Today, giant pandas are one of the world's most well-known animals. And they are     1     (global) recognized as being a leading symbol of both China and nature conservation in general. But global interest     2     the animal only took off early in the 20th century.

The idea of the WWF's logo(标志)     3     (come) from Chi-Chi: a giant panda that arrived at London Zoo in 1961 — the same year that WWF     4     (create).

Aware of the need for a recognisable symbol that would break through all language barriers(障碍), WWF's founders agreed that the big, furry bear with her special black and white coat would make a great logo. The first sketches(草图) were done by the British environmentalist and     5     (art), Gerald Watterson.

Based on these, Sir Peter Scott, one of WWF's founders, drew     6     first logo. He said at the time that “we wanted an animal that was beautiful,     7     (endanger), and loved by many people in the world for     8     (it) attractive qualities. We also wanted an animal that had an impact(影响力) in black and white     9     (save) money on printing costs.”

The panda has since become a symbol not just for WWF,     10     for the conservation movement as a whole.

Many people believe that cotton is never     1     (bad) than plastic. It takes hundreds of years     2     plastic to break down. But cotton bags are providing a way for supermarkets to show a planet-friendly attitude.     3    , it turns out that cotton bags have created a new problem. Only if an organic cotton bag is used 20, 000 times can it balance out the impact of     4     (it) producing process, according to a study. And most dyes used     5     (print) logos onto them contain PVC,     6     makes the bags not recyclable.     7     (fortunate), some brands are turning to other     8     (strategy). British designer Anya made     9     extraordinary bag by herself. It is made from recycled water bottles. We hope more and more recyclable bags     10     (invent) in the near future.

Could the Moon Help Fuel the Earth?

Fossil fuels have been powering the earth for over 200 years, but reserves of coal, crude oil (原油) and natural gas may run out one day.

The long-term solution may lie nearly half of a million kilometers away on the moon. It contains large quantities of helium-3 (氦-3), a form of gas that could     1     (potential) be extracted (提炼), brought back to the earth and used as fuel without damaging the environment.

“The real     2     (attract) of helium-3 is that it is a nuclear process,     3     doesn’t release any greenhouse gases,” said     4     engineering professor. “That would be the     5     (big) advantage-nuclear power without nuclear waste, and it would be a goal for the earth.”

Present on the earth in small quantities, helium-3     6     (use) in medical diagnostics (医学诊断), but it is yet to be used as a source of energy. However, there are large enough quantities of helium-3 on the moon to power the earth for a thousand of years or so and provide the earth     7     all of the energy.

But     8     (bring) helium-3 back to the earth is a complex process. The gas,     9     (find) in the moon’s soil, would need to be heated to 600℃ before being extracted and transported back to be turned into fuel in nuclear power     10     (plant). Even so, the project is beginning to interest some of the world’s leading nations in the environmental and economic potential of helium-3.

Hua Weiguang,     1     retired teacher from Tongliao, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is a photography enthusiast.

A decade ago, the arrival of tree planters     2     (catch) Hua’s attention and the photos of the tree planters     3     (take) by Hua are evidence of the     4     (remark) transformation of the land. In those photos, hats, scarves and goggles, for the workers fighting desertification, are basic necessities to protect them     5     the wind and sand. There was no way to avoid the brutal summer heat in the land so the workers had to lie down on the ground or curl up in the narrow shade of their cars to cool off. And they also had to eat their lunch amid the blowing sands, taking in the small pieces of sand with their food.

“    6     we don’t fool the tree, it won’t fool you. You take it     7     (serious), and then it behaves in the same way to you. You put efforts to make it live, and the tree lives up to your     8     (expect),” the planters say.

China’s forest resources have increased by over 70 million hectares in the past decade,     9     (rank) first in the world. One tree after another, a green Great Wall has been built. Brush by brush, a green field     10     (paint) over the yellow sandy land up to now.

Scientists exploring the ocean floor in Antarctica have found a larger group of fish nests than ever before. The discovery came     1     a surprise, and it will help scientists develop a more complete idea of the ocean food web in the area.

In the south Weddell Sea, not far from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf, scientists were    2     (amaze) to discover a group of about 60 million icefish nests on the ocean floor. Before this, the     3     (large) group of icefish nests that had ever been found includes less than 60 nests. Lilian Boehringer, a research student, was the first     4     (discover) the nests. “They were everywhere,” she told The New York Times.

The researchers used a special device called OFOBS to make two more four-hour “dives” ,    5     (try) to discover the limits of the nesting area. The nests scientists found were in the shape of     6     circle. Each nest held about 1,700 eggs. Usually, Weddell seals (海豹)    7     (spot) in the waters above the nesting site. Trackers     8     (fix) on some Weddell seals show that they dive all the way to the sea floor.

The team placed a camera on the sea floor before leaving,     9     will take a picture of the nests in the area     10     (two) a day for the next two years. They hope the pictures from this camera will help them learn more about the lives of the icefish.

Yuncheng,     1    (know) as “Hedong”, is one of the birthplace of Chinese civilization. With its rich cultural heritage spanning thousands of years, Yuncheng has become a destination for those interested in     2    (explore) China’s roots. From the earliest hominid fossils(原始化石) to salt mining techniques, Yuncheng is home     3     some of the most significant artifacts(史前古器物) and sites in Chinese history.

The Hedong Salt Lake is one of the oldest salt fields in the world, with     4     history of over 4, 600 years. “The Five-Step Salt Production Method”, which     5    (origin) during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, became a vital technological     6    (contribute) to the salt industry in China and the world. This technique predates European salt production methods by nearly one thousand years and     7    (list) as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2021.

    8    (recent), Yuncheng has increased its     9    (ecology) restoration efforts of “returning salt to the lake”. The salt lake has changed from a mining area to a tourist hot spot,     10     offers visitors a new appearance.

Known as a ”living fossil“,the Chinese sturgeon(鲟)is a very precious species. It     1     (believe)to have lived alongside the dinosaurs more than 140 million years ago.

Although dinosaurs are long since gone, the Chinese sturgeon still exists to this day.     2    ,the species has been listed as ”Critically Endangered“ on the Red List of Threatened Species. According to CGTN, dams and overfishing affect     3     (it)reproduction.

On May 14,Shanghai legislators(立法委员)passed a new law protecting the Chinese sturgeon,    4    (stress)”regional cooperation“,according to China Daily.

”This is the first local legislation in the country     5    (protect)one endangered fish,“ said Ding Wei, director of the legislative affairs committee.

The protection of the Chinese sturgeon is     6     (urgently). China began the artificial propagation(繁殖)and release of the fish in 1984. However, very few of     7     farmed fish have survived in the wild.

    8     this species can be preserved depends on the natural population. If the natural population is not well protected, the Chinese sturgeon is in     9    (dangerous)of extinction.

Since January 1 of this year, a 10-year fishing ban on key     10    (area)of the Yangtze River basin has been issued, covering 332 nature reserves, which include Shanghai’s Chinese sturgeon nature reserve.

Lijiang Old Town, also known as Day an Old Town, was a former trading town and as top for traders carrying goods on the Ancient Tea and Horse Road. It    1    (list) as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

In Lijiang Old Town, you’ll find a mix of architectural style influenced by several    2    (culture) — Naxi, Bai, Yi, Tibetan, and Han. The town also possesses    3    ancient water supply system of great creativity. Every year, millions of tourists visit Lijiang Old Town, which features ancient street sandstone bridges    4    (decorate) with flowers. In addition, there    5    (be) many ancient buildings, beautiful parks, and museums.

The Mufu is one of Lijiang’s famous attractions. It was the residence of the Naxi People’s Mu clan (宗族) who were in charge     6     Lijiang during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. It was     7    (actual) the heart of Lijiang Old Town for 800 years. Another    8    (attract) is the Black Dragon Pool. The water is as beautiful as jade and reflects Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, so it is also called Jade Spring Park. It is a wonderful place    9    (take) pictures of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Nobody will miss the Lion Hill, on the top of which there is Wangu Tower     10    you can lookout to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the surrounding crop fields and villages.

What are you waiting for? Come to explore Lijiang right now!

Everyone loves a day at the beach, but if you come across litter on the sand, it makes everything worse. One man is doing his part to clean up local beaches, and has invented     1     (innovate) tools to help with that job. Based in Texas, Glenn Morris uses custom grabbers to pick up the rubbish and a remote-controlled car     2     (top) with a waste container to make the process easy and efficient.

Morris     3     (found) the group LitterBuggies a few years ago, and hopes that these remote-controlled cars will make     4     easier for others to keep their surroundings clean. “There are an estimated 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic waste in the ocean     5     have significant impacts     6     marine life. This number is expected     7     (double) within the next ten years,” the litterBuggles website states. “We hope to expand our activities into a larger movement, with the goal of making as big a     8     (different) as possible.”

A couple of days a week, Morris visits local beaches equipped with his grabber and remote-controlled car, and films himself     9     (collect) rubbish littering the shore. It is inspiring to see how Morris     10     (patient) picks up all the waste, leaving behind a clean and tidy beach.