A tornado (龙卷风) is a kind of strong storm with air which moves in a circle quickly. They can move over 200 miles per hour and cause a lot of damage (损坏). As they move across the land, they can easily pick up cars, trucks, and even houses, and then throw them very far. It is important to find a safe place if a tornado gets close.

A safe place could be a basement ( 地下室) or the lowest floor. If you are in a home without a basement, try to find a first-floor bathroom or a small room without windows in the middle of your house. You should curl up (蜷缩) into a ball and cover your head and neck with your hands.

But there are some people who actually want to get close to tornadoes. They are scientists who want to learn more about tornadoes. One of the best ways to do this is to get as close as possible to the tornado. They use special tools to measure (测量) what is happening in and around a tornado.

One special tool is called a tornado probe ( 探测仪). Inside the tornado probe, there are sensors (传感器) to measure wind speed, temperature, pressure, and direction.

Some probes even have cameras, so the scientists can see and understand what it's like to be in a tornado.

To be able to get these measurements, the scientists have to get a tornado probe near or into a tornado. Scientists will try to guess where a tornado will go next. Then they drive to that location and put down the probe. If they do not guess correctly, they pick up their probe and try another place. If they are right, the tornado will go near or even right over the probe. Then they take all of the measurements

from the probe and use them to predict where future tornadoes may form (形成) and travel. And they can give people some warning to keep away from a dangerous tornado.

Tom was an eight-year-old boy. He came to a new town with his parents. His family was very rich(富有的). They lived in a big, beautiful house with a big garden. There was a driver, a cook, a gardener and a lot of servants(佣人).

Tom was going to a new school. On the first day, his mother said to him, "Tom, be modest(谦虚的) at school. Don't say we are rich. "Tom said, "All right, Mum. "Then he went to his new school.

He met his new teachers and classmates. The teacher said, "Good morning, boys and girls! This is Tom, your new classmate. Now let him introduce himself to you. "

Tom stood up and said, "My name is Tom. My family is poor. My father is poor. The gardener is very poor. The cook is poor. And all the other servants are very poor too. So I am a poor boy……"

Do you know Tianshui, a big city along the ancient Siłk Road? It is one of the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (最古老的) cities in Gansu Province. So people {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (通常地) visit Tianshui for its history and culture. Things have {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (改变) these days, however. More and more people are traveling there for its spicy hot pot(麻辣烫). According to Trip.com, bookings for hotels and attractions in Tianshui have risen {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (四十) percent from a year ago.

In early February, a student posted a video of the spicy hot pot on social media. So far, the video has quickly deceived 1,000,000 likes. Many people said that they wanted to taste the food {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (他们自己).

What makes the food special in Tianshui? That's all thanks to the seasonings (佐料). {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (蔬菜) and meat are cooked with a mix of peppercorns and red pepper oil. The red pepper is grown in Tianshui's Gangu County (甘谷县). The {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (气候) there makes the pepper look bright red and taste great. This gives the hot pot an unusual look and flavor.

The city's increasing popularity has excited the {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (本地的) government. They hope to follow the examples of Zibo and Harbin and {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (发展) the city. Since March 11, they have offered two new bus services to take tourists from train stations to dining places. Also, a food festival was {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (举办) to show the delicious food. They hope to make tourists feel at home.

The elephant was lying and fast asleep on its side. A few dogs started barking at it. The elephant woke up in a terrible anger: it ran after the dogs into the village where they ran for safety. That didn't stop the elephant. It destroyed a few houses and hurt several people. The villagers were scared and angry. Then someone suggested calling Parbati, the elephant princess.

Parbati Barua's father was a hunter of tigers and an elephant tamer(驯兽师). He taught Parbati to ride an elephant before she could even walk. He also taught her the dangerous art of the elephant round-up —— how to catch wild elephants.

Parbati hasn't always lived in the jungle (丛林). After a happy childhood hunting with her father, she was sent to a boarding school in the city. But Parbati never got used to being there and many years later she went back to her old life. "Life in the city is too boring. Catching elephants is an adventure (冒险) and the excitement can last for days after the chase," she says.

But Parbati doesn't catch elephants just for fun. "My work," she says,"is to rescue men from the elephants, and to keep the elephants safe from men." And this is exactly what Parbati has been doing for many years. Nowadays, the Indian elephant becomes angry: for many years, illegal(非法的) hunters have attacked it and its home in the jungle has been reduced to small pieces of land. It is now fighting back. Whenever wild elephants enter a tea garden or a village, people call Parbati to guide the animals back to the forest.

Have you seen any scarecrows (稻草人)? In the countryside of our country, some villagers like to set up some scarecrows in the fields in order to prevent birds from harming their crops. They think that this can play a role in driving away birds. In fact, not only farmers love to use scarecrows, but also some airports have installed scarecrows in such a developed technology today, which plays a very good role in driving away birds. Some people will say that birds are not fools, and they will come back to eat after a long time. So do the birds really feel scared? Can scarecrows really play a role in driving away birds? Not very — unless you're willing to put some extra(额外)effort into them.

While traditional scarecrows who couldn't move do work against "pest birds" (eg. crows and blackbirds), the effect is almost always temporary (暂时的). Over time, the birds get used to scarecrows who couldn't move and reuse their destructive (破坏性的)habits.

However, a few tricks can up your scarecrow's game. Researchers have learned that those with realistic facial features(特征)and brightly colored clothes are better at driving away birds. Also, moving a scarecrow around every few days often helps. According to several studies, flailing(大幅波动) scarecrows get the very best results.

 When we think of paper, we think of newspapers and books. But there are many other uses. Only half of the world's paper is used for books and newspapers.

 Paper is very good for keeping you warm. You have perhaps seen homeless men sleep on large number of newspapers. In Finland, it is sometimes -40℃ in winter. The farmers wear paper boots(靴子) in the snow. Nothing could be warmer.

 Each year, more and more things are made of paper. We have had paper cups and plates for a long time. But now we hear that chairs, tables, and even beds can be made of paper. Besides paper boots and shoes, you can wear paper hats, paper dresses, and paper raincoats. When you have use them once, you may throw them away and buy new ones.

 The latest use of paper seems to be paper houses. These are not small houses for children to play in, but real, big houses for people to live in. You can buy a house with three rooms for about 500 dollars. You can put it up by yourself in a few hours, and you can use it for about five years.