The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan was     1     (severe) damaged by a tsunami in 2011, leading to a major nuclear disaster. Since then, water has been continuously used     2     (cool) the damaged reactors (反应堆) and prevent further damage.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the     3     (operate) of the plant, said that the storage tanks took up too much space due to the wastewater. So Japan initially said that it     4     (begin) releasing the water into the ocean in the spring of 2023. On March 17, part of the equipment     5     was related to the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant started operation for     6     first time, according to Japanese media TV Asahi.

According to The Guardian, the Japanese government argued that they     7     (treat) the water, which would be safe to be released into the ocean. However, not everyone agrees with this decision. Environmental groups and local fishermen have expressed concern about the impact of the wastewater     8     marine life and the fishing industry, the BBC reported.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on March14 once again denounced (谴责) Japan’s unilateral (单边的) decision to dump nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea,     9     (consider) the move an attempt to shift the risk of nuclear pollution to all of mankind. The ministry also warned the country not to start the plan before fully     10     (consult) with its neighbors and relevant international institutions.

The theme of the Earth Day celebration this year is plastics-specifically how to decrease     1     （they）unwanted impacts on our environment. What was perhaps set in place in the mid-20th century     2     plastic was manufactured on a large scale has come back to trouble us.

Plastic refuse is everywhere. It’s     3     （big）than Texas in the Pacific garbage patch（带）, and it’s as small as the micro plastics getting eaten by fish and turned out on our dinner plates.

Some environmental groups are leading grassroots movements to cut back on the use of common plastics like straws；the U. K. even recently advised     4     （pass）a law to ban them. It’s one accumulative way to cut back on the great 91 percent of plastic that is not recycled.

Jonathan Baillie, chief scientist of the National Geographic Society, says that addressing this issue     5     （require）fundamental changes. “First, we should place greater value on the natural world.” he says Then, we are supposed     6     （commit）ourselves to protecting regions like the Amazon and Congo that house critical environments. Lastly, he notes, we need to innovate more     7     （rapid）. Producing protein for consumption more efficiently and fostering renewable energy resources will help reduce     8     impacts of what he sees as the Earth’s greatest: threats. "Fundamentally, if we care     9     the natural world, we will value and protect it and make     10     （decision）that ensure the future of species and ecosystems.

22-year-old Belgian Lucas Deckers won the 19th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students last month. The annual competition     1     (organize)by the Ministry of Education was moved online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic(大流 行）.However, the changes did not affect foreign students'     2    (enthusiastic) for learning Chinese, with hundreds of thousands of students     3    (sign) up for this year's competition, according to the organizers. Since     4     (it) launch in 2002, the competition has been     5    (successful) held 19 times, attracting more than 1.4 million participants from over 150 countries     6    (demonstrate) their Chinese skills and knowledge about China's culture and history. Deckers said winning the competition was not only a great confidence boost, but also increased pressure     7     him to further improve his Chinese. Deckers,    8    also speaks Dutch, French and English, started learning Chinese when he enrolled for a Sinology degree at KU Leuven University in Belgium at age 18. He chose the major because of his long-held desire to see the world and travel to a faraway place like China. "That's what    9    (attract) me to study Chinese in     10    first place. But after I started, my passion for China grew really fast. I suddenly started to like everything about Chinese culture.”

Thailand’s leader traveled to the northern city of Chiang Mai earlier this week to personally inspect areas with     1     (extreme) poor air quality.

Prime Minister Prayuth ordered govemmeat agencies to fight the air pollution     2     has reached dangerous levels Recently, pollution levels in and around Chiang Mai     3     (rise) above those of major world cities known     4     having poor air quality. Much of Chiang Mai’s current t pollution is a result of farmers    5       (bum)crops. Many farmers set fires at this time of year as a way    6     (clear)land for planting. Agriculture experts say the air pollution is     7    (bad)this year   than last year because of terribly dry weather.

“We need to work on a long-term     8     (solve)with understanding from the public,” Prayuth said. “ We need time to change the way we farm     9     grow crops. ” He said officials had given out nearly two million face       10       (mask)to people in affected areas.