When the weather turns warm, everyone wants to be in or around the water. Hanging out at the pool or the beach on a hot day is a great way to beat the heat.

       Most people don't think much about water 1—but they should. For people between the ages of 5 and 24, drowning is the second  2 cause of accidental death.

       It doesn't have to be that way,  3.By knowing how to stay safe and following a few simple guidelines, most water related accidents can be  4.

       It's a good idea to swim only in places that are watched over by a lifeguard. 5  can predict changing ocean currents, sudden storms, or other  6  dangers. In the event that something does go wrong, lifeguards are trained in  7  techniques.

       Swimming in an  8 body of water(like a river, lake, or ocean) is different from swimming in a pool. You need more  9 to handle the currents and other changing conditions in the open water.

       If you do find yourself  10  in a current, don't panic and don't fight the current. Try to swim parallel(平行) to the shore until you are able to  11  the current, which is usually a narrow channel of water.  12  try to make your way back to shore as you do so. If you're  13  to swim away from the current, stay calm and 14 with the current. The current will usually  15 ， then you can swim to shore.

       16  a very good swimmer who tries to swim against a strong current will get worn out. If you're going to  17  in open water, better take lessons that provide you with tips on  18  unexpected dangers.

       Some areas with extremely strong currents are  19 limits when it comes to swimming. Do your research so you know 20  not to swim, and pay attention to any warning signs posted in the area.

—________？Can't I enjoy myself if I want to?

        Katharine Mehta's mother likes to joke that the first sentence her daughter said was“I love dogs.”It's not the fact, but it's certainly true in spirit.

     “When I was young, my grandmother told me about how she sometimes found stray dogs and cats, and kept them on her farm as pets，”says Katharine.“That made me wonder what would happen when animals didn't have a home.I felt horrible thinking that they might be hungry or could get hit by a car.”

      But what could a little girl do？The answer came during a trip to a park in her New York City neighborhood two years ago, where she met volunteers from Mighty Mutts, a local no­kill animal rescue organization.“I thought maybe I could earn some money and give it to them，”she says.

       Since Katharine had plenty of practice taking care of her own dog, she decided to start a summer dog­walking service.She chose two friends and, with their parents'permission, the group put up homemade posters with their phone numbers and a bargain price—50 cents an hour.Before long they had 15 dogs in their care.“We walked two or three at a time with one mother helping out，”she says.“By the end of that summer, we'd collected $45.”That fall Katharine and her mother，Loma, came up with another mini enterprise to raise money for Mighty Mutts—selling fresh­baked shortbread to their neighbors.

       The 11­year­old，who starts sixth grade this fall, has become a nonstop campaigner.Her mother says，“When she sees somebody with a dog, she starts a conversation and tells them to donate to Mighty Mutts.”

        Katharine's passion comes from the heart.“It makes me cry to think that strays might be_put_to_sleep when there's a group that can find new homes for them，” Katharine says.“But it makes me smile to know I can help.”

Notes：

①stray adj.流浪的　②shortbread n ． 黄油甜酥饼