The past years have shown we need to prepare for the worst earthquakes. So an earthquake emergency kit should be something we need to have. 【小题1】 Well, that may not be a problem because you can buy your own one online.

According to researchers, around 275 earthquakes are felt every day around the world. 【小题2】 There is a 30% higher chance that you will survive an earthquake if you have the kit.

Some people think they can go to a shelter after an earthquake. 【小题3】 There may be too many people in the shelter. You may not find food or water as well.

【小题4】 But whether you are near the fault line(断层线) or far from it, owning one for your household is still a must. Studies show that some states that are near the fault line have earthquake magnitudes (震级)of above 4.5. 【小题5】

So if you don’t have an earthquake emergency kit at home, make one yourself or buy one online.

The United States is suffering its worst drought (干旱) in almost sixty years. The National Climatic Data Center also says high temperatures in June added to the warmest twelve-month period on record. Record-keeping began in 1895. The drought map showed that conditions improved in the Southeast in June compared to May. But the drought is expected to continue in large parts of the country. Last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met with President Obama. Mr Vilsack says the drought has seriously influenced some crops, such as corn and soybeans (大豆). And the United States is the world's leading producer.

The drought has made prices of com and soybeans increase. Both of them are used in food production and for animal feed. Last week the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that corn and wheat prices increased by 20% over the past three weeks.

In the United States, farmers may quickly reduce the size of their animals rather than pay higher feed prices to keep them. That increased supply of meat would reduce meat prices in the short term. But those prices could increase in several months.

Mr Vilsack says the effect of the drought is hard to predict(预测). Some areas are getting rain, and drought-resistant (抗旱的) seeds have helped crops grow well in some areas.

Imagine a perfect day: the weather is good and everything seems fine. When, suddenly, your mobile phone loses its signal, the television has no programs, and you can’t get online with your computer. What has happened? These are just the types of problems a solar storm (太阳风暴) might cause. You may not think of storms as putting our society in danger. But today, a solar storm is as serious as other bad events, such as earthquakes.

A solar storm is caused by solar flares (太阳耀斑): large explosions (爆炸) near the sun that can give off lots of energy. The strong energy can stop the satellite systems that control our computer, telecomputer networks and so on. These storms can even cause the power to go out for weeks or months.

In the past few months, scientists have recorded some of the strongest sun flares in years. The most recent one happened around Valentine’s Day, 2011. It caused radio and satellite signals to go down in some northern cities in China.

“Solar flare activity is going to be much worse than what we’ve seen in the past. We’re not talking about a few cities losing power, it could be half of the country, maybe more,” a US website about space weather, warned.

Scientists say that little can be done to predict such a storm. Governments around the world are trying to work together before the next storm, although they are not sure when that may happen.