Throughout history, people have fought bitter wars over political ideology, national sovereignty and religious expression. How much more     1     will these conflicts be when people fight over the Earth’s most indispensable resource water? We may find out in the not-too-distant future if projections about the     2     of water in the Middle East and other regions prove correct.

Less than three percent of the planet’s     3     is fresh water, and almost two-thirds of this amount is     4     in ice caps, glaciers, and underground aquifers too deep or too remote to access. In her book, Pillars of Sand-Can the Irrigation Miracle Last, Sandra Postel outlines three forces that     5     tension and conflict over freshwater. Using up the water “resource pie”. In India, the world’s second-most populous nation, with over 1 billion inhabitants, the rate of groundwater     6     is twice that of recharge, a deficit higher than in any other country. Although water is a renewable resource, it is not a(n)     7     one. The freshwater available today for more than 6 billion people is no greater than it was 2,000 years ago, when global population was approximately 200 million. (The current U.S. population is 287 million.)

Global     8     accounts for about 70% of all freshwater use. In five of the world’s most water-stressed, controversial areas the Aral Sea region, the Ganges, the Jordan, the Nileland and Tigris-Euphrates population increases of up to 75% are projected by 2025. With the fastest rate of growth in the world, the population of Palestinian territory will more than     9     over the next generation. Most experts agree that, because of geography, population     10     and politics, water wars are most likely to break out in the Middle East, a region where the amount of available freshwater per capita will decrease by about 50% over the next generation.

Eat Green: Our Everyday Food Choices Affect Global Warming and the Environment

What we eat     1    . The food choices we make every day have a big effect on the environment. The good news is that even small     2     in what we buy and eat can add up to real environmental benefits, including fewer toxic (有毒的) chemicals, reduced global warming emissions, and preservation of our ocean resources. Eating “green” can also mean eating fresher, healthier foods while reducing your grocery bill and     3     our farmers.

1. Choose Climate-Friendly Food

Food that comes from high on the food chain or arrives to your plate after extensive     4     tends to require more energy and release more global warming pollution into the air. The “carbon footprint” of hamburger, for example, includes all of the fossil fuels that went into     5     the fertilizer and pumping the irrigation (灌溉) water to grow the corn that fed the cow, and may also include emissions that result from converting forest land to grazing land(牧场). NRDC estimates that if all Americans eliminated just one quarter pound serving of beef per week, the reduction in global warming gas emissions would be     6     to taking four to six million cars off the road.

2. Buy Organic and Other Sustainable Certifications

Eco—labels like USDA Organic and others give us a way to     7     environmental performance in the marketplace. Organic agriculture, for example, is a safer choice for the environment and your family because organic growers don’t use synthetic (合成的) pesticides and fertilizers.

3. Watch Your Waste

The USDA estimates that an astonishing 27 percent of all food produced for people in the United States is either thrown away or is used for a lower—value purpose, like animal food. A recent study estimated that the average household wastes 14 percent of its food purchases—a loss of significant value for most families. In addition to the water, energy, pesticides, and global warming pollution that went into producing.     8    , and transporting this discarded (废弃的) food, nearly all of this waste ends up in landfills where it releases even more heat—transporting gas in the form of methane (甲烷) as it decomposes.

4. Eat Locally

A typical American meal contains ingredients from five foreign countries, and even domestically grown produce travels a(n)    9     of 1,500 miles before it is sold. Buying locally can help reduce the pollution and energy use     10     with transporting, storing and refrigerating this food.

Rain forests, found in Earth's temperate and tropical zones, are some of the most biologically varied ecosystems on the planet. All rain forests share certain    1    , including a closed canopy,     the dense vegetation of the top branches that forms a roof above the forest floor, a damp and warm climate, and    2     constant   temperatures throughout the   year. Most of   the forest's insect   and   animal life grows well in the canopy's leafy and sunlit environment. The forest's ground cover, by comparison, is small. Less than 2 percent of the sun's light makes its way through the canopy and the darkness below. This darkness, along with the poor quality of the soils,    3    plant growth.

Rain forests are a(n)    4     part of   Earth's   total   ecology.   Huge   amounts   of   water are absorbed into tree roots and    5    into   the atmosphere   from the   tree leaves through   a process called transpiration（蒸发）. Tree roots also fix the soil in place and slow the runoff of rains into rivers and oceans. Through the process of photosynthesis（光合作用）, rain forests absorb more carbon dioxide and give off more oxygen than any other ecosystem.

The rain forests are    6    shrinking at a rapid rate as a result of the profitable ventures of farming, logging, and mining. When tropical rain forests are    7    in order   to raise cattle and     crops, the nutrient-poor soils are quickly    8    . When farmers move on to new areas heavy rains and baking sun leave the land fruitless and lifeless. Logging and mining cause similar damage to the land and destroy the territory of    9     millions of birds, insects and animals. By some     10    an area of tropical rain forest the size of the state of Delaware disappears in this way every month.

A hungry polar bear seen scavenging (在废弃物中觅食) for food in a major     1     city in northern Siberia has been caught and     2     to a wildlife park for treatment. Experts say the animal,     3     thought to have wandered hundreds of miles from its natural habitat (栖息地) in the Arctic, instead may have been taken as a cub and raised in captivity (关押) by pelt traders. The polar bear was spotted wandering throughout the city, searching for food. Photos showed the animal walking slowly across a busy road with muddy paws, digging through rubble and trash and lying down from     4     exhaustion on the ground.

Wildlife experts were called to assess the polar bear and determine whether it could be taken back to the Arctic.

But after sedating (给……服镇静剂) the animal, experts said it was severely ill, at least partly from feeding herself from garbage     5    , and would need medical care, according to the Siberian Times. Experts developed new theories about how it came to be in the city, thinking that it may have been raised there by poachers (偷猎者) who intended to sell it for its pelt. The experts explained that it is     6     males, not females, that travel long distances, and said this polar bear was too clean to have made such a trip. It’s possible that poachers     7     the animal to avoid being caught and punished.

Polar bear poaching has been banned in Russia for more than 60 years. Still, it has been estimated that as many as 200 of them are killed each year. In February, local reports estimated that about 50 polar bears had taken over Novaya Zemlya, popping up in buildings, on playgrounds. As a result, officials declared a state of emergency, many people were too scared to leave their homes or let their children play outside, and     8     personnel were being sent to help cope with the situation.

Polar bears are     9    classified as a vulnerable species because of the ongoing and     10     loss of their sea ice habitat resulting from climate change. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that there are 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears worldwide.

The value of upcycling

Recycling is a well-known idea that refers to reusing waste materials in any way possible. But what about “upcycling”? It’s a new word, even though it’s something that has been going on since human     1     began. It means reusing waste materials so that they have greater value. Throughout history, people have always done creative things with “trash”. For example, they’ve used straw and dead leaves to make roofs, skin from dead animals to make leather goods, and wood from     2     trees to make boats. So why is there a new word for it now?

One answer to this question is that we reuse fewer and fewer things, and so have become a (n) “    3    ” society. This has raised huge questions about waste: Where can we     4     it all? Will it pollute the environment? Could it be     5     to our health? The evidence is everywhere—even in the Pacific Ocean, where billions of bits of broken     6     float near the surface. Fish eat them, and then we eat the fish.

So upcyclers have adopted this new word to focus people’s attention on how waste cannot simply be reused, but be reused     7    . In fact, upcyclers don’t like the idea of waste and prefer to call it an “asset”, something of value. Nowadays, there are lots of organizations that     8     products with upcycled material. Some artists and designers have upcycled things like denim from old jeans to make rugs, and wood from old houses to make furniture. Others have even used candy wrappers to make handbags! Sometimes they’ll add a(n)     9     element to their products, such as a beautiful mosaic (马赛克) made with broken dishes. With a (n)     10     supply of “assets”, it seems that upcycling has a great future.