Drowning（溺水）is among the 10 leading causes of death of children and young people in every region of the world, with children aged under 5 years especially at risk and males twice as likely to drown as females.

Tragedies are happening over and over again. To prevent them from growing further, we need to keep some safety tips in mind. Remember, you can drown in the sea just as easily as a swimming pool.

●Supervise when in or around Water.

Ask a responsible adult to watch young children while in the bath and all children swimming or playing in or around water：Because drowning occurs quickly and quietly, adults should not be involved in any other distracting activity (such as reading, playing cards, or talking on the phone) while watching children, even if lifeguards are present.

●Drowning ≠ Crying for help.

Drowning is often not as dramatic as what we see in movies. When someone is drowning, especially if it is a child, they may not be able to shout out. A lot of times when kids drown, they look like they are just absent-minded —but they are actually going unconscious. At this point, they should be immediately carried out of the water.

●Life jackets can reduce risk.

Don’t use air-filled or foam toys, such as “water wings”, “noodles”, or inner-tubes, instead of life jackets. These toys are not life jackets and are not designed to keep swimmers safe.

●Don’t try to save drowning friends.

Yes, what we are telling you is this is not when you should show your unconditional love to your drowning friends and family members. It is very likely that by saving them, you can get yourself into danger, and might end up becoming a drowning victim yourself.

Saving someone drowning hand-in-hand with a few others can be even more dangerous. The “human chain” you form can easily break if one of you experiences any kind of tiredness, and one person can drag down the whole team.

●Know who can save a life.

Now, knowing that you cannot really save a life, who should you ask for help? Lifeguards. They are usually well-trained and are equipped with many tested life-saving methods. Therefore, if you think you see someone drowning, alert a lifeguard at once, even if you’re not sure what drowning looks like or think you might be wrong.

”Life’s a long, long journey.” So we are told, and most of us would not set off on a journey, even a short one, without some ideas of where we wanted to go. Yet many people travel on life’s journey with no sense of direction at all. Setting personal goals can give your life a sense of direction. Goal setting is used by top sports players, successful business, people and achievers in all fields. Before you set personal goals, think about what you want to achieve with your life.

Try to set goals in some of the following categories（类别）:

Education—Will you achieve the educational goals after finishing high-school? Are you still growing and learning?

Family—What kind of relationship do you want with your parents and other family members?

Creative—Do you want to achieve any artistic goals?

Career—What job do you want to take when you grow up? What do you need to make your dream come true?

Public Service—Do you want to make the world a better place?

Physical—Are you fit enough to do the things you want to do?

Pleasure—How do you want to enjoy yourself?

To help make the process more manageable, divide your goals into smaller tasks. For example, if you want to reach a main goal in five years, set a three-year goal, a one-year goal, a three-month goal and a one-month goal. Then create a daily To-Do List of things that you should do today. When a goal is achieved, take the time to enjoy your success. This helps you build the self-confidence.

Remember, your goals can change as time goes on. But be sure your goals are things you hope to achieve, not what your parents, family or teachers want.

Pancake Day is widely celebrated in the United Kingdom. It is a special day when everyone gets together with friends and family to make and eat pancakes. Here’s the recipe (食谱) for a classic pancake that is easy to make and can be enjoyed at any time of the year.