Believed to have existed for more than 60 million years, crested ibises (朱鹮) are one of the oldest species of bird on Earth. Due to pollution and other human activities, the birds     1     (begin) to disappear in the 1960s. In 1981, seven crested ibises were found in Yangxian county, Shaanxi province,     2    were believed to be the last remaining ones worldwide. But now, they have come back from the brink of     3    (extinct). Researchers said that     4     number has risen to more than 7,000 worldwide. There are 5,000 crested ibises in Shannxi alone.

“The secret for the inspirational case of     5     (successful) saving crested ibises from a small population is the immediate onsite protection approach adopted at the very beginning,” Zhang Yueming, an expert who works at the crested ibis nature reserve in Yangxian.

    6     the fourth day after the discovery of the seven crested ibises, the local government published a series of emergency notices to protect crested ibises, for example, the bans on hunting. Later, it also established the Qinling No. 1 protection station and sent four people     7     (guard) the seven birds. These guardians observed and recorded the birds’ habits and kept them safe. Meanwhile, new methods were used to protect crested ibises, mainly     8     (include) artificial breeding and reintroduction. In 1990, the Shaanxi Crested Ibis Rescue and Breeding Center was established. At the center, crested ibises are artificially bred and can receive timely treatment     9     they are sick. Over the next 30 years, they     10     (establish) a complete system of artificial breeding techniques, laying a foundation for the birds’ later reintroduction into the wild.

2 . It is common knowledge that sea creatures like dolphins have a high level of intelligence. The octopus is an exceptional organism with an extremely complex brain and cognitive abilities that are unique. Scientists have now discovered that octopuses also have “remarkable” intelligence.

A team of Italian marine biologists have revealed that octopuses have a gene that also determines the intelligence of humans. The eight-tentacled sea creature has short sequences of DNA called “jumping genes”. The research shows that the same ‘jumping genes’ are active both in the human brain and in the brain of octopus. These same genes make up 45 per cent of the human genome. The researchers said the DNA sequences are important for learning and for creating and storing memories in the brain. The scientists say the DNA may give octopuses cognitive abilities that are similar to those humans have. A discovery that could help us understand the secret of the intelligence of these fascinating organisms.

The scientists say their research findings are important as they give an insight into how octopuses amend their behaviour in response to different stimuli. Scientists describe this process as “behavioural plasticity”.

“This discovery of an element is very significant because it adds support to the idea that these elements have a specific function that goes beyond copy-and-paste,” explains Remo Sanges, director of the Computational Genomics laboratory, who started working at this project 5 years ago. The study, published in BMC Biology, was carried out by an international team with more than twenty researchers from all over the world. Biologist Graziano Fiorito suggested that the research could help us understand more about intelligence in humans. He said, “The brain of the octopus is functionally analogous in many of its characteristics to that of mammals... For this reason [the DNA] represents a very interesting candidate to study to improve our knowledge of the evolution of intelligence.” He says the brain structure of octopuses may mean the creatures are more similar to mammals than other sea life.

3 . It's hard to believe my husband and I will be celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary this year, but I still remember our honeymoon clearly.

After our ________ , we flew to Mexico for our honeymoon. We stayed at a beautiful hotel on the east coast facing a beautiful sea and we had a(n) ________ time! The weather was perfect locals were friendly, and we had plenty of things to ________ while we were there.

At the top of our list of ________ was to swim with dolphins. There was a place down there called Dolphin Discovery and it was included within our honeymoon ________ . We headed over there one afternoon and were ________ with the place. The dolphins looked well kept and happy.

The employees told us that the dolphins ________ interacting with us humans as it entertained them and gave them exercise. They were social animals and loved to play. They spent about 30 minutes ________ us all about these wonderful animals. Then it was our group's ________ .

We ________ clothes and got into the pool. We were given clear ________ so that we could swim with the dolphins as a couple. Gradually. the dolphins ________ us, so it was a great chance for my husband and me to ________ them closer they were so cute and lovely. It ________ let me appreciate dolphins more and made me realize how ________ it was to save and protect them.

4 . At least three people were possibly dead after a powerful earthquake. Others were injured from falling structures and homes, rural roads and_________highways. Experts said it could take some time to_________the full extent of the injuries and damage in the region.

Regina Rave,who is a geologist, was meeting with two_________at his home when the earthquake_________. Rave tried to stand up from his chair but couldn’t keep his balance and _________ in a kind of group hug with his colleagues, while plates and cups_________from his shelves to the ground. His children, ages 9 and 2, had their drinks_________over the edge of cups. Rave tried to calm everybody as the_________continued for more than a minute.

About 10,000 people live in and around his town, which is_________66 kilometers from the earthquake’s center. It’s a(n)__________thing that earthquakes are felt here, but it usually doesn’t last as long and is not as violent as this one. It was quite strong.

People were feeling__________. Rave was__________through the damage to his home,which included a broken sewer pipe(污水管)judging from the smell. Friends elsewhere had messaged him with__________of cracked roads, broken pipes and fallen debris(碎片), but hadn’t described major building collapses or__________. Communication seemed to have been__________with some cell towers likely to have fallen. People were starting to clean up their houses and the streets.

Poor environment is connected with poor health. Now a new public-health     1     (tend)is becoming apparent: Making indoor air cleaner.

Let’s take schools for example. Across Denmark, France, and Sweden, researchers found that indoor-air quality in 66% of classrooms fell short     2     healthy standards. Outdoor-air pollution can get inside buildings — childhood     3     (expose)can affect their physical development and academic performance, and cause cancer.

The problem extends well beyond classrooms. Many people spend more than 90% of their time     4     (stay)indoors. Spaces in buildings with poor air may cause a range of diseases — headaches, shortness of breath, coughs and discomfort of eye, nose, throat and skin. Poor air     5     (blame)for decreased productivity in the past few years.

Covid-19 has brought a new urgency to the matter     6     (great). More investment would be well spent. Better indoor air improves academic development — math     7     reading scores go up. Meanwhile pupils are     8     (attentive)in class. Poor air indoors is the     9     (forget)part when people improved public health. Covid-19 should lead policymakers to focus on the problem,     10     is of great importance for people’s well-being.

6 . Here's why Disney World doesn't have mosquitoes(蚊子)

There is a lot that goes into making Disney World the "Most Magical Place on Earth”. Considering Walt Disney World is in Central Florida, and has various amusement parks at Walt Disney World, there is one thing missing from the huge property that you may not have even noticed: mosquitoes.     1    .

Naturally, this is due to efforts from Walt Disney World staff to ensure health among guests and a uniform consumer experiences.    2    Disney employs a project called the “Mosquito Surveillance Program“ which can avoid the noisy pests and keep visitors safe from the threat of disease.

    3    Mosquitoes are attracted to the gas, which is one reason why they are so good at finding humans, as we breathe it out constantly. Once caught, the mosquitoes are then frozen and studied in labs where experts discover the best ways to keep mosquitoes off of our skin when we arrive on-site.

    4    Due to the birds' immunity to mosquito-borne viruses such as West Nile they can be used to observe the presence of the virus without experiencing any harmful symptoms(症状)after that. The chickens are kept in cages, unlike flying birds that would travel long distances. So, if a virus is detected, it is easy for Disney to find out exactly which part of their parks has been affected by viral mosquitoes.

Occasionally, Disney has had to close certain sections of their park during the busiest times.     5     It's time of year when we can finally get back outdoors in Disney with family and friends without worry.

A wild fire broke out in California,     1    many people losing their homes and trying to    2     a new shelter. The government said it would    3    their situations so that homelessness wouldn’t turn out to be a serious problem in the area. It also encouraged its residents    4    local charities in order    5    this difficult time. But before the authorities were able to     6     what challenges the state was facing, endangered wildlife was about to     7    because of the disaster. Emotions     8     due to this sad fact but     9     the damage was done, the government was trying its best to make it up by taking several actions. For example, an animal rescue center was built at the spot     10    injured creatures needed medical treatment.

10 . The heat dome roasting millions of people across the Pacific Northwest, sending temperatures in usually temperate places to record-breaking triple digits, has already claimed hundreds of lives. And those are just the ones we can count so far.

Climate change has increased average temperatures by 1℃ Celsius over the past century, making heat waves like this one more frequent and intense than those from any other point in recorded history. A worldwide study published last month in Nature Climate Change found global warming responsible for 37 percent of heat-related deaths between 1991 and 2018. As temperatures tick ever higher, that figure may well rise.

The following is what happens if you’re one of the next people whom extreme heat kills, according to W. Lawrence Kenney, an expert at Penn State University.

First, your brain sends a series of messages to your sweat glands (腺体) telling them to ramp up sweat production. Then your heart starts beating faster to pump blood to the skin. That’s your body attempting to make your skin hotter than the air outside, in hopes of moving heat away from you. Sometimes that alone is enough to create problems for a weak or aging heart. If your body fails to cool you down, its internal temperature might start to climb. At that temperature, the tissues in the brain become affected. Before long, you might not know where you are or what time it is. You might collapse. You may lose consciousness. While you struggle to stay awake and avoid dizzying confusion, the excessive internal heat will likely trigger an inflammatory (发炎的) response. Left untreated, what follows is organ failure that leads to all but certain death.

And that’s just part of what we know about how extreme heat kills you.

“It’s important for people to understand that there’s still a lot we don’t know about heat stroke and who’s most susceptible (易受影响的) to it,” Kenney said. “That’s because we can’t ethically study it in humans in the laboratory. A lot of what we know comes from studies on animal models, like mice and rats, or from body examinations of people who have died of heat stroke.”