3 . Lapland's reindeer (驯鹿) grow well in winters of -30℃ and even colder. So when rain falls instead of snow during the coldest months in the Arctic,it makes food hard to get for them. Now one of the best-loved symbols of Christmas is probably dying out. Numbers have fallen by over half in the last two decades as the place warms at four times the global average rate.

The animals are used to pull sleigh (雪橇) rides for tourists. The rides are part of Lapland winter wonderland experiences in thousands of British tourists each year. But this year the working herd had to be moved 60 miles further north due to the absence of snow. As a result, they can't be provided in some areas, making it hard for people to earn a living.

Lapland is often described as Europe's last great wilderness, home to lynxes, brown bears, wolverines and golden eagles. Tourism is a big part of the economy, and the town of Rovaniemi is also the "official home of Santa Claus". But changing climate (气候) is threatening its tourism industry. A report by The Finnish Climate Change Panel warns of flooding and increased rainfall, with Rovaniemi most at risk. Firms that rely on snow "will have great effects on visit levels" and these industries may be forced further north.

Erkkila of the Arctic Husky Park in Rovaniemi says: "Tourists see pictures of the Santa Claus village covered in snow and when they get here they think, 'Is this the winter wonderland?'." The Husky Park bought a wheeled cart (车) six years ago as a replacement for sleigh rides when the snow fails.

In the past it was thought the Arctic was warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. But a report published last week by scientists showed the rate is actually four times the global average.

4 . Winter can usually kill most wildfires. But in the far North，some forest fires just don’t die. They are thought of as “zombie (僵尸) fires”.

“Zombie fires” usually sleep underground in winter. Covered by snow, they smoke through the cold. Fueled by carbon-rich peat (泥炭) and soil in the North, most of these hidden fires spread slowly for less than 500 meters during the winter. When spring comes, the flames (火焰) of the fires appear near sites that they burned in winter, and they turn to burning fresh fuels around. This may happen well before the traditional fire season in the far North.

“Zombie fires” had been known mostly from firefighters’ stories. Few scientists studied them until details in some satellite images attracted one research team. Rebecca Scholten, a member of the team, studies earth systems at Vrije University Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Her team noticed an unusual thing. “New fires have been starting very close to the former years’ fires in recent years，and we wonder how often the fires might survive the winter,” Scholten explains.

These “zombie fires” are rarely seen before, according to a new study from Nature. But in recent years, they are becoming more common, the study warns. It is believed that the “zombie fires” are even on the road of being a threat. Forests in the far North are warming faster than the globe’s average (平均数). Scholten says, “We’re seeing more hot summers and more large fires and strong burning. That could set the stage for the fires to become a bigger problem,” she worries. And the region’s soils hold a lot of carbon—maybe twice as much as earth’s atmosphere. More fires here could give off huge amounts of greenhouse gases. That would drive a cycle of more warming and even higher risk of fires.

My cousin and I took a trip by rail across Canada from west to east. Before starting out, we spent a couple of days in Vancouver, admiring the     1    (sight). Then we arose early to take the train to Lake Louise, passing through the Canadian Rockies.     2    (see) from the train window, the mountains and forests looked     3    (mass). We spent the night near the lake, where the blue water literally took our breath away,     4     headed to Jasper the next morning. The beautiful scenery convinced us it was the most awesome journey we     5    (take). From Jasper, we boarded the train bound     6     Toronto. One of our first stops was in Edmonton, which     7     (be) home to many shopping malls. We never anticipated seeing such an open country until the train headed across the Great Prairie.     8     amazed us most were a bunch of farms covering two wheat- growing provinces. The train thundered on, through the     9    (roll) hills in Ontario. It was     10    (true) enjoyable to watch the red maple leaves outside the window. After four days, we reached Toronto.

6 . On a sunny afternoon, Andreas Fath climbed out of a river in Paducah. A small crowd was on hand to witness his setting a new world record. This man had just finished swimming the entire length of the Tennessee River—1,049 kilometers. And he did it in just 34 days!

As a chemist from Hochshule Furtwangen University, the 52-year-old man had taken on this swim for science. His primary goal was not to get his name into Guinness World Records. What really drove this swim was a desire to make people aware of the seriousness of water pollution.

Fath’s crew included his family. Martin Knoll, who helped organize Fath’s swim, also took par t. Knoll is an environmental scientist at the University of the South. He describes this swim as a vehicle for getting people interested in water quality and how we pollute water without realizing it.

It took Fath 34 days to swim the river’s length. Along the way, his crew took measurements of the water’s temperature and pH. They also recorded weather and the speed of the river’s currents (涌流). As for the Tennessee River, they collected daily water samples. A small plastic device attached to one leg of Fath’s wet suit sampled the chemical pollutants (污染物) through which he swam. Finally, Fath’s goal is to use such data to know what on earth results in water pollution. Then he wants to find ways to keep those chemicals out of the water.

Back in Germany, Fath and his students have finished examining their data. They plan to publish their findings soon. Identifying materials that hide in the river isn’t only important for the animals that live there. “It’s also a way to protect human health,” says Fath.

7 . Bill worked as a fireman for 17 years. He’s been proud of his bravery in risking his life to_________others. One emergency call_________him to poisonous chemicals, which later led to repeated strokes. Just at 37, the man, who had become accustomed to having the_________to save lives, now wasn’t able to button his own shirt or tie his own shoes.

Bill’s wife Daisy_________what would happen to Bill, and she suggested they add a_________to the family. So_________Coco. Coco was saved from the slum (贫民窟) and brought to America for_________by the nonprofit Puppy Rescue Mission. At the airport, as soon as Coco_________from his box, he peed (尿湿) all over Bill — and Bill burst into his first genuine_________in months — he got to love the dog!

After several months, Daisy was suddenly woken up by Coco’s__________barking. She went to see what was__________and found Bill had fallen down unconscious. Bill was rushed to the hospital—Coco had saved the day. And it wasn’t the__________time. When Coco would find Bill__________, he would call for help with his bark of warning.

“He’s always there watching me, helping me,__________I’m okay,” says Bill. “I’ve__________saved others, and now this lovely dog saves me, and that has to mean something. That has to mean I’m worth something after all.”

10 . Lots of people dream of a beach vacation, but hesitate to take one because they don't want to leave a pet behind.     1     You can enjoy some fun in the sun on a beach vacation with your pet. It is easier than ever to find a beach that welcome your pets, and a little extra planning and preparation is all that is required to have a wonderful time on vacation with your pet.

    2     Use the Internet to determine whether a beach is pet friendly. You can look at a beach's website, lists of pet-friendly beaches where you will be traveling. They will tell you about any rules on pets at the local beaches.

Find a hotel that is pet-friendly. Most hotels that accept pets will advertise themselves as pet-friendly on their websites.     3     It's better to know if your pet will be welcome before you make an order.

Clean up after your pet. When vacationing with your pet it doesn't mean that all responsibility is gone. Picking up after it, whether that is when it goes to the bathroom or it makes a mess with its food, is still your responsibility.     4    

Be considerate of others.     5     Some people are scared of animals, especially children, so just be aware of other animals and people on the beach and keep your pet away from them if necessary.