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 absentminded — 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.

If you go into the forests with friends, stay with them. If you don’t, you may get lost. If you do get lost, these are what you should do:

Sit down and stay where you are.【小题1】 Let them find you. You can help them to find you by staying in one place.

【小题2】 Give them a signal (信号) by shouting or whistling (吹口哨) three times. Stop. Then shout or whistle three times again. Any signal given three times is a call for help.

【小题3】 When people hear you, they will give two shouts or two whistles. When a signal is given twice, it is an answer to a call for help. If you don’t think that you will get help before night comes, try to make a small room with branches (树枝).

What should you do if you get hungry or need to drink water? You would have to leave your little branch room to look for something to eat and drink.【小题4】 Drop small branches as you walk so that you can find your way back.

【小题5】