1 . Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) recently announced that they have figured out how to engineer a biofilm (生物膜) that harvests the energy in evaporation (蒸发) and changes it to electricity. This biofilm, which was announced in Nature Communications, has the potential to revolutionize the world of wearable electronics, powering everything from personal medical sensors to personal electronics.

“This is a very exciting technology,” says Liu Xiaomeng, graduate student in electrical and computer engineering in UMass Amherst’s College of Engineering and the paper’s lead author. “It generates real green energy, and unlike other so-called ‘green-energy’ sources, its production is totally green.”

That’s because this biofilm — which is a sheet of bacterial cells and as thin as a sheet of paper-is produced naturally by an engineered version of the bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens (硫还原地杆菌). G. sulfurreducens is known to produce electricity and has been used previously in “microbial batteries” to power electrical equipment. But such batteries require that G. sulfurreducens be properly cared for and fed a constant diet. By contrast, this new biofilm, which can supply as much energy as a comparably sized battery, works continuously, because it is dead. And because it’s dead, it doesn’t need to be fed.

The secret behind this new biofilm is that it makes energy from the moisture (水分) on your skin. Though we daily read stories about solar power, at least 50% of the solar energy reaching the earth goes toward evaporating water. “This is a huge, undiscovered source of energy,” says Yao Jun, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UMass Amherst, and the paper’s one senior author. Since the surface of our skin is constantly moist with sweat, the biofilm can “plug into” it and change the energy locked in evaporation into enough energy to power small equipment. “Our next step is to increase the size of our film to power more intelligent wearable electronics,” says Yao, and Liu points out that one of the goals is to power entire electronic systems, rather than single equipment.

Foster homes play     1     crucial role in providing a safe and nurturing environment for     2    (pet) awaiting adoption. According to a report, many pet shelters and rescue organizations require foster homes to accommodate homeless pets. Unfortunately, due     3     a decline in volunteers, several pet shelters have had to shut down,     4    (lead) to an increase in homeless pets. Meanwhile, more pets are being surrendered by owners     5    are either too ill to care for them or unable to afford their upkeep.

    6    (address) this issue, the Arizona Humane Society in Phoenix     7    (introduce) a convenient drive-up service up to now. Volunteers interested in fostering pets can simply send a text upon arrival, and shelter staff will promptly bring the necessary paperwork to their car, promoting the foster process.     8    (current), there are 345 pets from the shelter benefiting from foster care. However, the need for pet fosters persists nationwide. If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to contact a pet shelter     9    rescue organization near you. Welcoming a furry companion into your home is a     10    (reward) experience, as pets bring immense joy and fulfillment to people’s lives.

3 . Discover how you can help endangered species! Volunteer to help conserve endangered species around the world with GoEco.

Sea turtles, Sri Lanka

The species is threatened by human hunters. The Sri Lankan government has approved the creation of hatcheries (孵化场) in order to protect this species. Volunteers on this program spend 60% of their time working in the hatchery and the other 40% is spent on activities such as beach cleanups and creating awareness within the local community.

Program Fees: $1,280 for 2 weeks and $1,680 per month for volunteers.

Wildlife Rescue, Western Australia

Adult kangaroos and wallabies are hunted for food, leaving thousands of their babies without parents. Many are killed or injured in road accidents. At the wildlife rescue center in Perth, Western Australia, volunteers live and help in the bushland caring for sick, injured, and displaced animals.

Program Fee: $2,095 for four weeks. Volunteers stay on-site in a small room. Due to very limited space, applications must be sent at least 9-12 months in advance.

Endangered Species Reserve, South Africa

The project will give you an incredible wildlife experience while learning about conservation efforts. For the rest of the time between monitoring sessions, volunteers are required to enter all the data that they have collected into our databases. At times, volunteers need to operate on night shifts. We also give lectures and presentations over the lunch period.

Program Fee: $1,750 for 2 weeks

Big Cat Refuge, South Africa

As a volunteer on this project, you will be involved in a wide variety of activities. Volunteer’s work ranges from enrichment activities, such as toy-making and farm work, to educating the visitors. Volunteers will also directly care for the cats by preparing food or feeding them as well as maintaining their living space.

Program Fee: $1,450 for 2 weeks

Taylor Swift does great donation to help victims of tornadoes

Severe storms and tornadoes have killed at least six people in Tennessee,     1    (include) a child, with homes and businesses suffering a heavy     2    (lose) and tens of thousands of people losing power.According to reports in the US, Taylor Swift,     3    was recently declared a billionaire, has donated 1million dollars     4     the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT).

Although born in Pennsylvania, Swift has a close relationship with Tennessee, having moved to Nashville with her family at the age of 14     5    (follow) her musical dream.

Her music catalogue since 2019 is worth an estimated $400m, ticket and merchandise sales from concerts have earned her 370 million dollars while streams from Spotify, YouTube and other     6    (platform) are value d at 120 million dollars.

The Eras tour alone     7    (generate)hundreds of millions of dollars so far, with another year to go until it draws to a close. The tour is the latest show of charity from the 33-year-old, who     8    (award)Time magazine’s Person of the Year last week while Forbes ranked her the world’s fifth most     9    (power)woman.

The CFMT operates a fund supporting non-profit organizations providing services in all phases of a disaster.

The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings in Tennessee with reports of     10     further tornado in Kentucky.

5 . Once there was a dandelion (蒲公英) living alone by the road. It felt bored and sad all day as no one ever stopped to take a look at or talk to it.

One day, a mother was walking on the road with her baby. The baby was crying hard and loudly. No matter what the mother did, she couldn’t get the baby to stop crying. Then the mother looked down, and she found the lonely dandelion. It looked so lovely in the sun with its white seeds widely open, and more beautiful than other plants around.

The mother squatted down, (蹲下) picking the dandelion softly. Then she brought it up to her baby so that he could see it clearly. When the baby saw the flowers of the dandelion, he quickly stopped crying and looked at them with interest.

His mom put the dandelion near her mouth and blew the flowers up and down. The dandelion seeds then flew in the air, spreading far away with the wind. The mother gave the dandelion to her son. He didn’t know what the plant was, but he knew it was fun to play with, which made him giggle (咯咯笑) so happily.

Now the dandelion knew its value and didn’t feel sad. It lived a beautiful life just by being itself. It wasn’t as beautiful as other flowers, but it brought the child a simple kind of happiness that money can’t buy.

The dandelion’s story tells us that everyone is special and great. We can help others in one way or another. We’re far greater than we think we are.

6 . A forest after a wildfire

Throughout my career, I’ve had many chances to enter various wildfire areas. But I’ve ________ had the opportunity to see the immediate scene after a fire.

So when I ________ into a recently burned forest, my first reaction was the deathly ________ hung in the air. There were no birds, no breeze caught in the leaves of a tree, or animal noises. It felt as if life itself had totally ________ from this place. What was even worse, the burned-out forest meant that a large amount of ________ alongside the road was no longer ________ by the under-growth (灌木丛) . Oil cans, glass, plastic bags—you name it, and you can find it.

Knowing there was a story here that needed ________ , I raised my camera with a heavy heart, no matter how ________ . Photographing burned-out areas is ________ , since there is really only a bunch of burned-out wood. Through my lenses, I sought to connect viewers to the ________ of the disaster.

For a nature photographer passionate about environmental protection, it’s important to ________ the ugly as well as the beautiful. We need to put those two things together, so while ________ hope, we are aware of what has been taken from us, and how ________ that loss can be. Without that balance, we risk becoming used to a world shaped by destruction and not the one of ________ . Nature will regenerate, but now, we must consider what ________ we humans play in that process, too.

China has planted millions of trees in its northwest over the past two decades as part of its     1     (amaze) fight against the expanding deserts.

The effort has paid off. Around 2000, deserts across the country were still increasing by 10,400m² a year. But in 2017, they were decreasing by more than 2,400m² a year. The     2     (achieve) was confirmed by a study from the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences in Paris.

“In 1999, the Chinese government began planting millions of trees in its Grain for Green Program. It     3     (carry) out to repair damaged farmland in northwestern China,     4     is roughly the size of France,” says Philippe Ciais, a researcher at the laboratory. “I was there a few months ago, and it is indeed surprising that once bare landscapes are now almost fully covered by plants.”

“The growth of forests is significant     5     necessary progress in the fight against desertification,” says Jianping Huang, a researcher at Lanzhou University. “But it’s still too early to determine whether it has solved the problem. Researchers have found that many of the plant species     6     (introduce) to the region use more water     7     native vegetation. It could lead to water shortages for humans.”

The national forestry department has recognized the error. In recent years, it has worked more closely with researchers and communities to find ways to plant less     8     (thirst) plants that have economic value.

“All     9     (program) need to take into account local conditions,” the forestry department said in March “    10     (we) efforts should go towards keeping vegetation sustainable, rather than simply planting more trees.”

8 . Some parents may have had trouble getting their kids away from electronics and outside this summer. But for one Virginia family, this wasn’t the case. Josh and Cassie Sutton recently completed a full-length hike of the Appalachian Trail with their son, Harvey.

At just 5 years old, Harvey, who earned the nickname “Little Man” from fellow hikers, is one of the youngest people known to have completed the roughly 2, 100-mile trail that stretches across 14 states in 209 days.

When Harvey was 2 years old, his parents began training him for hiking by going on mini walks. They slowly increased their mileage day by day—eventually making him adapt to his big adventure. “A lot of people are surprised at how well he did. They’re like, ‘How did you get your 5-year-old to do that because my 5-year-old won’t even walk half a mile without com-plaining?’” Mom Cassie Sutton said.

The Suttons said that while the adventure of the 2, 100-mile hike was fun as a family, it did have its challenges—especially when it came to keeping Harvey entertained. “We learned that he is gifted in hiking, but as long as we’re playing make-believe with him all day long, then he moves quickly and hikes a lot faster than a lot of us imagine,” Josh Sutton said.

While the Suttons have plans for more hikes and family adventures ahead, the family is getting adjusted to life at home again as Harvey begins his latest adventure: kindergarten.

Located in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Jiuzhaigou Valley is famous     1     its greenish-blue lakes, beautiful waterfalls, colorful forests, snow-capped peaks     2     the local Tibetan ethnic culture.

Jiuzhaigou got     3    (it) name because there are nine Tibetan villages in the valley. For centuries Tibetan people have lived in the region, but it was not officially discovered by the government until 1972. It     4    (declare) a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.

The valley is the     5    (nature) habitat for two of China’s most treasurable endangered species — the giant panda and the Sichuan takin(羚牛). You are likely to see other     6    (creature) including birds, insects and fish.

Over 80 percent of the scenic area is covered by forests. In the lower regions, there are plenty of grasses and reeds. These are quickly replaced by bamboo forests     7     in turn give way to conifers(针叶树) at the upper regions. Beyond them, snow-capped peaks of the Minshan Mountains are also very     8    (attract).

The most comfortable climate     9    (visit) Jiuzhaigou is in July. Umbrellas and wet weather clothing, as well as sun protection cream and hats are     10    (high) recommended as the weather is often changing.