Here are some accidents which often happen to children:

◆Scald(烫伤) —Small children don’t understand that hot water and hot drinks can be dangerous. Adults often forget the danger, too. It only takes a cup of tea or coffee, or a bath that’s too hot to scold a child badly.

◆Falls—Children of all ages fall and hurt themselves from time to time. For babies, the danger is rolling off the edge of something, like beds, chairs or tables. For babies of two to four, climbing on furniture doesn’t seem dangerous. It’s just fun. But it’s very easy for them to fall off a piece of furniture, down the stairs, out of a window or off a balcony(阳台).

◆Burns—Many children die in house fires and more are badly burnt. A cigarette can easily start a fire. A child can also be burnt by a hot iron or matches.

◆Cuts—Glass causes the most serious cuts. So do broken bottles, doors or windows.

Last Friday a storm swept through two villages in the New Territories, destroying（摧毁） fourteen homes completely. Seven others were so badly damaged（被损坏的）that their owners had to leave them, and fifteen others had broken windows or broken roofs（屋顶）. One person died, several were badly hurt and taken to hospital, and a number of other people received minor injuries（轻伤）. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless after the storm.

Mr Tan, a farmer, said that the storm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour. “I was eating with my wife and children when we heard a loud noise,” he said, “A few minutes later, part of the house fell down. We tried our best to climb out, but then I found that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him, safe but very scared.”

Mrs Woo said that her husband just left for work when she felt that the house was shaking. She ran outside at once with her children. “There was no time to take anything,” she said, “A few minutes later, the roof came down.”

Soldiers helped to take people out of the flooded（被水淹没的）area, and the welfare department（福利机构）provided them with food, clothes and shelter.

You may hear about earthquakes (地震), but do you know what to do before, during and after an earthquake? You should do the following things to stay away from danger.

Before an earthquake. It is necessary to prepare yourself and your family. All family members should know how to turn off gas (燃气) and know useful telephone numbers (doctor, hospital and so on).

During an earthquake. It is important for each of you to stay calm. If you are indoors, quickly move to a safe (安全的) place in the room such as under a strong desk or table. You could do this to protect yourself from falling things. Stay away from windows and large minors. If you are cooking, turn off the gas. If you are outdoors, move to an open area like a playground. Move away from buildings, bridges and trees. If you are driving, stop the car as soon as possible, stay away from bridges and tall buildings and just stay in your car.

After an earthquake. Once the shaking has stopped, DO NOT run out of the building at once. It is better to wait and leave when it is safe. Check around you and help the people in trouble. If your building is badly broken, you should leave it. If you smell or hear gas, get everyone outside and open windows and doors.