1 . Pregracke grew up in Illinois, where the Mississippi River was in his backyard. Communities along the river use it to ________ freshwater and drop their industrial and household waste. As a teenager he began to notice the piles of ________ in the waterway. “I got ________ of seeing it and just wanted to do something about it,” he said.

With persistence and sincerity, Pregracke got a small ________ from Alcoa, the largest aluminum (铝) company in the U.S., in 1997 and spent that money ________ a 35-mile of the river by himself that summer. He would transport the trash by boat and ________ it on his parents’front yard for recycling. By year’s end, he had ________ pulled around 45,000 pounds of trash out of the river, with 90% of it recycled properly.

It began as an individual effort, but over the years Pregracke turned it into a ________ movement. To date, about 70,000 volunteers have joined his ________ . His operation has become much more advanced since those early days, as his nonprofit Living Lands & Waters now has a group of ________ boats. Besides the river cleanup ________ , Pregracke has launched a floating classroom, where his staff ________ high school students and teachers about the ________ that pollution brought to river ecosystems.

Picking up garbage is ________ , but Pregracke believes it is worthwhile and that volunteers get a huge sense of ________ from seeing the garbage piled up and recycled.

2 . When Lauren Schroeder, a teenager from Iowa, US, showed up to a community food drive last year, she didn’t see much food that actually provide people with nutrition — just a lot of canned goods. Determined to make a(n) _______, she took action. With the _______ of her parents, who provided her with half an acre (英亩) of land, she _________ 7,000 pounds of produce and gave it all away to local food banks and non-profits.

Although Lauren had no prior experience _________ a garden, she took up studies of agronomy (农学) and gardening, and really put her _________ into it. Her work soon drew the _______ of an organization called Future Farmers of America, which awarded her a small grant (补助金) for _______ and seeds.

Lauren _________ 2 to 3 hours daily to the tasks of watering and weeding (除杂草), and her efforts soon _______. She began __________ 15 types of vegetables to organizations like Wheatland Nursing Home. “It was really __________ for me to know that anyone who wanted fresh vegetables would be able to get them,” Lauren said.

Now, she has turned her half acre into a full acre and ________ the number of vegetables to 20 different species. “How could you not be ________,” said her mother, “she really chose to ________ learning about agronomy, and took it a step further by genuinely ________ those in need.”

3 . Like many families, we had a dog — Little Joe. We all loved him dearly. He always trotted (小跑) around the streets. We tried to teach him about the ________ of the road, and finally locked him in the yard. However, one day, Little Joe dug a hole under the fence and ________.

Sometime later, the ________ news came that a truck had seriously injured Little Joe. We children ran to the ________ of the accident. Apparently unable to move, he lay with his eyes open, awaiting death by a policeman’s bullet, the ________ method in those days of dispatching (处决) injured animals. Tears filling our eyes, we ________around him, frustrated by our inability to respond to the ________ for help in his eyes. The policeman ________ us away from the dog and drew his gun. Wide-eyed, we began to back away with feet that seemed to be made of ________.

Suddenly the crowd began to ________ . My father elbowed (用肘推) his way through and spoke with ________ to the young policeman. “Put that thing away!” Then, ________, he removed his worn jacket and carefully ________ it around Little Joe. Little Joe’s broken body could not have been moved with more ________.

I’ll never forget that homeward journey. My father led a group of admiring children. We held our heads high with pride as we ________ behind the man who had saved our dog.

After struggling for several days, Little Joe finally survived. He went on to live a long life.

4 . 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.”

5 . I was having breakfast at home, checking out social media on my phone. Suddenly, a picture ________ my eye. It was a 9-year-old dog, Charlie, who was regarded as the loneliest one in Britain. He had been in a rescue center for more than 500 days.

I ________ on the link of this story, and straight away, I saw Charlie’s cute but sad eyes looking at me. I was ________ and my husband Sam felt exactly the same way. The idea of taking him home appeared in our minds. It took us some time to ________ it. A few days later, we ________ an email asking us to ________ him.

On our way to the center, we had no idea of what was going to happen. We hadn’t got much information about Charlie’s ________. Since he hadn’t got along with a new ________ for a long time, we thought there might be some ________. We had been told Charlie was ________ of humans, but when he saw us, he was full of joy, wagging (摇) his tail happily and coming straight over to us. He even jumped on Sam’s lap as if they’d been best friends for many years. Later, being told that we could take him home, we were so ________.

As soon as he got to our house, he soon made himself at home. He sniffed (嗅) around and then ________ onto a chair. Charlie knows exactly what he wants, which is to be with us all the time. He’s so warm-hearted and has none of the ________ you might think of after spending a long time in a rescue center.

We get out every day on walks and we’re much closer now. He’s always so happy to see us when my husband and I come through the door. If you give dogs ________, they’ll give you a number of wonderful things in return.

6 . My son Timmy was born with several rare developmental disabilities. By age 13, he had had at least 10 surgeries on his legs and feet. Balancing and walking was very ________ for Timmy, and he needed a great deal of help with mobility.

Meeting Janice, who ________ treat Timmy, changed Timmy’s life. Janice and Timmy ________ an immediate bond. That bond led us to get our Larry, the biggest dog I’ve ever seen. Janice, being so ________ with my son and her dogs, knew Timmy and Larry would make a perfect ________.Larry, not usually easy to bond with, was ________ like glue to my son the minute they walked in the door.

Larry has changed Timmy, s life so much for the better. Not only does Larry give my son ________ for his mobility issues by keeping him steady on his feet and protecting him from ________, but he is also his best friend. If Timmy is sleeping, Larry does not ________ his side. If Timmy does not feel ________, Larry still will not leave his side, even to ________ or go out.

Larry slows to Timmy’s pace and watches every ________ he makes. They walk along together in perfect steps. It is truly ________ to watch the two of them together. This year, Timmy and Larry began their journey in high school together. The ________ that Larry gives Timmy is priceless. Larry is always there to support Timmy for mobility, for falling, for companionship, and is his best ________.

7 . I was looking at the items such as a teapot, a poetry book, and a coat. I bought them from charity shops, where others’ trash became my _________. I have also donated many unwanted toys. _________ my toys will also become others’ precious discoveries.

This circular relationship is just one of the many _________ of charity shops. They extend the usefulness of old objects, which are liked by new _________ instead of ending up in landfills (垃圾填埋场). According to the statistics, second-hand donations _________ 90% of a charity shop’s product range. With people becoming more and more _________ of the benefits of a circular economy, the relevant language of charity shoppers has changed. Shoppers now speak of “pre-loved” or “vintage” goods _________ “second-hand” clothes.

In addition, the economic value of charity shops is increasing. There are currently over 11,000 charity shops in the U.K., _________ about 270 million a year for charity work. This means vital support for medical research, solving poverty, _________ child welfare, and so on.

Besides, these stores have many other benefits. From a(n) __________ perspective, charity shops keep goods in circulation which might otherwise be __________ reducing CO₂ emissions greatly. Besides, charity shops provide affordable goods, allowing people having lower __________ to enjoy high-quality goods.

If the donations __________ to flow, the shelves in charity shops will be packed with various wonderful items, providing a fantastic shopping experience.

I believe charity shops will be __________ worldwide soon. It’s hard for me to imagine a better choice than something that __________ saving waste with spending very little.

8 . In late January, returning home from a day in town, my husband and I were greeted by a couple of Willie Wagtails sitting on a hanging basket on our balcony, probably planning to build a nest. Another day away, we came home to find a simple ________ which had started on the hanging basket, right in front of our toilet door. We didn’t have the heart to ________ it, so the “building” ________, with the pair of Willie Wagtails flying in with building materials. Finally after a week, a beautiful nest built with ________ materials was completed.

The next day an egg ________ in their nest, followed by anther two during the week. We were such disturbance to them, having to use the toilet next to their ________.

Two weeks passed and three baby chicks were hatched (孵出). The ________ task began for the parents to find ________ to bring back to their babies. Both Willie Wagtails would fly in and out during the day. It was amazing how ________ the babies were growing.

We were constantly ________ if we came near their nest, and often got our hair pulled just as a ________ to keep our distance. Going to the toilet late one night, I ________ their nest. How lovely it is to see three little ________ and bodies lying neatly side by side, sound asleep, with just their hearts ________ — their little bodies rising and falling with each breath. They were so ________, and I was so lucky to be able to share this special moment.

9 . My photographs are the items I would definitely take or guard in case of an emergency. But what else? This was the question I asked myself as a ________ came toward us.

Unlike some friends and________, we decided to stay in our home. We didn’t have to choose what we would save by ________ it into the car, but we still had to decide what required protection by storing it in our walk-in closet. Surprisingly, few items made the cut - an obvious ________ that we had surrounded ourselves with beautiful yet unessential items. We needed ________ for the truly important things: ourselves.

Because when you hear the roar of the winds, or when something ________ hard against your windows, you don’t think of photos.You don’t worry about your big screen TV, or those paintings you’ve covered with towels to protect them, or that ________ car that you still haven’t finished paying for.

As ________ goes on outside, this is what you think: My children, are they OK? Are their impact-resistant(耐冲击的) windows working ________? Are their roofs keeping out the damage? My grandchildren, are they crying out in fear? Are they ________ as their own grandparents are? My relatives — yes, even those I try to avoid — have they ________ the worst of it? My friends, will they be forced to move somewhere else permanently? You don’t think about what you own but about what you love; what money can’t buy back.

Months and years after the hurricane, I often told people that there are two parts to ________ this kind of catastrophe: the horror of the hurricane itself and then the rebuilding that follows. The ________ together of a life, however, will take months, perhaps years.

But we will do it, ________ and as a community. Of that I have no doubt. In fact, I’ll make one more prediction. Piece by piece, item by item, we will once again collect the material possessions that decorate a home. I hate to admit this, but lessons learned ________ fear aren’t always long-lasting.

10 . Back in 2007, Uruguay had a serious problem with no obvious answer: The economy was growing very fast, but there wasn’t enough energy to power the rapid _________.

Then Ramón Méndez Galain, a physicist, started _________ different potential paths for Uruguay’s energy future. Finally, he wrote a plan that Uruguay could almost entirely _________ renewable energy. There would be less _________ and it would be the most economical choice Uruguay could make in the long run.

Méndez Galain’s plan was built around two simple _________ about his country. First, while there wasn’t a domestic (国内的) supply of coal or oil, there was a great deal of _________. Second, that wind blew over a country that was known for _________ grassland. His plan for Uruguay’s energy future was to _________ the empty grassland into hundreds of wind farms.

To solve the problem of how to pay for all those wind farms, Méndez Galain came up with a variation on a(n) _________ used by some electric plants in neighboring Brazil, in which state owned power plants handled energy generation, while __________ companies were in charge of power distribution and customer service. Méndez Galain’s plan changed the relationship to the __________, so that private companies would be in charge of setting up and __________ the wind farms, while the state-owned power companies would distribute that energy to its customers.

The strategy worked __________ well. Just within a few years, Méndez Galain had __________ what he had set out to do: 98% of Uruguay’s __________ comes from renewable sources.