Beijing in May. 【小题1】

The sandstorm started in Mongolia, a country next to the northern part of China. 【小题2】 It then hit central and western Inner Mongolia, northern Hebei, Shanxi and western Gansu. Other parts of the country also experienced strong winds.

The wind blew strongly. 【小题3】 It made the sky over Beijing turn terrible orange. In some places, the visibility (能见度) was down to 500 meters. Air in Beijing was not so clear because of pollution. When the sandstorm hit, it became worse. 【小题4】 And the schools stopped outdoor activities on that day.

The Chinese government has already taken measures. 【小题5】 People have planted trees and grass so that the soil can stay where it is. However, there’s still a long way to go. So we should work together to solve the environmental problem.

The Ancient Town of Fenghuang, one of China’s most well-known ancient towns, was under water as heavy rain hit the center of the country, with tens of thousands of people leaving from the area. Heavy rain and floods(洪水) lasted for the past few days. Waters in the nearby Tuojiang River rose by almost one meter above warning level(警戒线), causing heavy rainstorms. More than 120, 000 local people and tourists have been helped to leave there because of the terrible disaster. And more than 4,000 shops in the town have been shut. Several bridges on the Tuojiang River have been damaged or destroyed. Water has flowed(流) into many bars, restaurants and hotels in its ancient town, and electricity in the ancient town has been cut off. About 128, 000 people have been affected by the floods. Though the heavy rains have stopped, but the popular tourist spot remains closed for local people’s safety.

A shoe shop owner named Kuang said the flood was the worst the town had experienced. “The floods came so quickly that I didn’t have time to move the shoes,” he said sadly.

“The flood has led to the Ancient Town of Fenghuang becoming a water town,” said a post on a discussion page on the topic set up on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter.

“We could only live in an old factory now where many homeless people have to stay together. The crowded space is full of sadness.” Tang said.

At least 14 people were killed in flooding in Hunan Province and the neighboring province of Jiangxi and region of Guangxi last month, Xinhua reported.