A composting (堆肥) program at The Wesley School in Los Angeles is helping students get hands-on experience and ways     1     (handle) human-driven climate change. For the past year, all the leftover food waste from the school has gone into composting containers rather than a landfill     2     it would be buried and would produce planet-warming gases.

The school’s composting program     3     (come) into being in 2022, and this year, the school held a     4    （celebrate) to reveal what happened inside a series of five-foot-tall containers. Steven Wynbrandt, a local farmer     5     composting consultant who has helped the school with its program, broke the ties that held the container closed. Rich black compost spilled out from the container.

The school will use the compost on plants around campus. Some will     6     (offer) to families that want to use it at home, and whatever is left will be donated.

It takes two hours for the container to be emptied and prepared to receive     7     next day’s lunch leftovers. The other containers remain full of food waste that is in the process of     8     (break) down. Decorated     9     (poster) on the outside of each container indicate when they can be opened so that the next generation of plants on campus can benefit     10     the rich soil.

Shiping County is located in the south of Yunnan Province, northwest of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, with     1     area of 3,037 square kilometers. According to the     2     (statistic) in 2016, the total population of Shiping was more than 316,000, of which Yi, Dai and Hani     3     (minor) groups accounted for more than 50%.

Since ancient times, great importance     4     (attach) to education and culture in Shiping, which gives birth to     5     (talent) people from generation to generation.     6     (know) for its cultural heritage, Shiping holds a special reputation     7     “the land of literature in the south of Yunnan” and “the hometown of Number One Scholars”. Haicai Songs, Dance with Cigarette cases, and Black Copper Silver process are included in the national intangible cultural heritage list. Moreover,     8     attract foodies most are the famous Tofu and barbecue. It is also worth mentioning that Yilong Lake, surrounded by a     9     (careful) designed bike lane, has gained popularity among cyclists at home and abroad. In a word, if you are looking for a low-cost, peaceful and relaxing spot     10     (enjoy) a few leisurely days, Shiping won’t let you down!

China drives world renewables capacity addition in 2023

China was the major driving force behind the world’s rapid     1     (expand) of renewable power generation capacity last year, which grew by 50 percent to 510 gigawatts, the International Energy Agency said.

    2     (drive) by rapid growth in China, renewable energy capacity surged globally last year, generating green power faster than at any time during the last few decades. China, which has become     3     dominant force in the field of renewable energy,     4     (see) its position further consolidate in the next five years, as lower costs make utility-scale solar power generation more attractive compared to coal and gas power generation.     5     (additional), China has outlined and clarified regulations for green power certificates,     6     will bring additional income for solar and wind energy developers, and further accelerate its renewable energy development.

China’s installed capacity of renewable energy exceeded 1.45 billion kilowatts in 2023,     7     (account) for more than 50 percent of the country’s total installed power generation capacity. Power generated from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar now accounts for more than 15 percent of China's total electricity consumption.

China has several advantages that others do not possess, including the ability     8     (approve) and build transmission grids and renewable energy projects     9     (efficient) and finance projects more easily thanks    10     policy priorities.

With the tourism    1    (develop), people are becoming increasingly concerned    2    the environment. Here in our city, there is a heated discussion about whether a hotel should    3    (build) at White Beach. The owner of the company thinks the hotel would attract more tourists,     4    will help the local economy.    5    , the local people worry that constructing the hotel is not eco-friendly,     6    (particular) the turtles. Admitting the various    7    (benefit) from the hotel, they still have many concerns about the surroundings     8     they have been living for many years. It is    9    unavoidable problem that increased tourist numbers will consume more natural resources, at the same time, more waste and pollution    10    ( release).

Hangzhou is a city lying in Zhejiang Province, eastern China.     1     (be) an important southern stop of the Grand Canal that goes to Beijing, the city of Hangzhou is just     2     wonder and must-see scenic place to tourists.

As one of China’s seven ancient     3     (capital), Hangzhou has a history of more than two thousand years. It     4     (describe) by Italian traveler Marco Polo as the finest and most luxurious city in the world. The large number of scenic areas in Hangzhou can satisfy everyone’s     5     (curious). The West Lake scenic area,     6     contains over 60 cultural relic sites and several attractions of natural beauty, is no doubt the most famous. Taking a walk by the lake, you’ll feel the     7     (peace) atmosphere of the city and better understand its time-honored fame as “Heaven on Earth”.

Traveling to Hangzhou is also a chance     8     (experience) the happy and relaxing lifestyles of local people and enjoy delicious Hangzhou’s dishes, like the Beggar’s Chicken, West Lake Fish and Dongpo Pork. At night, the city     9     (have) much to offer. Choosing a tea-house overlooking the West Lake for a pleasant chat over a cup of tea is sure to make you feel     10     (total) relaxed and refreshed.

A collection of tombs dating from the Han Dynasty to the Six Dynasties period were discovered in Wulong District of Southwest China’s Chongqing. The tomb dating back     1     the Western Han Dynasty was the most important among them, and more than 600 precious     2     (culture) relics such as lacquerware (漆器), wood ware, bamboo ware, pottery and bronze ware were unearthed from it. Due to     3     (fill) with water, the tomb remained undisturbed and unharmed, and the funerary objects were well-preserved.

What is exciting about this     4     (discover) is not just the large number of unearthed artifacts but also the list of burial items that indicate a precise record of burial,     5     has been verified as 193 BC,     6     (provide) clarity on the tomb’s date. A piece of unearthed jade ware shows the important position of the tomb owner. The list of burial items found in the tomb is complete and     7     (clear) records the name, quantity and size of the funerary objects.

The tomb     8     (contain) the largest quantity of lacquered wood and bamboo ware ever found at one time in the upper     9     (reach) of the Yangtze River. Based on publicly available information, it is also the earliest tomb of the Western Han Dynasty found in China with     10     clear recorded year.

For centuries, West Lake has been well-known both for its landscape and for cultural heritage surviving yet illustrating the past dynasties. In ancient times, it     1     (call) Wulin Waters, Golden Buffalo Lake, Qiantang Lake and Xizi Lake. The landscape area of West Lake includes the     2     (surround) hills, nearby historical sites as well as the lake     3     (it). West Lake covers approximately 60 square kilometers,     4     consists of 5.68 square kilometers of water area. West Lake is the centerpiece of the natural fascination with hills on three sides, quiet     5     charming.

Besides its impressive scenery, West Lake has abundant cultural heritage and legends     6     (pass) down from generation to generation, combining natural     7     (feature), past personages (名人), history and art in the local area. More than ninety theme parks and scenic spots dot around the lake area such as the Ten Views and some     8     (new) named tourist spots. West Lake holds great     9     (attract) for tourists in all seasons whether it rains or shines. In the whole landscape area, there are more than one hundred scenic spots open     10     the tourists at present. Each year there are 0.5 million of foreign guests and 12 million domestic visitors coming to West Lake.

According to the World Meteorological (气候的) Organization, El Nino is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon. It starts with unusually warm surface water in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean,    1    then goes on to affect the weather worldwide. On average, it occurs every two to seven years, lasting 9 to 12    2    (month).

The center said the combination of El Nino and global warming would increase the chances of meteorological disasters     3    (cause) by extreme weather. The El Nino event is projected to cause sea surface temperature to peak between November 2023 and January 2024. Since May, an El Nino system    4    (build) up along the equator (赤道) in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Research     5    (suggest) that every 1℃ increase in temperature in the equatorial eastern Pacific can raise the global annual average temperature by 0.12℃. A moderate or strong El Nino event     6    (usual) rises the global average surface temperature by about 0.1℃ to 0.22℃, the center added.

Speaking of the effect     7    China, the center said that an El Nino event tends to bring more rainfall to the southern regions and    8    (warm) temperatures in the north of the country. Since the 1990s, every El Nino event has been followed by two consecutive summers of above normal precipitation (降水) in China.

Jia Xiaolong, vice director of the center, said at     9    news conference in early November that statistics show that in the context of El Nino events, temperatures fluctuate greatly in winter, and the number of cold spells affecting China is often more than usual. The center recently released the climate trend forecast. It is expected    10    (face) snow disasters and increased demand for heating compared with the past, leading to temporary energy consumption peaks.