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.

Beijing — Planetary scientists in China found hints of water “reservoirs (水库)” on the moon. Over billions of years, the surface of the moon     1    (hit) by space rocks, causing the soil     2    (melt) and be ejected (喷射) into space. Then it is cooled down and falls back to the lunar surface,     3    (form) beads (珠子) of glass. The Chang’e 5 probe,     4     returned to Earth on Dec 17, 2020, brought back     5     total of 1,731 grams of rocks and soil from the lunar surface, including glass beads.

After looking into the glass beads from the sample, the international research team     6    (find) that about one ton of glass beads may contain 0.5 kilograms of water. Hui Hejiu, one of the study authors said, “This ‘water’ wasn’t a liquid     7     instead took the form of hydrogen (氢气). The hydrogen     8    (contain) in the glass beads can     9    (easy) be turned into the water we can use.” If the water in the beads is easy to get, it will be a “really big deal” for deep space     10    (explore) missions in the future.

The day starts early for Zheng Baogang and his tree-planting team. At about 5 a.m., they are on their way to the site of     1     abandoned mine in Huzhou, Zhejiang province.

Since June, they have been working to restore the land to     2     (it)past natural glory. It is the most difficult reforestation project related to the former coal mines and stone quarries in the area in     3     Zheng has participated. The Huzhou mine was put into operation in the late 1980s     4     it is about 200 metres deep now. Today, the entire site for reclamation(开垦)is more than 200. 000 square metres.

    5     (wear)ropes and straps like mountaineers, Zheng and his team took     6     (step)down the cliff to loosen the compacted(压实的)soil and plant trees or grass seeds every day. In summer, the ground temperature can reach over 40°C, while in winter, it is     7     (extreme)cold.

Although the work is     8     (danger)and laborious, Zheng says it is rewarding to see the brown fields turning green. Estimated to be completed by the end of this month, the project will enter a two-year maintenance period     9     (restore)the area’s greenery.

In the past decade, Zheng     10     (help)with such work at over 60 former sites. Some sites are even reviving parklands.

Recently, residents in a youth apartment building in downtown Shenzhen have planted the seed, cultivating (形成)     1     unique city lifestyle. They can farm their own land, which can     2     (access) just an elevator ride away to the top of their building. There they can grow vegetables, while     3     (communicate) with other renters and taking in the skyline of the city.

Huang Suyun, the founder of the youth apartment building,     4     (see) positive changes in her own life since “farming” and other social activities were introduced to the rooftop of it.     5     (additional), the experience of tending the gardens allows her     6     (make) friends and get to know others who cither live in the building or visit from outside.

The rooftop heaven covers a total area of 450 square meters and consists     7     a sightseeing zone, a shaded leisure area as well as the urban farming section. “There’s space to exercise, like doing yoga at the leisure zone, and then to walk over to check the vegetables,” says Xie Jing, an architect     8     undertook the project.

An increasing number of urban     9     (resident) at home and abroad have started to seek a social life that promotes environmental     10     (protect) and personal health, which is good news for sustainability and community activity development, experts say.

Nature hands us a whole series of rich and varied colors,     1    (literal) on our plates! Not only do we eat pigments (色素),     2     we use some of them as colouring agents. Red, yellow, pink and green are just some of the rainbow of colors in our food.

The color of food has quite     3     impact on our choice of what we eat. We instinctively prefer the colors red, orange and yellow over green and blue, which tend     4    (represent) bitterness. Man is naturally attracted towards sweet food and dislikes all things bitter, a tendency which is evident right from birth. However, such preferences     5    (influence) by our individual experiences and education, cultural criteria and tendencies. The color of a particular foodstuff can also influence our perception of tastes,     6    (flavor) or smells and we often associate certain colors with particular tastes: pink with sweet things, green with     7    (salt) food and the color orange with spicy food.

    8     do carrots, peppers and tomatoes all have in common? They all contain natural coloring agents. Discovery of various coloring techniques spread the centuries. New and creative methods to abstract pigments, mix them and then dye (染色), all add a little color     9     life, simply to please our senses. Nonetheless, colored food also brings micronutrients which are essential for good health. So don’t wait any     10    (long)! Brighten up your plate today!

A new study found that nearly half of bald eagles    1    (test) across the United States show signs of repeated lead (铅) exposure. Researchers examined the blood, bones, feathers and liver tissue (肝脏组织) of l,210 eagles between 2010 and 20l8.

Lead is a poisonous substance     2     affects the nervous system and interferes (妨碍) with the normal function of nerve cells. Even in low amounts, lead can reduce bald eagles’ ability     3     (fly), hunt and reproduce. In high amounts, lead causes     4    (breathe) difficulty and death.

Bald eagles are one of America’s most celebrated conservation success stories. The birds       5    (remove) from the U. S. Endangered Species List in 2007. But scientists say that high lead levels are still     6     concern. Lead exposure also reduces their ability to face future difficulties, such as climate change or infectious diseases.

“Lead is available to these birds more than we     7    ( previous) thought,” said VinceSlabe, a research wildlife biologist at the nonprofit group Conservation Science Global.

The blood samples from live eagles in the new study were taken from birds trapped andstudied     8    other reasons. The bone, feather and liver samples came from eagles killed by vehicles, power lines or other causes.

The researchers also found higher levels of lead exposure in fall     9    winter. During these months, eagles eat animal remains left by hunters. These remains often contain many    10    (piece) of lead ammunition (弹药).