Preserving more habitats for China’s giant pandas is providing a giant payoff.    1    (save) the giant panda from dying out isn’t just good for the panda, but it’s also good for economy, a new analysis by an international team of scientists shows.

The results,    2    (publish) in the magazine Current Biology, stress the economic bene-fits that go hand in hand with environmental protection. Giant pandas are one of the    3    (rare) species around the world. But pandas fell on hard times in recent decades, thanks largely    4    human encroachment (侵入). In 1980 alone,many habitats    5    (destroy) artificially, and in 1990, their habitats covered only 12,340 square kilometers,     6    is a major threat to the pandas in large part because bamboo, their main food source, is so low in nutrients that they must wander a lot of land in order to find and eat enough of it.

Because of this, Chinese officials began making significant efforts to save the panda from     7    (extinct), establishing more reserves and increasing the reserve area three times. Panda numbers    8    (gradual) began to recover, hitting 1,596 in 2000 and 1,864 in 2010.

“    9    is clear that society’s investment (投资)    10    (start) to pay off so far in terms of panda population recovery,” the study authors wrote.

World leaders at the 5th meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) agreed that by 2024, they would create and sign a new treaty on plastics. The new treaty would create international laws     1     could help bring plastic waste under control.

Because plastic is useful for so many purposes, it has become a part of nearly all areas of our lives. It’s hard to look anywhere without finding dozens of     2     (object) made of plastic.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) reports that     3     (current) 400 million tons of plastic is produced every year. By 2040, that number is predicted to double. And even though there’s a lot of talk about recycling, only 9% of all the plastic ever     4     ( produce) has been recycled.

Plastic gives off dangerous gases when it’s made and also when it’s burned or buried in the ground. Scientists say plastics are responsible     5     4.5% of the world’s greenhouse gases — the gases that are driving the climate crisis.

Plastic doesn’t “decompose (腐烂)” like natural materials. Instead, it just breaks into smaller and smaller pieces. And as the plastics     6     (fill) our world break down, they create     7     new problem — microplastics.

Microplastics are so tiny that     8     (they) existence is usually ignored. In the past few years, microplastics     9     (find) almost everywhere, from the North pole to Antarctica, from the top of the Earth’s     10     (high) mountain to the deepest point in the sea. They’ve even appeared in the bodies of animals including humans.

Solar terms, also called Jieqi in Chinese, are days marking one of the 24 time buckets or the solar year in traditional Chinese calendar and    1    (use) to indicate the alternation of seasons and climate changes in ancient China.

The Yellow River Basin in Northern China is believed to be the cradle of the solar terms system. China's 24 solar terms are     2     knowledge system and social practice formed through     3     (observe) of the sun's annual motion and cognition of the year's changes in season, climate and phenology(物候学). Ancient Chinese divided the sun's movement through the sky     4     24 segments(时间段), with each segment equaling one     5     (rough) two-week-long "solar term".     6     (base) on the sun's position in the zodiac, the 24 solar terms were created by farmers in ancient China to guide the     7     (agriculture) affairs and farming activities. They serve as an instruction   manual of sorts for farmers,     8     (allow) them to know     9     conditions to expect or what agricultural activities to carry out during certain periods of the year.

Solar terms are often called China's "     10     (five) great invention " after paper making, printing, gunpowder and the compass.

The design and colors of the Beijing Winter Olympic Villages reflect Chinese aesthetics (美学). The city     1     (see) 288 days of good air quality last year, up by 112 days from 2013. In history, Beijing 2022 is the first Games     2     all venues (场地) are powered by clean energy and Beijing is the first city in the world     3     (host) both the Summer and Winter Games. Passenger vehicles used for the Games’ official transport service are powered by renewable energy. The world’s first express train with a studio     4     (power) by 5G tech has been launched. “Green” tops     5     China-proposed concept of hosting “green, inclusive, open and clean” Olympic Winter Games. A number of Olympic high     6     (technology) have been applied for the first time in Beijing to ensure     7     (it) goal of carbon neutrality.

The 2022 Paralympic Winter Games mascot Shucy RhonRhon symbolizes reunion and joy. China’s commitment to engage 300 million people in winter sports has already become a     8     (real). Named “Tongxin”, the medals are designed and inspired     9     Chinese ancient jade concentric circle pendants (同心圆吊坠). A menu of 678 dishes will be served     10     (special) to athletes from diverse cultural backgrounds all around the world.

Shadow theater is a unique art form in China. Thanks to the basic principle of light and shadow projected (投影) onto a screen, performers use puppets (玩偶)     1     (make) from animal skins to tell stories in a form of opera. Two thousand years ago, the sadness of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty over the death of his favorite lover was     2     (full) relieved by the projection of her figure through a game of lights. This started     3     is now known in China as the earliest form of shadow play.

Among all the country’s branches, Beijing shadow theater stands out     4     its techniques and its specific tunes. It     5     (experience) a long period of formation and now features unique performance methods. Its vocal (声乐的) tone and actual puppets draw     6     (inspire) from Kunqu Opera and Peking Opera.

In the past, the shadow theater     7     (perform) in the fields, with all performers hidden behind the scenes; some controlled the puppets and sang, while others managed the music. A performing group would consist of six or seven people and a box of puppets. When people put on     8     play at a market, a light box and a curtain would be enough     9     (start) the show. Requiring only a few things, the theater was characterized by its mobility, often     10     (appear) at weddings, dinner parties and Chinese New Year celebrations.