You may need to give first aid. First aid is defined(下定义) as the emergency care given to a sick or injured person. The goals of first aid are to prevent death and to prevent injuries from becoming worse.

    Each emergency condition is different. However, the following rules apply to any kind of emergency.

    Be aware of your limitations. Do not try to do more than you are able to. Nor should you do things if you are unfamiliar with them. Do what you can under the conditions at the time.

    Stay calm. Acting calmly will help the victim feel safe.

    Take a quick look to see if the victim is bleeding, and if there is a pulse.

    Keep the victim lying down and do not move him or her.You could make an injury worse if you move the victim.

    Take necessary emergency steps.

    Call for help or ask someone to make the EMS system（急救系统）start.

    Do not remove clothing unless you have to.If clothing must be removed,tear the clothes along the seams（线缝）.

    Keep the victim warm. Cover the victim with a blanket. Coats and sweaters can be used if a blanket cannot be found.

    Reassure the victim. Explain what is happening and that help has been called.

    Do not give the victim any food or fruits.

    Keep the bystanders away from the victim. Bystanders want to have a look, offer advice, and say something about the victim's condition. The victim may believe that the condition is worse than it really is.

    Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead."

    Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt－a mistake 75% of US population makes every day. The big question is why.

    There have been many myths about safety belt ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.

    Myth the Number One: It's best to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident.

    Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to "throw you clear" is able to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you'll have traveled through a windshield(挡风玻璃) or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty－five times in cases where people are "thrown clear".

    Myth Number Two: Safety-belts "trap" people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.

    Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situation, not to be trapped in them.

    Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour(mph).

    Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 metres.

    A recent university study found that current electric cars could be used for 87% of daily car journeys in the US. That figure could rise to 98% by 2020.

One hurdle to the widespread adoption of electric cars has been “range anxiety” —drivers' concerns about running out of petrol on a journey. While petrol stations are conveniently located across national road systems, the necessary network of electric charging stations is still being developed. In fact, charging points are becoming increasingly common throughout the USA.

    Attitudes towards electric vehicles have changed quite considerably over the last few years. Not that long ago, electric cars met with doubt, and their high price drove customers away. Thanks to improvements in battery capacity(电池容量), recharging times, performance and price, the current generation of electric cars is starting to persuade critics.

    As well as progress on the road, electric vehicles are taking to the sea and sky. Electric boats are among the oldest electric vehicles, having enjoyed several decades of popularity from the late 19th to the early 20th century before petrol-powered outboard motors took over. Now, the global drive for renewable energy sources is bringing electric boats back. Steps towards electric planes are also being made, with Airbus and NASA among the organizations developing and testing battery-powered planes. The experiments could soon make electric flight a reality.

    Electric vehicles do not produce any emissions(排放物). Were the US to act on the study's findings and replace 87 percent of its cars with electric vehicles, it would reduce the national demand for petrol by 61 per cent. However, because of the production processes and the generation of electricity required to charge these vehicles, they cannot claim to be completely emission-free. Even so, as many countries continue to increase their use of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles will become even cleaner.

    An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.

    In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (发起)the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book" project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong.

    In Chicago, the mayor(市长)appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighbourhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.

    The only problem arose in New York, where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致)can be achieved. Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point, putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.

    Ultimately as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.

For centuries Antarctica has attracted people from around the world. Explorers sought to travel there. Scientists have studied weather, wildlife, and geology there for decades. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In the last few decades, though, scientists have reported that the ice is melting.

 {#blank#}2{#/blank#} That's a difficult question to answer. The loss of ice in Antarctica has not been linear (直线的). That means it isn't a steady decrease. In fact, the rate of melting can vary greatly from year to year. Still, scientists warn that the continent's ice sheet is shrinking.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Climate change is warming the world's oceans and affecting the currents (洋流) of the Earth's oceans. These currents are bringing more warm water to Antarctica than ever recorded.

Today, the planet is warming at a rate that alarms scientists. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The effects of such a rise could cause major problems. It will increase flooding, especially in areas near shores. A large rise in sea level could even make some regions uninhabitable. This could cause millions around the world to become climate refugees (难民).

Can humans stop Antarctica from melting? Probably not — but experts do believe people can slow the process. How can you help? Pay attention to your carbon footprint. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Only changes on a large, global scale (范围) can truly make a difference to Antarctica.

A. How quickly is Antarctica melting?

B. Is human activity contributing to the melting of Antarctica's ice?

C. The ice of Antarctica is the result of thousands of years of snow.

D. West Antarctica is the region most affected by these warm waters.

E. Talk with your family about ways to reduce your use of fossil fuels.

F. If this continues, melting ice could lead to a serious rise in sea level.

G. Experts say the melting of Antarctica's ice sheet is caused by rising temperatures.

The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world. Painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 16th century, it has captivated audiences for centuries with its mysterious smile and masterful technique. 

The painting is housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, and attracts millions of visitors each year. However, the Mona Lisa's history is not without controversy. There have been numerous attempts to steal or deface the painting, and its conservation has been a subject of great concern.

Leonardo da Vinci's use of sfumato, a technique that blends colors and tones seamlessly, gives the painting a soft and hazy appearance. The sitter's expression, which seems to change depending on the viewer's angle and mood, adds to the intrigue of the work.