Turning Deserts to Oases

Miracles are occurring in northwest China where stretches of deserts are turning green with thriving trees and luxurious grass. Decades of efforts have resulted     1     victory in the battle against desertification and China has not only achieved the UN sustainable development goal of zero net land degradation by 2030 well ahead of schedule, but also reversed（逆转）the trend of desertification and sandification.

The eco warriors have come up with a series of     2     （success） practices to end desertification, like the farmers’ group in Minqin,     3     county in Gansu Province, northwest China. Their success in fighting the approach of the desert offers important experience for desertification prevention and treatment. It is also the Chinese     4     （wise） for global ecological management.

China has the largest desert area in the world, with the largest number of people     5     （expose） to deserts and sandstorms. It is home to eight major deserts and four major sandy lands, which cover one     6     （five） of its territory. The western and northwestern parts are     7    （serious） affected by desertification.

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949，the government     8     （give） priority to the prevention and control of deserts,     9     is listed as one of the strategic missions of the nation.

Major ecological projects have been carried out to green the country. The Great Green Wall also known as the Three-North Shelter Forest Program, is the biggest tree-planting project in the world,     10     （create） a green barrier to keep the encroaching desert in the north at bay.

David Katz was upset by all the plastic going into the ocean. To help solve the problem, he had a     1    （create）idea to treat plastic like money. Mr. Katz calls his idea the "plastic Bank". The goal of the Plastic Bank is to use plastic to help people solve the problems     2    (gradual）. The Plastic Bank adds a value to plastic waste by paying people to recycle it.

The program began in 2015 in Haiti, a poor island nation with many     3    （problem）of waste plastic. The Plastic Bank has 30 "markets" in Haiti. At the Plastic Bank markets, people can exchange the plastic they've collected for     4    they need. The Plastic Bank markets sell lots of things that local people need. The stores also allow plastic collectors to use the money they earn to pay     5    health care or school.

To make sure that the plastic     6    （recycle）, the Plastic Bank works with partners, who agree     7    （use）the plastic that is collected. When customers buy these products, which are labeled "Social Plastic", they know that they are both helping people in other parts of the world     8    keeping plastic out of the ocean. So far, the Plastic Bank     9    （keep） about 7 million pounds of plastic out of the ocean. It makes a great     10    （contribute）to the ocean.

Lions，tigers and other animals are staying awake at night    1    （avoid）human beings，a new study finds．

Scientists have known that human activities can lead to changes in nature．Many animals may move around less or travel to far places to keep away    2    people．By being awake at night，animals can also be on guard against possible enemies and spend less time    3    （look）for food．

The latest research found even activities like farming and camping can    4    （fright）animals and cause them to become more active at night．    5    had been studied were lions in Tanzania，tigers in Nepal and monkeys in Brazil．Researchers compared    6    （careful）how much time those animals were active at night in areas of human activities，such as hunting and farming．    7    was human activities that caused an increase of about 20 percent in night time activities，even in creatures that usually sleep at night．Results    8    （publish）in the journal Science two months ago．

The new findings are    9    （usual）because no one else has looked at it in such detail before Ecologist Marlee Tucker was    10    （surprise）that any kind of human activities is enough for animals to see people as a threat．