2 . Animal and plant species are disappearing at frightening rates. The problem has led to efforts to “rewild” places where such life existed before human development, pollution and climate change forced it out. The American city of Detroit is an example of how human actions can increase rewilding, which generally means helping natural systems in damaged locations, removing dams or building tunnels to reconnect animal pathways cut by roads.

Detroit’s population reached a high of 1.8 million in the 1950s. Then the population began dropping. By 2000, there were fewer than one million people living in the city. Thousands of houses and other buildings were left empty over the years. Some structures were destroyed, leaving empty areas that plants and animals regained as habitats. Nonprofit groups have also planted trees and community gardens in these areas. Anti-pollution laws and government-supported cleanups made nearby rivers better for fish and native plants.

Now, Detroit is home to 300 bird species and is a busy visiting place for ducks and others during migration. Unlike most big cities, its population is decreasing but its streets and buildings remain in place. And there are many kinds of habitats, including large lakes, rivers and human neighborhoods. Detroit’s parklands are so quiet that people don’t even know they’re in the city.

“It used to be that you had to go to some remote location to get exposure to nature,” said JohnHartig, a professor of University of Windsor. “Now that’s not the case. Like it or not, rewilding will occur. The question is how we can prepare communities and environments to embrace the presence of more and more wildlife. After all, many city people have lost their tolerance to live with wildlife. To really make a difference in dealing with the biodiversity crisis, you’re going to have to have people on board.”

NOTICE

The Students’ Union

Yuelu Academy is one of the “Four Best Academies in the whole country”. It     1     (be)well-known since Song Dynasty.

Located at Hunan University in Yuelu Region Changsha County, Yuelu Academy,     2     has a three-kilometer distance to the downtown, is listed as the national AAAA scenic area, national key Scenic Spot, national civilized tourism demonstration site and important heritage site under state     3     (protect). The floor space of the academy is more than 31,000 m² and the construction area     4     (reach) 11,000 m².

During     5     (it) thousand years, Yuelu Academy has been much popular for the famous people it has fostered (培养).     6     1916 and 1919, young Mao Zedong lived at the Banxue Room in Yuelu Academy several times to work on the revolutionary activities in seek of the truth of     7     (save) the Chinese people. From then on, a number of Yuelu     8     (teacher) and students set themselves to the revolutionary work in the new democracy and caused a profound and everlasting influence to Chinese history.

In addition, the academy is also     9     (real) famous for the elegance of the environment and beauty of the architecture. Nowadays, it serves as     10     ancient heritage museum for demonstrating the ancient academy education and architectural style.

Do you know the Silk Road? The Silk Road     1     is a network of trade routes connected the East and the West in ancient and Medieval times. In addition to silk, other various goods were traded along     2     Silk Road, and the network was also important for the spread of science, technology, and artistic ideals. The Silk Road had a great influence     3     the lands through which the routes passed, and the trade is also important for the     4     (develop) of towns and cities along the Silk Road routes.

Many businessmen along the Silk Road     5     (join) in relay (中转) trade, where an item would change owners many     6     (time) and travel a little bit with each one of them before reaching its final buyer. It seems to have been     7     (enormous) unusual for any individual businessman to travel all the way between China and Europe or Northern Africa. Instead, many businessmen focused on     8     (transport) goods through various sections of the Silk Road.

The Silk Road established the earliest connection between the East and the West. It was significant in the improvement of world civilization     9     the progress of human society. Research of the Silk Road today continue to have a     10     (power) influence.

8 . Are you attracted to faraway places? Do you prefer a vacation away from other tourists? Are you careful to take only memories and to leave only footprints? If you answered yes to more than one of these questions, you just might be an ecotourist (生态旅游者).

Ecotourists are people who want to experience the natural world without damage and leave it that way when they return home. This started in the 1990s and ecotourism is now growing three times faster than the tourism industry at large. The Ecuador’s remote Amazon Basin (盆地) is leading to that enlarging, and it gives tourists a snapshot of what ecotourism looks like.

At the Ecolodge, a small group of small houses sit Kapawi Ecolodge in the middle of the Achuar people’s reserve (保护区) and are only accessible by air. From here, visitors can explore parts of the Amazon rainforest seen by few outsiders. As they do, local Achuar guides explain how the forest is like their supermarket, where they find food, clothing, medicine and tools. As a result, tourists learn to enjoy the local culture as well as the natural environment.

The owners of Kapawi pay monthly rent to the Achuar people, but they also train the community to run and manage the lodge. They have agreed on a plan to turn the operation over to the Achuar completely by 2011. The owners are working to make ecotourism benefit and empower the local people.

You probably won’t start your own ecolodge (生态旅馆), but you can be an ecotourist if you follow these guidelines: Protect the environment; Support local businesses; Respect the local customs and traditions.

The world is full of fascinating places to visit. As an ecotourist, you can enjoy them yourself and make sure that they remain beautiful for future generations as well.

9 . When thinking about what you can do to help the planet, do you support regenerative (再生) agriculture? Do you even know what it means? While it sounds like something that is up to farmers, there are ways that the rest of us can support it; one way is to practice soil-friendly eating.     1    .

Eat a variety of foods

A group of different foods can be good for getting a variety of nutrients, and by eating different types of foods, you’ll help create demand for a wide variety of agricultural products, which is better for soil.     2    .

Embrace the pulses (豆类)

The pulses are cheap and great alternative to meat.     3    . Pulse crops are able to pull nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil. This process is called nitrogen fixation and provides a natural fertilizer, which is available for subsequent crops.

Make sure meat is sustainably produced

    4    . However, if you do shop for meat, look for the meat which has been produced sustainably. For example, animals feeding on pasture (牧草) rather than grain are better because grain requires a lot of land, water and agrichemicals. Animals take a lot from the soil, so it’s important to support owners of pasture who work to keep their soil healthy.

Reduce food waste

Reducing food waste has been getting much attention recently. By some accounts, it is one of the most important things we can do to fight the climate.     5    .