The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,     1     (surround) by advancing deserts on three sides, is one of the major sources of sandstorms which threaten northern China. The region lacks water resources     2     faces extreme weather events. If no actions     3     (take), the region will face the threat of being buried by sand as no     4     (defend) can stop the advancing deserts and repetitive strong sandstorms.

More than four decades of efforts against desertification in Ningxia have helped develop crucial experience. Growing different trees based on different habitats is     5     (critic) to maintaining the forests’ quality and sustainability. In Shapotou District, Zhongwei City, wild shrubs (灌木) are planted because of the     6     (extreme) low groundwater. Shrubs help lower the wind speed, preventing the transportation     7     sands to neighboring areas. At the same time, the organisms     8     (live) on the shrubs gradually form biological soil coats to hold the sand firmly.

By the end of 2020, Ningxia     9     (grow) 510,000 hectares of forest, increasing forest coverage from 8.4 percent in 2000 to 15.8 percent. During     10     “14th Five-Year Plan” period, Ningxia plans to create 96,000 hectares of forest and restore over 66,000 hectares of grassland.

A report shows China experienced more heavy rainfalls and high temperatures,     1    (warn) of increasing climate risks.Temperatures in China     2    (increase) faster than the global average over the past few     3    (decade), with extreme weather-related events becoming more frequent

Officials said the country was witnessing higher daytime temperatures — this July was     4    (hot) than previous years and the second-hottest since 1961 — while precipitation (降水量) nationwide in July increased by 3.2%     5    (compare) with previous years.

The report comes less than a month after     6    (dead) floods in Henan killed over 300 people and affected millions more. During the extreme weather event, the provincial capital of Zhengzhou     7    (record) a year’s worth of rainfall in a day.

This year’s floods have resulted in economic losses worth 123 billion yuan ($19 billion) in China.     8    , those losses are 22% lower than the average over    9     same period in the past five years, according to     10    (office) data.

A sandstorm,     1     originated in Mongolia on Tuesday, swept through vast regions of northern China, causing heavy pollution. The storm, according to the National Meteorological Center, was the     2    (strong) in China so far this year and affected several provincial-level regions. It was said that strong winds     3    (blow) over loose sand and soil created the conditions for sand and dust storms. Satellite images showed that by Wednesday morning, it     4    (cover) 854,000 square kilometers,     5    (rough) twice the size of the US state of California.     6    violent sandstorm swallowed everything in its path and caused much inconvenience. Visibility remained lower than 1,000 meters in some parts of northern China. The     7    (government) of the affected areas urged people with respiratory(呼吸道)illnesses to avoid outdoor activities and recommended that brightly colored clothes     8    (wear)to avoid accidents amid poor visibility. The capital’s parks stopped boats and cable cars     9    (ensure)the safety of visitors. It is hard to say     10     there will be more such weather conditions, but the NMC will keep close watch this spring.