Last weekend, I took part in a forest clean-up activity. It was organized by Green Hope, an organization devoted to protecting forests.起初，我不想参加，    1    but then I thought, “What if nobody goes?”

Our team leader, Joe, took us to a forest outside the city. I was sad to find rubbish everywhere.     2    There was a “No littering” sign at the entrance to the forest, but that didn’t stop people from throwing their rubbish on the ground. Joe divided us into two groups:    3     one group cleaned up the north side of the forest, and the other the south side. After several hours’ work,看到森林比以前看起来要干净些，我们很开心    4    It was absolutely worth our effort!

There will be another clean-up activity in the greenbelt next Saturday. You can call Joe and sign up    5     if you would like to help. Everyone who takes part in the activity will receive a medal. I’ll join you too if I have time.

A Four-legged Guardian Angel

I just finished cleaning up the snow in the pool in preparation for selling the house. The year before, I had lost my job with the provincial government, and now we almost ran out of all of our savings,     1    (这意味着我将同时失去我们美丽的房子和挚爱的伙伴Brigitte). This thought nearly knocked me down.

Deep in sadness, I sat typing up resumes for job. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my thirteen-month-old son Forrest playing near our big, gentle, intelligent dog Brigitte. And I recalled this family. the scene of adopting him on a cold winter night. It seemed as if Brigitte was always meant to be in this family.

Thinking of these, I couldn’t help letting out a sigh and continued working. Suddenly, Brigitte began barking furiously and running back and forth to the glass door overlooking our pool. I raced to see what was happening.     2    (既吃惊又害怕，我发现玻璃门打开了，Forrest也不见了). In panic, I ran outside. There, I was surprised to see Brigitte, who was terrified of water, dive into the pool. Looking in the direction of his moving, I was shocked to find Forrest struggling in the water     3    (我立刻跳入水中，朝着Forrest 游去，并将他抱起). After getting him out or the pool, I dialed 911 with shaking hand while giving Forres t first aid. Moments later, an ambulance arrived and rushed us to the hospital, where the doctors gave him a thorough check While waiting for the result, I made up my mind     4    (尽管我们家经济状况不好，我也永远不会舍弃Brigitte)

Finally, we arrived home, safe and sound. On seeing us, Brigitte began barking excitedly and turning in circles cheerfully Since then, Brigitte never left my son an inch.     5    (Brigitte确确实实是我们一家的守护天使).

The swimming pool witnessed the close bond formed between my families and Brigitte.

Nowadays many people want to have a more interesting experience when arriving in a new city or country. Here are some better ways to travel, both for you and for the environment.

Get out of the car and walk.     1     It’s slower but it’s the greenest way to travel. It’s also the most rewarding way to see a city, but remember to wear comfortable shoes. You can slow down your pace, enjoy fresh air and beautiful scenery along the way.

    2     骑自行车也是一个好的选择。 Many hotels now offer free bikes to guests. It is convenient for people to travel around the city. Some also provide electric bikes that make it easier to go up hills and on longer journeys. Some cities also have Mobikes and you can pick up one easily.     3     它不免费但很便宜。

If you have to take transport in a city, try to take public transport. Most cities now offer lots of information and very cleat maps about the public transport at the city’s websites.     4     So search for them at the websites when you arrive in a city.

    5     If possible, take trains or ships to travel from city to city. They are usually greener than cars and planes.

The homes of the foxes     1    (在世界各地) are slowly disappearing because human beings are     2    (搜索，查找) land to farm and construction. Whatever we are doing, the fate of these creatures can closely     3    (与……相关，涉及) human in some way.

    4     (由于，因为) the     5    (逐渐消失，灭亡) of that species of fox , the local government is     6    (在压力下，承受压力) to double the population of those foxes in two years.

    7    (除……以外) that, since 2000, the Wild Aid has also contributed a lot to     8     this species (阻止，不准)    9    being killed or injured.

This organization has    10     (留下好印象) on us, because we once     11    (向……求助) it for help when we realized that we couldn’t protect the foxes by ourselves.

These days, we still need to wear masks because of COVID-19 when we go to some places like hospitals and supermarkets. It becomes a rule. We use lots of masks every day. But do you know a lot of them may end up on the streets, in the parks, or even in the rivers?     1     这对我们的环境是有害的。

A company in Cornwall, Britain came up with a good idea to solve the problem.

    2     他们能把用过的口罩变成有用的东西。 First, they collect used masks. Then, they remove the straps and wires.     3     After that, they put masks into a special machine. The masks turn into big blocks. At last, they break these blocks into small pieces and make litter pickers (捡拾器) with the pieces.     4     It is said that every 45 masks can make one litter picker.

Now in Cornwall, over 300 schools get these litter pickers.     5     Students can use them to help clean up their streets and parks. “The picker is made from masks. Now I can pick up a used mask with it. I think it’s really cool,” says a schoolgirl.