5 . My PhD project is to protect a tiny species of fish, whose color is greenish. To ______eggs, Clanwilliam sandfish (沙鱼) swim to ______tributaries (支流) of the Doring river system in South Africa. Local people say it was once a ______event: The water seemed to change ______ as thousands of sandfish migrated to the shallower tributaries. Now, ______those numbers have reduced to dangerous levels.

My PhD project at South Africa’s University of Cape Town is in ______with a nongovernmental organization in saving sandfish. Human activity, climate change, etc, are drying up the rivers. As newly young sandfish try to ______to the upstream (上游), they now get ______in shallow tributaries. The sandfish population has decreased by more than 90% since we began keeping count. They’re now regarded as ______species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.When the river starts to dry up, we ______young sandfish and put them into buckets of water, then move them by truck to prepared fish nurseries (鱼种场) ______ by local people. The support from local people is amazing. Once the sandfish are large enough to be less threatened, we will ______them to the natural ecosystem.

The data so far show the project has been ______. We’ve ______ about 36,000 young sandfish over the past three years. I’m looking forward to ______those numbers next year.

6 . A hero sheep dog became the guiding light of hope for three trapped sheep as it swam across dangerous flooded fields to _________ them to safety.

Llyr Derwydd, a 44-year-old farmer coming from the area of Ruthin, _________ himself in a dangerous situation on a Friday afternoon. While _________ his sheep in Flints hire as usual, he realized a sad fact — three sheep were helplessly trapped on a small piece of land within the field, cut off by the _________ .

Considering the dangerous conditions that the flood caused, the _________ required a special hero. In this serious moment, _________ that hero was none other than the quick-thinking sheep dog, Patsy.

Mr. Derwydd talked about the sad experience, stating, “We realized we needed to act _________to ensure the safety of the trapped sheep. The piece of land they were on was _________ very fast, and the great danger was increasing.”

In order to rescue the sheep, he made a _________. With a sense of urgency (紧急) in the air, he wondered whether Patsy, his clever sheep dog, would deal with the problem. A silent __________was made, and Patsy, with strong determination, took a brave try.

It was a moment filled with __________ , as the true depth of the water remained unknown. Yet, Patsy’s born swimming __________ and strong determination pushed her forward. Without hesitation (犹豫), she braved the dangerous waters to __________ the trapped sheep.

Mr. Derwydd shared his __________ , saying, “I knew she was a good swimmer, or I wouldn’t take the __________. However, I was quite surprised by her courage and skill.”

7 . Nuclear pollution is a serious global   ___________, brought to the forefront by major accidents at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima. These events have demonstrated the significant health and environmental risks _________by nuclear disasters. Not only have they caused immediate health problems, such as radiation sickness and increased cancer rates, but they have also _________lasting environmental damage and genetic changes in affected communities. As a result, nuclear pollution remains a pressing concern for governments, scholars, and individuals worldwide.

When nuclear accidents occur in coastal areas, the _________environment becomes a critical concern due to the crucial role that oceans play in _________the climate, ensuring food security, and supporting the livelihoods of billions of people globally. In recent years, the increasing threats to marine ecosystems from ocean pollution have _________public awareness of the need to protect the marine environment. Studies have shown that human activities pose a _________threat to marine environments, emphasizing the importance of improving environmental management and taking measures to mitigate environmental risks.

Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, efforts to cool the reactors by pumping in seawater resulted in the _________of a significant amount of nuclear waste in the water storage tank at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. _________attempts to manage this waste, the Japanese government’s decision to release nearly 1.26 million tons of nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean over the next 40 years has faced opposition __________neighboring countries, local ____________, and international environmental organizations.

This __________poses serious risks to marine life, fisheries, and human health. Radioactive isotopes present in the wastewater, such as tritium, carbon-14, cobalt-60, and strontium-90, can accumulate in marine organisms and ultimately affect human populations through the food ____________. Therefore, there is an/a ____________need for further research and mitigation measures to __________the widespread impacts of nuclear pollution on the environment and human health.

9 . Bella, a 14-year-old cat from Huntingdon, UK, has claimed the Guinness Record for the world’s loudest purr (猫叫声) by a domestic cat, with a noisy purr______at 54.59 decibels (分贝).

The Spink family has had Bella for almost 15 years, and they’ve always______that she might have the world’s loudest purr. Friends and family would always ______her loud purring, and Nicole Spink’s late husband would ______that she was louder than the TV.

One day, they decided to put Bella’s purring to the test―they ______a smartphone app to measure the cat’s purr and were blown away by the______. She was louder than the Guinness World record for the loudest purr by a domestic cat, so they applied for an official record______.

Measuring sound with a smartphone app and having it measured by a sound engineer can bring about totally______ results, but in this case, the Spinks were lucky to have their measurements______. After feasting on a bowl of her favorite food, Bella got to enjoy some much-needed petting by her owner and she produced some ______loud purring.

The standardized class-1 sound meter recorded Bella’s ______pur at 54.59 decibels. That was more than enough to beat the 50-decibel requirement to______the Guinness Record.

It’s important to note that while Bella has ______the record for the loudest purr by a living domestic cat, she doesn’t have the loudest purr in history. That ______belongs to the late Smokey and Merlin, two cats who purred at the ______noise level of 67.8 dB, a full 13.21 louder than Bella.

10 . In November 2020, a polar bear named Suka gave birth to several little ones, including Laerke. Laerke and her brothers and sisters were the first polar bears successfully born and _______ in the Detroit Zoo since 2004.

Days after her _______ , Laerke became significantly inactive and appeared increasingly _______. She was sent off to the zoo’s health complex for _______ , but by the time she returned home, her mom no longer _______ Laerke as her cub (小熊).

Without having any other polar bear who would _______ her, she would have to go without a _______, or so they thought. _______, that’s right when Jebbie needed a new home! Jebbie, the baby grizzly bear was _______ all by himself helplessly in Tok, Alaska, when he was ________ and taken to the Detroit Zoo, where he and Laerke had been gradually getting to know each other.

After some time, Jebbie and Laerke became best ________! The zookeepers have since posted pictures and videos of them playing, showing just how ________ they are. Together, they’re able to wrestle in the grassy tundra (苔原), splash around in the freshwater or saltwater pools, and play with toys ________.

“We’re excited that we are able to give Jebbie a home and ________ a much-needed friend for Laerke,” said Scott, chief life sciences officer of the Detroit Zoo. “This social development is critically ________ for both Laerke and Jebbie.”