1 . Nan Hauser is a marine (海洋的) biologist. Last week, Hauser was ______ near her ship when she spotted that an enormous figure ______. It wasn’t long before Hauser ______ him—a humpback whale (座头鲸). ______ with such creatures, she was unafraid and planned to continue her leisure activity.

In the ______ of the animals, Hauser doesn’t touch her whale subjects ______ they’re ill or in danger. However, on that day, it was the whale who ______ contact. “Instead of swimming past, he didn’t ______ coming towards me until I was on his head...” she recalls. The whale rolled around and even pushed her several times. Hauser started losing her ______. Humpback whales aren’t dangerous animals, but any animal that big could ______ harm humans.

With efforts and experience, Hauser ______ to get away from the whale and out of the water finally. When she looked out to the distant water on her ship, a very ______ scene came into sight：miles away was swimming a huge tiger shark. Hauser ______ what was going on immediately. Far from making an ______ the whale was trying to rescue her.

“I’ve spent 28 years protecting whales, but never heard of such a thing. The experience makes me more ______ to be a guardian,” Hauser says.

3 . Acid rain is very harmful to the environment because it makes living things die. Acid rain affects life in the water as well as life on the land. It is even worse in the water because the fish need the water to breathe. When the water gets polluted, the fish get sick and end up dying.

All rainwater contains some level acidity. Acidity is measured by PH, which stands for potential of hydrogen(氢). The PH scale measures the amount of acid in a substance. PH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral(中性的). The lower the number is on the PH scale, the more acidic that substance is. Normal rainwater has a PH of 5. 6. When the PH level of rainwater goes below 5. 6, it is considered acid rain.

All of the sea life will die when the water becomes too acidic. For example, all fish will die when the water goes below a PH of 4. 5. Most of the frogs and insects that live around the water will also die when the water reaches a PH of 4. 5. When the water has a PH of 5. 5, all of the bottom-dwelling bacterial decomposers(分解体), animals that eat the remains of the food that other animals don’t want, will begin to die. When these decomposers die, they will leave the under-composed food on the bottom. This will make the water dirty and polluted. All fresh water shrimps(虾) will die when the water has a PH of 6. 0. Aquatic plants will grow the best when the water has a PH between 7. 0 and 9. 2. If the acid rain problem gets worse. all of the sea life will eventually be gone.

4 . Jane Goodall is a famous animal behaviorist and has spent many years observing the behavior of chimps in their native habitat. Jane Goodall was born on April 3rd, 1934 in London, England. Her childhood dream was to spend time with animals in the wild. In particular, she was drawn to Africa and the dream of seeing wild animals in their native habitat. It was an unusual dream for a girl at the time, but her parents said to her, “We know it’s different, but we are at your back.”

In 1956, Jane jumped at the opportunity to travel to a friend’s farm in Kenya. It was there that Jane met the famous anthropologist, Dr. Louis S.B. Leakey. Leakey was impressed with Jane’s passion and knowledge of Africa and wildlife.

In 1960, Leakey and Jane began an important study of wild chimps by Lake Tanganyika. The chimps showed some fascinating habits to the group. These included meat eating, which is completely different from the previous opinion about chimps. Also, Jane saw chimps making tools to catch insects. This was an important discovery because, at the time, it was assumed only humans made tools.

The study of chimps in their native habitat was a significant event, leading to many new observations. Jane’s first article My life among wild chimpanzees was published in National Geographic in 1963. Some aspects of the study were challenged. For example, some feared her decision to feed the animals might have distorted their behavior and made them more aggressive (好斗的).

In 1977, Jane set up the Jane Goodall Institute which promotes plans to look after chimps and their environment. The institute has many networks and programs all over the world.

6 . Merle Liivand was born in Estonia. As a child, she had health problems, and began swimming to help her lungs get stronger. She was soon taking part in open water swimming contests, sometimes even in icy water. In 2017 and 2019, she represented Estonia at the World Aquatics Championships.

Eleven years ago, Ms. Merle moved to Miami, Florida. In one training session, she nearly wound up swallowing some plastic floating in the sea. That experience made her think of all the sea animals who faced similar pollution every day. She began swimming with a special single swimming fin(鳍状物) attached to both of her feet. This rubbery “monofin” allows her to swim by kicking both of her legs together. “Swimming with the monofin without using my arms is similar to how dolphins and sea animals swim,” says Ms. Merle. She believes that swimming with a monofin “sends a bigger message”.

Ms. Merle first set the world record for swimming with a monofin in 2019, when she swam 10 kilometers off the coast of California. In 2020, she broke the record again by swimming 20. 6 kilometers, this time in Miami, Florida.

Last year, she set a new Guinness World Record by swimming 30 kilometers, again in Florida. Even though it took her 9 hours and 19 minutes to set that record, Ms. Merle says she knew she could go farther. So for the last year, Ms. Merle has been getting up at 4 every morning, putting on her monofin and going swimming.

On May 7, Ms. Merle broke the record once more, this time swimming the length of a full marathon. It took her 11 hours and 54 seconds to swim 42.2 kilometers.

To keep her energy up, a friend followed her in a kayak and gave her food and water from time to time. Along the way, Ms. Merle picked up all the trash she found and put it in the kayak. By the end of her marathon, the kayak held three bags full of trash.

7 . More than anything, this is a book about unconditional love—a bond between a caring woman and a loyal dog. Harley’s Harlequin Heart written by Christy Jaeger and_________through the narration(叙述)of the dog Harley, shows why the power of love can overcome the_________that is part of every life journey. It also teaches us how we can make the world a(n)_________place together with dogs.

Harley takes us along on all his_________with his owner Jaeger—from growing up, being trained, to going to dog shows. Then one day, Harley is_________with bone cancer. Fortunately, it appears that there’s enough time to explore_________“Jaeger told me that everyone has a sixth sense, which_________ them when something’s not right. Looking back, I’m glad she paid attention to her_________alarm.” Harley thought.

Through surgery, this smart dog_________. It isn’t easy and he tells us about his pain and fears. But chances of__________look promising. After this experience, Harley__________realizes that when someone has cancer, the entire family will__________. However, all the people playing a part in the__________form a connection that is unbreakable .

Harley’s__________with cancer might concern adults considering reading this book with their children. But Jaeger through Harley’s__________ provides such a friendly, positive perspective(观点) that there is so much more reason to__________this book. Besides, it helps greatly that the book has a(n)__________ ending.

As Jaeger notes, “The book__________love to all who read it. This small element can be__________in the human and animal worlds.” Love can defeat all. That__________couldn’t be any clearer than in this wonderful book.

8 . The impact of the man-made climate crisis on Antarctica is scientifically undeniable: stable ice shelves are retreating, air temperature increased by 3 degrees Celsius. krill(磷虾)numbers are declining, melting ice is contributing to sea level rise, and polar bears and seals are getting displaced. “Antarctic biodiversity could decline substantially by the end of the century if we continue with business as usual.” Jasmine Rachael Lee, lead author of the University of Queensland study says.

Published in the journal PLOS Biology, the study finds population declines are likely for 65% of the continent’s plants and wildlife by the year 2100. The most vulnerable(脆弱的)species is the Emperor penguins. In October 2022, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed Emperor penguins as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act(ESA), as experts predict the flightless seabird will see a 26% to 47% dip in its population by 2050. “This listing reflects the growing extinction crisis and highlights the importance of the ESA and efforts to conserve species before population declines become irreversible(不可逆转).” said Service Director Martha Williams at the time.

Aside from Emperor penguins, other Antarctic specialists, like the Adélie penguin and dry soil nematodes, were also highly vulnerable. We urgently need a combination of global and local conservation action to best conserve Antarctic species. Global action and global voices to help relieve climate change—because the biggest threat to Antarctica is coming from outside of it. And then we need local actions to help protect biodiversity against local threats and give them the best chance of adapting to climate changes. This will help to save our iconic(代表性的)species like the Emperor penguins and all of Antarctica’s unique and highly adapted inhabitants. It will also help humankind, as we rely heavily on the priceless services the Antarctic provides in regulating our climate and capturing sea level in its ice sheets.

Yunnan is the hometown of tea. It provides the ideal climate and the ecological environment for large-leaf tea trees, which are located in the     1     (region) along the Lancang River. Thousands of years ago, they formed those ancient tea plantations,     2     are the best gift that nature has grated us.

    3     (preserve) the ancient tea trees, Southwest Chinn’s Yunnan Province has passed a protection regulation recently,     4     (clarify) that wild and cultivated ten plants aged over 100 wars should be better protected in the province. The new regulation, which will come into force starting from March 1, 2023,    5    (prohibit) six kinds of behaviors that harm ancient tea plants and their growing environment. Unauthorized cutting and transplantation of ancient tea trees, carving tree branches, digging the roots,     6    damaging the ancient lea trees are all banned.

Other     7     (legal) practices include using harmful chemical herbicides, releasing waste gas and water, as well as dumping and throwing waste     8     (casual) within the protection range of the trees, according to the regulation.

Yunnan has diverse resources of tea trees. The regulation also advocates proper research and     9    (apply) of Yunnan’s resources of ancient tea trees, raising varieties     10    new tea trees of good quality, as well as the establishment of relevant industrial chains.

10 . A worrying rise in social media posts, suggesting that people leave their Halloween pumpkins in the woods to feed wildlife after October 31, has made wildlife experts concerned. Thousands of pumpkins are discarded in woods across Britain. While well-meaning pumpkin carvers might think they are doing the local animals groups a kindness, leaving your leftover jack-o’-lantern in the woodland is actually doing more harm than good.

“A myth seems to have built up that leaving pumpkins in woods helps wildlife, but behind it are many hidden issues.” said Paul Bunton, engagement and communication officer at The Woodland Trust, according to The Telegraph.

One of the main issues is that the leftover of the Halloween pumpkins are often eaten by already struggling hedgehogs(刺猬). In early November, hedgehogs are looking to gain as much weight as possible to survive their winter hibernation. However, eating pumpkin is harmful to their little hedgehog stomachs, leading to diarrhea and dehydration. This means they may struggle to put on weight, and in some cases can even be fatal.

Moreover, leftover Halloween pumpkins can contain candles and plastic decorations which can also be fatal to wildlife if mistakenly eaten. The rotting leftover can also attract less popular wildlife, such as rats, to an area. According to The Woodland Trust, the additional nutrients in the pumpkins can negatively affect the soil balance as well. “Pumpkin flesh can have a really harmful effect on woodland soils,plants, and fungi(真菌),” Bunton pointed out.

So what should you do with your beautifully carved pumpkin creation after October 31? Most experts recommend composting (堆肥) it yourself at home if you can, or asking if a local farm will accept it as a donation. You could even try some scientific experiments to produce more energy from the throw-away wasted. Either way, the hedgehogs will thank vou.