1 . In the scenic coastal city of Cornwall, Lizzi Larbalestier has become a beacon of hope for marine (海洋的) wildlife. As a committed volunteer for British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), her journey began with transforming her Airbnb, an online platform that allows people to rent out their homes or accommodations to travelers, into a temporary shelter for injured seals. This effort came as the result of the increasing incidents of marine animals suffering from human-related injuries and the lack of specialized care facilities in the region.

Recognizing the urgent need for a more permanent solution, Lizzi, alongside her husband and a team of committed volunteers, established a fully equipped seal hospital. This facility, now in its third year of operation, has expanded its capacity to ten pens and is prepared to recover around 100 seals annually. The hospital caters to a variety of cases: seals injured by boats or caught in fishing gear (用具), young pups separated from their mothers, and young seals weakened by poor nutrition. Each animal receives personalized care, ranging from basic first aid to extensive recovery programs. After initial treatment, seals are often moved to larger recovery centers for further care before their release back into the wild.

Lizzi’s commitment to marine conservation extends beyond seal rescue. She is an active participant in environmental campaigns like Surfers Against Sewage and Ghostnetbuster. Her tireless efforts were recognized when she received the Animal Action Award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Lizzi owes the success of BDMLR’s operations to the collective effort of all volunteers, emphasizing the importance of teamwork in achieving their conservation goals.

The BDMLR team also reacts to emergencies involving other marine wildlife, like whales and dolphins. Lizzi recalls several successful operations, including the rescue of stranded (搁浅的) dolphins and a turtle that required specialized care.

Lizzi’s story is not just about rescuing marine animals; it’s a proof of the power of community involvement and the impact of individuals on environmental conservation.

2 . Approximately 5,000 juvenile individuals lose their lives on a daily basis due to diseases that are entirely preventable, such as cholera and dysentery. These illnesses proliferate when individuals consume or prepare food using contaminated water. The absence of clean water for personal hygiene also facilitates the transmission of entirely preventable conditions like trachoma, which has resulted in the loss of sight for an estimated six million individuals.

The scarcity of water resources also ensnares numerous households with limited financial means in a perpetual loop of economic hardship and suboptimal educational opportunities, with the most impoverished being disproportionately affected by the lack of access to water. Those who dedicate a significant portion of their daily routine to dealing with health issues, tending to ailing children, or traversing an average distance of 3.75 miles to gather water, are deprived of the educational and economic opportunities necessary to elevate their living conditions.

Agriculture is often referred to as the primary consumer of clean water globally, accounting for approximately 70 percent of its usage, while industrial applications require an additional 22 percent. Water bodies do not recognize political boundaries, and nations do not consistently collaborate in the equitable distribution of these shared resources, making water a frequent catalyst for international disputes.

The ongoing demand for water is steadily increasing, depleting sources from vast rivers to subterranean aquifers. As Postel remarked, “We are progressively incurring a greater debt in terms of our groundwater exploitation, which has profound implications for the security of our global water supply. The pace at which we are extracting groundwater has doubled since the year 1960.”

Some of the Earth’s groundwater is classified as fossil water, a resource that originated during a time when the planet's climate was vastly different from what it is today. Presently, such water is as finite as petroleum. “However, we are extracting a significant portion of these resources at an unprecedented rate,” Postel elucidated. “The escalating demand for water by humanity also poses a significant challenge concerning water and our ecosystems. This not only incurs a cost to the natural environment but also has long-term financial implications for future generations, including our offspring and grandchildren.”

The Great Wall of China with a total length of over 5,000 kilometers is one of       1     (great) wonders of the world. The Great Wall starts from Jiayuguan in Gansu Province in west China and     2     (end) at Hushan Mountain in Liaoning Province in     3     east. The Great Wall stretches from west to east like a giant loong,     4     (wind) its way across mountains, through deserts and over valleys. It was built continuously over more than 2,000 years originally     5     (protect) the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by     6     (vary) nomadic(游牧的)groups. One of the most famous is the wall     7     was built between 220-206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains, and the majority of the existing wall     8     (build) during the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall is not only a brick wall, but also one of the worldˈs greatest historical architectural works. It played a significant role     9     Chinese history. The Great Wall has been a symbol of Chinese civilization,     10     it has become one of the most famous scenic spots in China, attracting tourists from all over the world.

Wild lands across Africa are home to many rare, threatened, and endangered species. Having recognized their extraordinary value and     1     (preserve) their ecological wealth, the UNESCO classified some of these sites     2     World Hertage sites. Unfortunately, the ecological integrity of many significant landscapes is under the influence of human activity.

Let’s take the example of Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains National Park. In 1996 when it entered the list of World Heritage In Danger,     3     increasing number of human settlements around the park over the years,     4     (couple) with unsustainable farming practices and overgrazing (过度放牧), had worsened the conditions of all important wildlife habitats. Fortunately, in 2000, the authority of Ethiopia announced that it     5     (take) measures to change the current situation.

In 2017, the park made history with its     6     (remove) from the list, a significant and remarkable achievement of the Government of Ethiopia. By then various efforts     7     (devote) to achieving this. In 2003, the Government reestablished the limits of the park, adding the Mesarerya and Limalimo Wildlife Reserves.     8     (effect) community-driven conservation strategies are instrumental in preventing further ecological loss. The authorities have developed a grazing strategy     9     aim is to greatly reduce the grazing pressure on the park. Plus, alternative livelihoods through tourism assisted communities     10     (huge) in developing conservation-friendly economies in the landscape.

7 . One long gray ship at the Port of Los Angeles is doing its part to combat climate change. On the ship, which belongs to Captura, a Los Angeles-based startup, is a system that takes into seawater and sucks out CO₂, which can be used for various purposes or buried. The decarbonated (不含二氧化碳的)seawater is returned to the ocean, where it absorbs more CO₂ from the atmosphere, in a small strike against the massive rise of the greenhouse gas.

After a yearlong experiment, Captura is planning to open a 1000-ton-per-year facility that will bury the captured CO₂ in rock formations under the North Sea. Equatic, another Los Angeles-based startup, is launching an even larger 3650-ton-per-year ocean CO₂ capture plant this year in Singapore.

Supporters say capturing CO₂ from the ocean should be easier and cheaper than a seemingly more direct approach: extracting it directly from the air. Direct air capture, which relies on fans to sweep air past absorbent chemicals, currently costs between $ 600 to $ 1,000 per ton of CO₂ removed, largely because atmospheric CO₂ is so thin, making up less than 0.05% of the air. Earth’s oceans, in contrast, hold the gas at a concentration nearly 150 times higher, and absorb roughly 30% of all CO₂ emissions each year. Companies say they should ultimately be able to capture CO₂ at $ 100 per ton, or less.

Ocean capture advocates are seeking government support. In the US, direct air capture plants earn a $ 180 tax credit per ton of removed CO₂, but Ocean efforts currently don’t qualify. “A similar tax incentive (激励政策) for water-based CO₂ removal is absolutely needed,” says Ruben Brands, CEO of Equatic.

Even if the technology takes off, it will have to scale up massively to make a meaning contribution in offsetting global emissions. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, by 2050 we will need to remove some 5 billion tons of CO₂ every year to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5℃. So far, the ocean capture companies are pulling out only thousands of tons. Matthew Eisaman, a chief scientist at Captura, says, “We have an enormous challenge ahead of us.”