Keep away from a fire. You could fall down and burn yourself on the fire.
   If you are driving when an earthquake happens, stop the car if it's safe. Stay inside your car until the earthquake stops, and don't drive near bridges. Try not to stop by power lines or trees. These could fall and hurt you.

    Is your TV connected to the Internet? What about your chair, or your fridge? Probably they are not. But in the future, most things in your home may be connected, thanks to the so-called “Internet of things”.

    The Internet of things may be coming sooner than you think. Earlier this year, Samsung CEO spent a lot of time talking about the Internet things. He said that four years from now, every Samsung product will be part of the Internet of things, no matter whether it's a remote control or a washing machine.

    So, how do household objects that are part of the Internet of things work? Well, think of a common chair. When connected to the Internet, the chair warms up when it knows the user has just walked into the room and is feeling cold.

    An Internet-connected camera could help people feel safer in their homes. It can know people's faces and has an infrared sensor（红外传感器), so even if it's dark it can see when someone passes by and send you a message on your smartphone to let you know who's there. If the person is someone you don't know, it can tell you that, too.

    But according to MIT Technology Review, whether companies are connecting dog food bowls or security（安全）systems to the Internet, there may be some problems. For example, many early connected-home objects don't have much built-in security, which means they could be hacked. Moreover, it could be difficult to get these new machines to work together especially when they are made by different companies. To fight this, many companies have joined the Open Interconnect Consortium, which had 45 members by late 2015.

    So, picture this: you enter your home.The temperature changes to make you feel comfortable. Your favorite music starts playing for you. Do you think that this would be a good thing? It may happen sooner than you think.

    In the most southern part of our planet, there's a place that's covered with snow and ice all year round. But it has the clearest and cleanest air. Amazingly, in this place, the sun sometimes hangs even in the midnight sky. This place is Antarctica (南极洲): the coldest, windiest and harshest (恶劣的) place on the Earth.

    As the world's least-known place, Antarctica is of great interest to scientists around the world. During 30 years, China has sent many scientists to Antarctica. They mostly look at the resources under the icy land and do research about climate change and marine (海洋的) biology.

    Antarctica is a place with fantastic views. However, life there is very hard. Food is one of the biggest problems. Frozen food which can be heated easily is people's daily food. Fresh vegetables are hard to grow in the cold weather.

    Sleep is also difficult. In Antarctica, summer lasts from November to March. During this period, Antarctica points to the sun and receives sunlight 24 hours a day. In order to get some sleep, scientists cover the windows with black plastic cloth to create "night".

    Working in Antarctica is dangerous, especially when meeting gale-force (七级以上的) winds. They can easily blow people away. So there are ropes that connect buildings of some research stations. People can hold these ropes to keep their balance in forceful winds.

    What's morel communicating with others is difficult. Without cables and Internet in some research stations, two-way radios are the only tools to communicate. If people want to say hello to friends and relatives, they can use satellite phones.

    Although it is challenging to work in Antarctica, scientists' passion to learn about this mysterious land will never end. It is hopeful that one day they will step every corner of this icy land.

    Get a lot of letters at this time of year from people complaining (抱怨) that they have a cold and that it won't go away. There are so many ways to cure (治愈) a child. It is often difficult to know what to do. Although (尽管) cold are rarely (很少) dangerous, weak people , such as the elderly or young babies, often catch them. Colds are always uncomfortable and sometimes very unpleasant. Of course, you can buy lots of medicine. This will help to make your cold less unpleasant, but you must remember that nothing can actually cure a cold or make it go away quickly.

    Another thing is that any medicine can be dangerous if you are already taking another type of medicine for some other illness. So always check with your chemist (药剂师) or doctor to see if they are all right for you. Also, remember that they might make you sleepy; please don't try to drive it they do! Lastly, if you want to keep away from colds, don't blindly (盲目地) believe in 'magic' foods or drinks. The best way is to keep strong and healthy –you'll have less chance of catching a cold, and if you do, it shouldn't be so bad!

    The air pollution was so bad in Harbin, in China, on October 21, 2013 that the city had to close roads and schools, and cancel hundreds of flights from its airport.

    News reports said the smog (a mixture of smoke and fog) was so thick that people couldn't see more than 10 or 20 metres in front of them.

    It is also said that people could not even see the person standing next to them. The city's website said: "You can't see your own fingers in front of you."

    The local people said there was a "burning" smell in the air. Many people covered their noses and mouths with scarves or masks.

    The pollution was caused on several factors including: farmers burning off old corn stalks and crop stubble; coal-fired heating systems; and low winds that allowed the smoke to remain over the city.

    The smog had been building up for several days. It became worse when the city turned on the public heating system, which uses coal to heat millions of homes and offices in the city.

    Harbin has a population of more than 10 million people. It lies in northeastern China, where cold winter weather can last up to six months. The main fuel there is coal, because it is cheaper than other types of fuel.

    Air pollution from burning coal can cause health problems like heart disease. During the smog crisis* in Harbin, the number of people taken to the hospital with breathing problems was 30% higher than usual.

    The city government is trying to reduce its use of coal by adding more insulation and better roofs and windows to buildings to reduce heating needs. It has also used cleaner fuel for cars and factories.