【推荐2】The East African country of Kenya has been at the forefront of the global war on plastic since 2017, when officials banned plastic bags. In June 2020, the government ________ the efforts with a ban on single-use plastics in protected areas. Unfortunately, the measures have ________ made any impact. Hundreds of tons of industrial and consumer polymer（聚合物）waste continue to get ________ into landfills daily. However, if 29-year-old Nzambi Matee has her way, the unpleasant plastic ________ will soon be transformed into colourful bricks.

The material engineer’s search to find a(n) ________ solution to control plastic pollution began in 2017. She quit her job as a data analyst at a local chemical factory and set up a small lab in her mother’s backyard. It took her nine months to produce the first brick and even longer to ________ a partner to help build the machinery to make them. But the determined eco-entrepreneur was confident in her idea and did not________.

She says, “I wanted to use my education in applied physics and material engineering to do something about the problem of plastic waste pollution. But I was very ________ that the solution had to be practical, sustainable, and affordable. The best way to do this was by ________ the waste into the construction and finding the most efficient and affordable material to build homes.”

Her company, Gjenge Makers, now hires 112 people and produces over 1,500 bricks a day. The pavers（铺路材料） are made using a mix of plastic products that cannot be reprocessed or recycled. The polymer is obtained ________ from factories or picked by hired locals from Nairobi's largest landfill, Dandora.

The collected plastic is ________ with sand, heated at very high temperatures, and compressed into bricks that vary in colour and thickness. The ________ product is stronger, lighter, and about 30 percent cheaper than concrete bricks.

Matee, who was recently ________ as one of the Young Champions of the Earth 2020 — the United Nations’ highest environmental ________. Her dream is to reduce the mountain of trash in Dandora to just a hill by increasing production and expanding her offerings. She says, “The more we recycle the plastic, the more we produce affordable housing, and the more we create ________ for the youth.”

【推荐3】Keeping The Taps Running in Thirsty Cities

Water covers 71% of Earth’s surface yet only 2% of it is accessible as a source of fresh water. ______ on this limited resources is rising, a trend likely to continue.

It is important to recognize that it is not just city residents who ______ water. Agriculture, industry and tourism often require more water than the municipal water supply. Globally, 70% of fresh water is ______ for agriculture, but locally in heavily irrigated(灌溉)areas this can increate to 90%. A healthy environment also requires fresh water, and the quality of available water is as important as its ______.

Water stress is not always caused by physical shortages in dry areas. ______ for water resources between different users within river catchments or basins can also be a cause.

Every thirsty city operates within its own context, _____ to the challenge of providing adequate water supplies. Cape Town, ______, has faced three years of drought during which winter rains failed to materialize. At the end of the 2017 rainy season the city faced the ______ of its dams running dry during 2018. The dams were only 37% full—in the same week four years before they were full to the top. In January 2018, it was ______ that Cape Town would reach Day Zero, when it would be forced to turn off the taps, in April. This was despite the city reducing its water use by more than half, from 1.2 billion litres a day in 2015 to fewer than 600 million litres, and working ______ with industry and agriculture to reduce demand.

On February 1, the authorities put in place a strict limit of 50 litres of water per person per day. ______, in Britain this is considered enough for a five-minute shower of half a washing machine cycle on full load.

In addition, a ban was placed on using ______ water for gardens, water management devices were installed at household with a high water use and the water pressure was reduced to cut demand and leaks. At the same, the city launched a media ______ to change habits and introduced higher duties. This is not without its costs; agriculture and tourism, both significant areas of employment, have ______. It is a classic example of the problem of water economics-the cost of water is low but the cost of a lack of water is very high.

Crises such as the Cape Town drought are in danger of becoming the new norm. The ______ of Day Zero must serve as a wake-up call for cities across the world to develop cost-effective water management strategies to cope with an uncertain future.

【推荐1】I was 12 years old when my life changed forever. It was just before the end of the school day, and my teacher told me that my mum had asked me to go home immediately. There was a police car in the _________, and I heard the sound of my sister crying in the living room. My mum took me upstairs and told me that my dad had died. I remember crying like forever.

Then my uncle ___________ me down and told me what had happened. I remember thinking Dad must have been in an accident in his car—he had a sporty red one, and I thought he must have _________. So it was shocking to learn he had been murdered—especially when I then discovered that he had been trying to help someone. Our cleaner had been _________ a difficult break-up with her husband, and had her post delivered to our house so her partner couldn’t _________ it. Dad had taken her mail round to her, but her partner saw him, stole a knife, went to the house and ___________ my dad through the heart, which killed him instantly.

It took me a very long time to be able to get to a place where I could remember the happy times with my dad. It’s as if your brain won’t let you remember, because it’s too _______. Even 30 years on, it can be a challenge. It’s like a coping surviving _________ and I still work through it today—but that’s life living with sorrow.

During the past few years I’ve found that talking and writing has been a big help. It’s helped me _________ what happened, and has made me see these feelings are completely normal. Actually for many years, I used to ____________ why I was still feeling this way, but I come to realize there is no set __________ to sorrow. It’s not a quick-fix process; it’s not even a(n) __________ process. It’s something you have to live with, and you take comfort wherever you can find it.

For someone who has just gone through an unbearable loss, please take it easy on yourself. I’m not sure whether time is a __________, but it will show you how to live with these feelings you’re experiencing. And through your own __________ journey, you’ll get to the __________ of understanding yourself a little bit better.

【推荐2】Owura Kwadwo Hottish teaches computer science in & school. It is a normal school except for the fact that it didn't have________.

Owura became famous after he posted photos of him on the Internet. In the picture, people could see he was teaching his students by ________ an entire computer on the blackboard. The photos showed the ________ level of education for children in Ghana. People were ________ that Owura made sure each button was drawn correctly.

He would come to school half an hour ahead of ________ every day. He drew the computer on the blackboard, but at the end of his class, it was ________ off to start the next class, so he had to ________ it the next day!

Owura's efforts ________ when Microsoft (微软公司) took ________ of his net. They first took him to an international educators' meeting in Singapore. He made a ________ about his teaching methods at the meeting and ________ a standing ovation (致敬) after the speech.

_______ Owura got the thing he always wanted for his students-some companies ________computers to the school. Not a single child in the school had seen a real computer in their lives. Thanks to their teacher's ________, the world took notice and responded with ________ to them.

【推荐3】Years ago some salesmen ran to catch their flight. In their ________ one of these busy salesmen________ over a table, where baskets of apples were. Apples flew everywhere. Without ________ ,they all tried to reach the plane ________ all but one.He paused and told his friends to ________ without him,asking one of them to tell his wife that he would take a ________ flight.

Then he ________ to the place where the apples were. The girl at the apple table was totally ________ ! She was softly crying, ________ running down her checks in frustration,and at the same time ________ her apples as the crowd walked around her. No one stopped or eared for her ________ .

The salesman gathered up the apples. put them into the ________ ,and helped set the table up once more. As he did this, he ________ many had become broken; these he set aside in another basket. When he had finished, he ________ out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take this $ 20 for the ________ we did. Are you okay?” She nodded ________ her tears.

He continued,“I hope we didn't spoil your day too ________ . ”As the salesman started to walk away,the girl who couldn't see anything called out to him.“Mister. . . ”He turned to look. She ________ , “Are you Angel?”He stopped and wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch his flight with that ________ in his soul:“Are you Angel?” Do people mistake you for angel? Try your best to ________ those in trouble and you would be the angel all the time.

Last year, I was invited to participate in a carnival for Tuesday’s Child, an organization that helps children with AIDS.

All the children that had gathered at one particular room could _______ a square on a piece of cloth. Later the squares would be sewn (缝) together to ______a quilt. The quilt would be 3 to a man who had devoted his life to the 4 and would soon be 5     .

The kids were given paints in bright colors and asked to paint something that would make the quilt 6     . As I looked around at all the squares, I saw pink hearts, blue clouds, orange sunrises and red flowers. The pictures were all bright and      7      . All 8     one.

One boy was painting a heart, but it was dark and lifeless. It 9 the bright colors that his fellow artists had used. I asked why. He told me that he was very 10 and so was his mom. He said that his sickness was not ever going to get better and neither was his mom’s. He looked      11 into my eyes and said, “There is no hope in my life.”

I told him I was sorry and I could understand why he had made his heart a dark color. I told him that       12 we couldn’t make him better, we can give 13 , which can really help when you are feeling sad. I told him that if he would like, I would be 14     to give him one so he could see    15 I meant. he instantly crawled into my lap. I thought my own heart would burst for this sweet little boy.

He sat there for a long time. Finally he     16     down to finish his coloring. As I was getting ready to     17      home, I felt a tug (猛拽) on my jacket. Standing there was the little boy, 18     He said, “My heart is changing     19 It is getting brighter. I think those hugs really do 20 .”

On my way home I felt my own heart. It too had changed to a brighter color.