1 . The World Needs Zoos

ZOOS play an important role in the world for conservation and education. They are particularly important for endangered species. Many animals are critically endangered and may go extinct in the wild, but in zoos, they are going strong. Many others are already extinct in the wild and only survive thanks to populations kept in captivity (圈养). Even those critical of zoos often recognize that it is better to have species preserved somewhere than lose them altogether.       1    

Take the ring-tailed lemur (环尾狐猴) of Madagascar for example. This animal is almost ubiquitous in zoos as they breed well in captivity and the public are fond of them. However, despite their high numbers in collections around the world, they are the most threatened mammalian group on the planet. A recent survey suggests that up to 95 percent of the wild populations have been lost since 2000.     2     One bad year or a new disease could wipe out those that are left.

Such trends are not isolated. The giraffe is another very common species in zoos. Unlike the lemurs, giraffes are widespread in the countries across much of sub-Saharan Africa. Yet giraffe populations have gone down by a third in the last thirty years. While less dramatic than the drop in lemur numbers, this is obviously a major loss and again, whole populations (which some scientists think are of unique subspecies) are on the verge of extinction.

    3     Ongoing and future issues from climate change can have unexpected effects on wildlife. It will become more difficult for conservationists to predict which species might be at risk. As it is, experts are struggling to continue monitoring the species that are already known to be vulnerable, so it is easy to see why common species might be overlooked. People might not take a great local loss seriously on the assumption that these animals are heavily populated elsewhere.

There will, I suspect, always be resistance to the argument for keeping animals in captivity and I will not defend the zoos that are bad and in desperate need of improvement or closure.     4     If even common species can lose a huge percentage of their populations in a few years, it may be too late to save them with even the best breeding programs or conservation efforts in the wild.

5 . 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.”

6 . People are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Purchasing property that is environmentally responsible is a good investment for those who are _________ their own health and the well-being of the earth. Based on this trend, entire districts, known as eco-communities, are being designed with a green _________ in mind. Dockside Green in Victoria, British Columbia is one of them.

If everything goes according to plan, Dockside Green will be a _________ community along the harbour front of British Columbia’s capital city. The community will be home to 2500 people and will _________ residential, office, and retail space. Builders of Dockside Green have the environment in mind with every choice they make. They ensure proper ventilation (通风), and guarantee residents 100% fresh indoor air. Building materials,, such as paints and wood, are_________ and non-poisonous. Eco-conscious builders use bamboo wherever possible because it grows fast and does not require _________ to grow.

Energy efficiency is one of the _________ concerns in eco-communities, such as Dockside Green. Not only do energy efficient appliances and light fixtures (照明设备) reduce the environmental_________ of heating and hot water, they also save residents and business owners money. Dockside Green claims that home owners will use 55% less energy than average residents in Canada. Residents will have individual water metres_________ studies show that people use around 20% less energy when they are billed for exactly what they use. __________, water is treated at Dockside Green and reused on site for flushing (冲洗) toilets.

Planners of eco-communities such as Dockside Green must take the __________ into account. Dockside Green plans on reusing 90% of its construction waste. They also plan to continue using local suppliers for all of their transport and maintenance needs. This is a great way to reduce__________.

Dockside residents will be encouraged to make use of a mini transportation system and buy into the community’s car share program. Finally, plans are in the works for a high-tech heating system that will use __________ energy instead of fossil fuels (化石燃料).

Dockside residents will __________ excellent local services with high quality healthcare, shopping and education at the heart of the community, along with excellent recreation facilities and plentiful green open spaces. The Eco-Community will favour the use of locally-sourced goods and services; they will be__________ places to live, promoting a tangible (看得见的)sense of civic pride, responsibility and, as the name suggests, community.

8 . The connection between people and plants has long been the subject of scientific research. Recent studies have found positive effects. A study conducted in Youngstown, Ohio, for example, discovered that greener areas of the city experienced less crime. In another, employees were shown to be 15% more productive when their workplaces were decorated with houseplants.

The engineers at MIT have taken it a step further – changing the actual composition of plants in order to get them to perform diverse, even unusual functions. These include plants that have sensors printed onto their leaves to show when they're short of water and a plant that can detect harmful chemicals in groundwater. "We're thinking about how we can engineer plants to replace functions of the things that we use every day," explained Michael Strano, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT.

One of his latest projects has been to make plants glow in experiments using some common vegetables. Strano's team found that they could create a faint light for three-and-a-half hours. The light, about one-thousandth of the amount needed to read by, is just a start. The technology, Strano said, could one day be used to light the rooms or even to turn trees into self-powered street lamps.

In the future, the team hopes to develop a version of the technology that can be sprayed onto plant leaves in a one-off treatment that would last the plant's lifetime. The engineers are also trying to develop an on and off "switch" where the glow would fade when exposed to daylight.

Lighting accounts for about 7% of the total electricity consumed in the US. Since lighting is often far removed from the power source – such as the distance from a power plant to street lamps on a remote highway - a lot of energy is lost during transmission. Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy.

A walk along Shanghai’s Suzhou Creek was, for much of the 20th century, best undertaken with a handkerchief covered firmly over the nose. Liquid waste from factories poured directly into its waters. For the multi-generational families who lived in the small boats that crowded its waters from bank to bank, it had long doubled as a source of public drinking water and a sewer. Infectious diseases       1     (spread) throughout the area as a result of water pollution.

Suzhou Creek has taken on an entirely new look in recent years. The once-smelly and disease-ridden riverside       2     (make) into a new destination for shopping, strolling and living. It is well-equipped       3     (join) the likes of Paris’s Canal Saint-Martin as an agreeable urban waterfront.

The restoration of Suzhou Creek dates back to 1993,       4     a sewage treatment plant became operational. The plant was able to collect around 1.4 million cubic meters of wastewater within urban areas every day. Since 2002, with the capabilities of the sewage treatment system constantly       5     (upgrade), the main stream of the creek has been cleansed of its black and smelly pollutants. During the past six years, water quality throughout the system has also been greatly improved by the cleanup of over 2,000 river ways       6     the city. Residents were delighted to see duckweed and freshwater fish return to its waters.

Research from the U.N. Environment Program reveals that half of the world’s 500 largest rivers have been seriously depleted or polluted. The comprehensive cleanup project for the 125-kilometer-long Suzhou Creek is an example the world       7     follow, said a report released during the fourth session of the U.N. Environment Assembly in March.

Stage Four of the Suzhou Creek restoration project is in full swing. Its aim is to make the creek’s waterfront       8     (inviting) to the public.       9     this is certainly a noble aim, heritage advocates are worried that traces of Shanghai’s days as a treaty port are getting erased in the process. However, according to the chief designer Michael Grove, “All the historic structures will be preserved and reused, mainly for cultural purposes.” As a model, he points to the successful transition of a disused textile mill into the popular M50 arts district, a warren (道路错综复杂的区域) of contemporary art galleries that lies further up the creek.

That means visitors will still be able to stroll Suzhou Creek from the 1911 Garden Bridge to the 1924 Post Office,     10     (enjoy) a cheerfully dilapidated (年久失修的) part of the metropolis that has, against all odds, retained the essence of old Shanghai. Minus, of course, the stink (恶臭).