1 . As climate change causes ocean temperatures to rise, one of Greenland’s previously most stable glaciers is now reducing at an unheard-of rate, according to a new study.

The study was led by researchers at The Ohio State University. The team found the truth. Between 2018 and 2021, Steenstrup Glacier in Greenland reduced about 5 miles, thinned by about 20% and doubled in the amount of ice that went into the ocean. According to the study, such a rapid change is so extraordinary among Greenland’s ice formations that it now places Steenstrup Glacier in the top 10% of glaciers that contribute to the entire region’s total ice discharge.

Steenstrup Glacier is part of the Greenland Ice Sheet, a body of ice that covers nearly 80% of the world’s largest island, which is also the single largest contributor to the global sea rise from the cryosphere (冰冻圈), the portion of Earth’s ecosystem that includes all of its frozen water. While the region plays a crucial part in balancing the global climate system, the area is steadily reducing as it loses hundreds of billions of tons of ice each year because of global warming.

As far as scientists knew, Steenstrup Glacier had been stable for decades. It was hardly influenced by the rising temperatures that had influenced so many other regional glaciers, likely because of its special position in shallow water. It wasn’t until Thomas Chudley, lead author of the study, and his colleagues collected observational and modeling data from previous remote sensing analyses on the glacier that the team realized Steenstrup Glacier was likely experiencing melting due to anomalies (反常现象) in deeper Atlantic water.

According to Chudley, the current situation in Greenland serves as an early warning sign for possible future events in West Antarctica within the next few centuries. He also expressed the importance of conducting direct observations in the fjord to understand the reasons behind the changes observed in Steenstrup Glacier.

For weeks, Eva Hachey had fancied adopting a golden Chihuahua with a white spot on its forehead. As a chiropractic(脊椎按摩疗法)assistant, she always believed that there would be a bond between them as strong as one’s spine. “Animals will pick us. ” she often said, “They will come to us. That’s the drive of nature.”

And there he was, at. her local Society for the. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(SPCA), in Fredericton; New Brunswick. The small aninat had been abused severely by his previous owners and was timid. “He’d come to me, then back away and growl, then come back to me again, ” Hachey said. “After 15 minutes, the attendant picked him up and put him in my lap. He started giving me kisses. He stole my heart in that moment.” She adopted the ten-month-old puppy on the spot and named him Bruno.

Bruno lived happily with Hachey and her 28-year-old daughter, Angel Hutchinson, for five months. The two women loved him so dearly that they officially regarded him as a family member. They fed him, walked him and bathed him, who, at an incredible rate, grew bigger and rounder, with joy sparkling in his eyes. But to Bruno, the best part of living with the two women was the “action-and-response” game played between them. Whenever Hachey or Angel made a movement or sign1, Bruno would immediately know what that meant and responded happily, and it always worked.

Then one evening, Hachey, 52, returned home at 8 p. m. from her job. And as usual, she ate supper in front of the TV in the living room. Around 10:30, a friend called just as Bruno went to huddle in his customary spot next to Hachey’s feet, ready to sleep for the night. Hachey and her friend chatted a bit, and then Hachey felt dizzy and had difficulty breathing. A sharp pain struck from her heart and she lost her consciousness.

Obviously sensing something odd, Bruno felt alarmed. His ears standing up, his eyes wide, he rose to his feet.

Bruno began barking and jumping on and off the chair to wake Hachey.

When Hachey came to herself, she found the room was full of people.

4 . One morning, I called our pregnant cat Socky to be fed, but she didn’t come. I thought she’d probably found somewhere to _________ her kittens (小猫) and would turn up later. But when Socky didn’t come at dinnertime, I really started to _________.

Socky had a _________ of having her kittens in strange places, so I _________ all her hiding-places but no Socky. The next day was Saturday and I had the _________ day to search for her. I rechecked under the house, but no luck.

After lunch I took some _________ with me in case I found her, and then began searching the back shed (棚), which was filled with _________ boxes. After about an hour of moving boxes from one place to another and back again, I was extremely _________. I sat down to have a rest when I heard _________ mewing. I pressed my __________ against each of the boxes to catch the sounds.

__________, I found Socky and her three newly-born kittens. As the boxes weren’t in __________ condition, I imagined that when Socky jumped into one of the bottom boxes, it must have caused the higher ones to fall, __________ her in.

Socky was very __________ to see me and although she was weak, she managed to eat the food I brought her. I named the three kittens. They were all healthy and __________ to be great mouse catchers just like their mother.

5 . Ontario proposed issuing a license that allows residents to loosen dogs in an enclosed area to teach them how to hunt live animals such as foxes and rabbits recently. Hunters say there is a growing demand for the dog sport, which is often referred to as training, while animal advocates call it a cruel practice for catching animals alive.

Graydon Smith, the Natural Resources and Forestry Minister, said the government wants to allow more of the hunting facilities to prevent the sport from moving underground. “If there aren’t enough facilities, dog owners may do this on other private land or public land. In that case, there could be unwanted interactions with both people and wildlife.”

Christine Hogarth, who is in charge of animal welfare in the province, appealed for the Safety of all animals in the training. “There should be bush piles or man-made escape units, where food is placed so the rabbits learn where to hide.” Christine Hogarth said, “And make sure there are not many dogs going to go in a 10-inch tunnel when there’s an alligator (鳄鱼) at the other end.”

There are now 33,000 members in the Ontario Sporting Dog Association, which lobbied the government to issue the license last year, giving reasons why it was a necessity. The dog sport also has competitions. Judges stand throughout the enclosures to score how well dogs are tracking and hunting down rabbits. The dog training proposal also has the support of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. But Camille Labchuk, director of advocacy group Animal Justice, argued the entire practice is very cruel. “They do some of these contests where dogs chase terrified rabbits around an enclosed area, and they also train the dogs to kill the rabbits so that they can later use those dogs for hunting.” she said.

The Beijing Central Axis(中轴线) has taken one more step ahead to become     1     UNESCO(联合国教科文组织) World Heritage Site,     2     will be part of China’s 2024 application project.

The Beijing Central Axis, seen as one of the most important     3     (represent) of Chinese civilization, refers to the core area of the ancient capital city that     4     (stretch) 7.8 kilometres from the Yongding Gate in the south         5     the Bell Tower and Drum Tower in the north. This area tells stories of emperors from the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)     6     records the lives of both popular figures and common people.

    7     (vary) methods to advance the application have been used, including digital technologies. For instance, visitors can travel through time and space     8     (free), moving between the past and the present, and learn about 14 cultural heritage sites along the Central Axis by using a newly-launched mobile application.

When talking about the decision, Li Zhou, vice president of the Chinese Commission for the International Council on Monuments and Sites, told Global Times that members     9     (join) in the application work felt pressed for time, as there were still many preparations waiting     10     (complete).

8 . The Camp Fire ravaged(毁坏) an area the size of Chicago, destroying 14,000 residences and taking more than 17 days to contain. As it spread, killing at least 85 people and displacing thousands more in Northern California, Madison waited patiently.

Madison’s owner, Andrea Gaylord, was not able to get to her home in Paradise, California, when the fire began to spread on Nov. 8, meaning Madison was left behind. For weeks, all Gaylord could do was pray for Madison’s safety.

Shayla Sullivan, a rescue volunteer, spotted Madison a few times in a valley, apparently guarding territory, and put out fresh food and water regularly in hopes that the dog would turn up. She even placed an article of clothing that smelled like Andrea near the home to keep Madison’s hope alive until his people could return.

When the evacuation(撤离) order was lifted last week and Andrea went back to the property—which had been   destroyed by the fire—her prayers were answered: Madison was there, seemingly protecting what little remained of his family’s home.

“WELL, I’m so HAPPY to report that Andrea was allowed to return to her property today and THERE MADISON WAS!!!! He had stayed to protect what was left of his home, and NEVER gave up on his people!” Sullivan wrote in the comment on her Facebook post, which was shared 12,000 times as of Saturday evening. “I’m so happy. I’m crying as I write this! He didn’t give up through the storms or the fire! A LOOOOONG month it must have been for him!” she added.

Later, Andrea said in an interview that she was overcome with joy to see Madison waiting for her. Andrea lost everything in the fire and is now homeless, but she has been able to find some solace knowing her dogs are safe, “Imagine the loyalty of hanging in through the worst of circumstances and being here waiting,” Andrea told ABC10, fighting through tears. “You could never ask for better animals.”

Is recycling the key to a sustainable future?

In the last decade, scientists have gone back and forth on one question: does recycling really help the environment? The conclusion at which they     1     (arrive) seems to be: yes, it does.     2     , experts warn that our efforts should not stop there. While recycling is an important part of the solution, it is not     3     (necessary) the critical factor.

Contrary to popular belief, many items that go into our recycling dustbins do not get recycled in the end. Moreover, compared to other ways     4     (save) the earth, recycling is a much smaller player. According to a recent study,     5     twenty top petrochemical companies in the world are responsible for 55% of the world’s single-use plastics, most of     6     are practically impossible to recycle. This means that urging these major polluters to take responsibility for their harm to the environment would do much more than if every one of us recycled our waste. In addition, dependence     7     recycling can take attention away from reducing and reusing, which are more effective in     8     (lower) emissions.

In conclusion, helping the environment is not restricted to recycling. Recycling is     9     (benefit). It is but a small part of an interconnected web of     10     (resolve), which on its own can’t accomplish much. But together with other efforts, it can truly create a sustainable future for us all.

10 . Growing up in Scotland’s largest city, Eilidh Malcolm had never really considered a career in forestry. _______, she first choose for a life in rather damp surroundings. But after helping to establish Sea Life Loch Lomond, a career in the wood s soon came _______ the former aquarist (水产养殖者).

“I started to realize I was passionate about _______,   getting people outdoors and into the natural world, _______ for those who are living in urban areas,” the Glasgow native said.

Now based in and around her home city, Eilidh is _______ to working with those who have less opportunity to engage with nature. She said, “I think the last few years have really brought home for many people a _______ of the importance of getting outside for our health and wellbeing. You can see that people _______ it even more because of restrictions in recent years’ pandemic (流行病). That’s even more terrible in our cities, and we have to _______ that, no matter where you grow up, you have access to woodland and forests. We are lucky in Scotland that even in big cities there are green _______ close by for people to take advantage of. I love being able to bring people together and get them ________ about taking care of our forests in Scotland—it’s really energising.”

Working on the new Junior Forester Award has been a stand-out recent ________ for Eilidh. It gives children and young people some ________ into a career in forestry as well as the ________ ability to assist in woodland management in their schools and local communities.

She added, “The award is another way to ________ transferable skills in young people, and even if they don’t go into forestry as a career, they will always have knowledge about ________ the natural world.”