1 . Banff National Park is home to an amazing wildlife population. But the busy Trans Canada Highway that cuts through the park is a hazard to the lovely animals. To address the problem, Banff first put-up wildlife fencing on either side of the highway to discourage animals from entering the busy road. Then, since 1996, they’ve opened six wildlife overpasses and 38 underpasses to help the animals cross the highway in safety. I was fortunate to visit Banff’s Red Earth Overpass with Trevor Kinley, the project manager with Parks Canada. He told me that so far, they have documented 10, 000 safe animal crossings on this overpass alone. “ Some animals have learned how to use the crossings much more quickly than others. Black bears are the fastest learners, followed by deer. Wolves and lions take the longest to work out how to use them, ” Kinley said, laughing. “ But those animals that are slower to adapt are usually more capable and determined at figuring out the safest way to cross those overpasses and underpasses. ”

There is some criticism (批评) that channeling so much wildlife into a few bridges and tunnels is like making a trap for the animals, offering big animals an easy meal on either side. “ But research has shown that this is not the case, ” Kinley assured me. “ There are no more killings around the crossings than there are anywhere else in the park. ”

Walking over the Trans Canada and then walking underneath through one of the tunnels, I was amazed to see the fresh tracks of black bears, wolves, deer and many kinds of smaller animals. Somehow, all these animal footprints made me so happy, knowing that all this wildlife was passing safely under and over the longest road in Canada.

Hopefully, the success of the wildlife crossings in Banff will continue to inspire similar solutions around the world, where human pressure on wildlife continues to grow.

3 . Terrie Mitchell, 34, from Sheffield, received an unexpected present when she was finally reunited with her beloved cat — 11 years after she first went missing. Chloe, who only has one eye, was discovered living in an overturned wheelie bin just a few streets away from where she was last seen.

Chloe was first brought into her family home as a kitten, when Ms. Mitchell was aged 21 and still living at home with her mum, Jean. When she moved out with her partner, she let the long­haired black cat stay in the house she was used to. But when Ms. Mitchell’s mother died unexpectedly at the age of 60, Chloe disappeared and could not be found anywhere.

Despite searching for her, she all but gave up hope of ever seeing her cat again until she spotted a Facebook post featuring the long­haired cat. Postwoman Andrea Hurst had been delivering a parcel to an elderly lady, when she spotted the cat living in the wheelie bin. On her next round, she asked about the cat and was told she had been staying there for more than six years as the woman had been feeding her. The kindly woman asked a local cat shelter to collect Chloe, before using the social media site to locate the original owners. She wrote, “This is probably a long shot,but does anyone recognize this beautiful cat?”

Ms. Mitchell noticed the post by chance and commented, “Omg, this is my cat!!!!! I can’t stop shaking!!!!! Her name is Chloe!!! Please whoever knows contact me...”

The vet, who confirmed Chloe was more than 10 years old, told her owner it was nothing short of a miracle. Today Chloe is settling in well at her new home and even responds to her original name. Her delighted owner added, “Now I feel guilty that I didn’t search for her better, because she was obviously around. It could give hope to people who haven’t seen their pets for years.”

In China, Tree Planting Day falls on March 12, but more often people plant trees during Qing Ming Festival in early April. Newly-planted trees can survive more easily with a     1     (warm) climate and frequent spring rainfall at that time.

China set March 12     2     the National Tree-Planting Day in 1979 to memorize Sun Yat-sen (孙中山),     3     died on March 12, 1925. Sun had called for planting trees.

Since 2013, President Xi Jinping has joined Beijing citizens in tree planting activities for nine years in a row. President Xi called on the public     4     (stick) to the tradition of planting trees in spring. “Students should establish an awareness of protecting     5     environment and cherish the green plants,” Xi said in 2017 when     6     (attend) a tree planting activity in Chaoyang district of Beijing.

China has seen a remarkable     7     (grow) in forest resources and afforestation(造林) projects. Nationwide voluntary tree planting campaigns in China over the past four decades     8     (see) increased participation by members of the public and nearly 79 billion trees have been planted. The campaign has made China the country with the largest increase in forest resources and the largest area of     9     (plant) forests.

In the future, China will launch more effective     10     (measure) to fulfill the country’s climate commitment to peak (达到峰值) carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality (碳中和) before 2060.

5 . Shaine is not your average 16-year-old. In fact, she has turned her love of animals into a _______ to make a big difference in the lives of _______ pets. In her spare time, Shaine makes wheelchairs for dogs and cats.

For many pet owners, the cost of buying mobility (移动) equipment is not _______, so many dogs get _______ because they’re disabled. Wheelchairs usually go for more than $1, 000. But Shaine only _______ for the parts. She does this through the nonprofit that she _______ in 2020.

“I really had to _______ that she took the money at least for the _______,” Jennifer said. Jennifer’s dog was born with front legs shorter than her back legs and needed a way to be mobile before and after _______ surgery. Latham said, “If she isn’t mobile, we’ll kill her, and that shouldn’t be a(n) __________.”

Shaine was taking a(n) __________ science class in her high school. When a class discussion __________ exploring careers, she was __________ unsure what direction she wanted to go in. She thought about starting her own animal __________ after discovering animal wheelchairs, and the idea __________.

Shaine is __________ building a wheelchair for a dog named Scooter from Saudi Arabia. Scooter was at risk for __________ sores (疮) on his back legs that could have led to __________. Now, he is getting a new __________ in life. She has already made 10 devices that have given the gift of mobility to disabled pets. Her goal is to make some __________ of wheelchairs to animal shelters.

6 . Scientists have discovered how plants manage to live alongside each other in places that are dark and shady. Plants in the deep darkness of a thick forest, where natural supplies are not very great in amount, won’t attempt to top their neighbors in growth as those in moderate (中度的) shade do. In deep shade conditions, it would be a waste of energy and harmful to survival because green shoots would never be able to top their larger neighbors in growth.

So how do plants prevent such growth in deep shade conditions? The secret lies in the clocks insides them, say scientists from the John Ines Centre and the University of Bristol.

They have discovered that when plants notice deep shade, this changes the expression of genes parts of the circadian clock (昼夜节律时钟) — the inner daily timer found in plants and other things. These clock parts perform an additional role in preventing plants from lengthening and overtopping neighbors.

The work identifies a previously unknown role of the circadian clock in controlling plant development and the findings may have possible effects on both natural plant populations and crops. Professor Antony Dodd of the John Innes Centre said, “The biological clock of plants plays a big part in their development and fitness. This work casts new light on a new role of the circadian clock in adapting plants to competition with other plants in their environments.” “It also gives us new insights into how plants adapt to very deep shade, where resources are very limited,” said Professor Kerry Franklin at the University of Bristol.

This work provides evidence for the firmness of the circadian clock in stressful environments, and information that may be useful in developing new generations of crops in a challenging climate.

9 . Japanese researchers placed electronic devices(装置)on seals(海豹)in Antarctic waters to collect surprising information about the environment there. Japan’s National Institute of Polar Research started the research project in 2017. The team recently reported its results in a study in the publication Limnology and Oceanography.

Eight Weddell seals were fitted with the devices,which have antennas(天线)to send electronic signals.The 580-gram monitoring devices were attached(缚上;系上)to the animals’heads. They were designed to measure data such as water temperatures and sea salt levels.

Investigative teams on ships have difficulty reaching important research areas in Antarctica. These include areas along continental shelf formations where ice is attached to the shore, the National Institute of Polar Research said in a statement. Nobuo Kokubun led the project. Since the seals are active year-round, Kokubun added, “I thought we should have them collect the data.”

He told Reuters that the research also helps scientists follow the seals’ behaviors and learn about their relationship to the environment. “During the summer, we can go to Antarctica on icebreakers to conduct actual research activities, so that we can collect data there.” Kokubun said. ”But during the winter. such things cannot be done in so many places.“

Information gathered from the seals showed that one of the animals traveled as far as 633kilometers from Japan’s Showa Station in Antarctica. Another dove to a depth of 700 meters.Kokubun said the scientists learned from the data that warm seawater from the upper levels of the open sea reached Antarctica from March through the winter of 2017. The water flowed below the ice, bringing in sea creatures like Antarctic krill, an important food for seals.

Kokubun and his team plan to keep finding new ways to further examine the effects of climate change on Antarctic coastal areas. Next, he hopes to make the device small enough to fit on other animals at the South Pole, such as penguins,“The advantage with penguins is that they come back to the same place and we can collect data from them immediately,”Kokubun said.

10 . Laura walked towards the man. “It is terribly cold,” she said.

“Colder than ever,” the man said. “Now tell me what you want.” He stared at Laura for a few seconds and then grinned, “Maybe you’d like to come inside and warm up.”

“No. No, I don’t want to come in.” She took a deep breath. “I just wanted to know if you’re interested in selling your dog.”

“That worthless mutt?” The man pointed to a dog in the yard and laughed for a few seconds, then suddenly stopped. “I was just joking about the worthless part. He’s a pretty good dog. Yeah. I might be interested.”

“Well, he’s the kind of dog I’m looking for. And it doesn’t seem like you’re too fond of him. I mean he’s tied up outside. I don’t see any food or water.”

“You just wait a minute. I take good care of that dog. The guy I got him from said he was a trained guard dog. The trouble is, the stupid thing doesn’t even bark when strangers come around. But then I guess that wouldn’t matter to you. You’re probably just looking for a pet, huh?”

“Yeah. Well, here’s your chance to get rid of him. I’ll give you twenty dollars.”

“You expect me to sell a purebred guard dog for twenty dollars?” the man snorted (哼着鼻子说). “Fifty dollars. That’s my price. You bring me fifty dollars, honey, and you got yourself a dog.” He smiled. “Sure you don’t want to come in?”

Laura shook her head. “I’ll be back with the money.” Breakfast forgotten, she searched for and found a cash machine four blocks away. I can’t afford this, she thought as she punched the numbers into the machine. The dog will need a vet, and where am I going to get the money for that? Her fears wore off as she pictured the dog, curled up, not outside on the cold, hard ground, but in front of a glowing fireplace. Blue ceramic bowls filled with food and water sat in the corner of the kitchen, and she saw him, head held high, matching her stride on their daily walk.

With the money in her purse, she hurried back to the man’s house.