1 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Any bird that crossed his path would be eaten by Rex, a German shepherd. Rex
Geraldine was a goose abandoned by owners who could no longer put up
But when the two
“I’ve been doing rescue work since 1997 and seen all
Imagine you are out fishing on the high seas - the wind and water are clean and comfortable and you begin bringing up your first catch of the day. That's when everything goes wrong. Your fishing nets are tangled up (缠成一团) in older, abandoned fishing tool, and you're unable to untangle them. Your equipment
Ghost fishing is what abandoned fishing tool does. It still catches fish, but no one benefits. Trapped fish die and attract scavengers (清道夫)
Environmental agencies estimate that 10 percent of all seawater litter is lost or deserted fishing tool
It's not the intention of the majority of fishermen to lose their tool. In most circumstances bad weather is to blame. But in other cases fishermen throw their tool in the ocean on purpose, risking expensive fines. But to them, it's worth the risk
By marking tool with electronic tags and utilizing GPS technology, owners are more likely to recover lost tool and less likely to abandon it. Currently, ownership regulations are reportedly very weak. Leading the effort for tagging fishing tool and creating accountability is the GGTI (Global Ghost Tool Initiative).
Ghost fishing poses a serious threat to the fishing industry worldwide, and a global effort is needed to solve it.
A walk along Shanghai’s Suzhou Creek was, for much of the 20th century, best undertaken with a handkerchief covered firmly over the nose. Liquid waste from factories poured directly into its waters. For the multi-generational families who lived in the small boats that crowded its waters from bank to bank, it had long doubled as a source of public drinking water and a sewer. Infectious diseases
Suzhou Creek has taken on an entirely new look in recent years. The once-smelly and disease-ridden riverside
The restoration of Suzhou Creek dates back to 1993,
Research from the U.N. Environment Program reveals that half of the world’s 500 largest rivers have been seriously depleted or polluted. The comprehensive cleanup project for the 125-kilometer-long Suzhou Creek is an example the world
Stage Four of the Suzhou Creek restoration project is in full swing. Its aim is to make the creek’s waterfront
That means visitors will still be able to stroll Suzhou Creek from the 1911 Garden Bridge to the 1924 Post Office,
It’s the leisurely and slow-paced lifestyle
One of
In fact, according to Wang Xudong, editor-in-chief of Sichuan Cuisine magazine, Chengdu has the highest density (密度) of restaurants of any city in the world – there are around 40,000. No wonder it became the first Asian city that
“Feet stretched out in a rattan chair with a glass of tea at the mahjong table, their lives are a fleeting dusk.” The Telegraph noted.
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Concerns about microplastics are not new. They’ve been growing for more than a decade. Over the past two years, however, many creative solutions
The term microplastics was coined in 2004 by marine ecologist Richard Thompson after he discovered tiny bits of plastic littering British beaches. Since then, scientists have found microplastics—fragments less than 5 millimeters wide-nearly everywhere: in the deep sea, in Arctic ice, in the air. Even inside us.
A 2019 study in Environmental Science Technology estimated humans take in up to 100, 000 bits of plastic each day. It’s not just the physical presence of plastic inside the body
For a global view of this vast issue, some scientists in 2020 created a public database to track plastic removal innovations. For example, Hong Kong Polytechnic University researchers presented
When scientists accidentally killed
The ocean quahog, a type of deep-sea clam, was dredged (捕捞) alive from the bottom of the North Atlantic near Iceland in 2006 by researchers. They then put it in a fridge-freezer,
The discovery made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. However, by this time, it was too late for Ming the Mollusc(软体动物),
The researchers opened the ancient clam up to judge its age by counting growth rings inside. But the rings were so close together
Dr Paul Butler, from the University’s School of Ocean Sciences, said: “We got it wrong the first time and maybe we were a bit hasty publishing our findings back then. But we are absolutely certain that we’ve got the right age now.” The mollusc was born in 1499 – just seven years after Columbus discovered America and before Henry VIII had even married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon in 1509.
Animal-rights activists often complain that cute beasts get more sympathy than ugly ones. If so, one would think a lovely creature like the mink (貂) would be easy to protect. Yet in the Netherlands, mink is the only animal
Dutch farmers normally raised about 2.5 million minks a year,
That was a win for the Netherland’s Party for the Animals, which has four seats in the 150-member parliament. In 2013,
Fur farmers say modern standards allow minks to be raised humanely, and
Fun Facts about Pigeons
Pigeons are the most misunderstood of all creatures. Upon seeing a flock of pigeons, many people want
First, pigeons are highly skilled navigators (领航员). A pigeon can find its way back to its nest after
Another interesting yet not so admirable quality of pigeons is that they appear to be master procrastinators (拖延者). Scientific studies have shown that pigeons often delay the completion of a dull or troublesome task when an immediately
Next, we come to the unpleasant topic of pigeon droppings. Urban dwellers are used to seeing streets
Finally, it cannot be denied
So,
Wildlife Report Calls for Action
The World Wide Fund for Nature released its Living Planet Report, which found that the Earth’s wildlife populations have fallen by 69% in the past 50 years.
The report is produced every two years to show how the natural world is changing, so governments, businesses, and conservationists understand
The change in wildlife varies around the world. South America and the Caribbean are the most affected. In these areas, the average wildlife populations have dropped by 94% over 50 years. Central Asia and Europe have
While some news from the Living Planet Report is worrisome, there is good news, too. Up to now the numbers of many species
In the US, conservation efforts in recent decades have helped to save several species, including the bald eagle, which
California has long attracted visitors seeking fortune, fame or both. Way back in 1849, hundreds of thousands started digging
Nowadays, the state is the most diverse(多元化的）in the entire mainland US--both in terms of the races of its people and the languages
But why is it
But it’s not just electronic innovation that inspires people to move to California. Another major reason is one of
