2 . In a world-record effort to help save a valuable sea creature, Australian scientists have released hundreds of baby seahorses into the wild. The tiny seahorses are endangered, and the scientists hope the new seahorses will help their numbers grow.

Seahorses get their name because they look a bit like horses. They aren’t great swimmers, even though they’re fish. They often use their tails to hold onto something in the water. They mostly live in warm, shallow waters around the world. They are often found in coral reefs, in beds of seagrass, and areas where rivers empty into the sea. Seahorses form an important part of the ocean’s food chain. They eat tiny sea creatures and are eaten by bigger sea animals.

Many kinds of seahorses are often threatened by the human actions. Sometimes they’re caught and sold as pets. They are also caught by accident when people are trying to catch other fish.

To begin the project, scientists collected three pregnant seahorses in January. Those seahorses were brought back to the aquarium (水族馆) in Sydney. After the babies were born, the scientists kept them there for five months, feeding the baby seahorses shrimps (小虾) to help them grow strong. Scientist Mitchell Brennan says, “They don’t have a stomach, so they have to eat constantly.”

About a month before the young seahorses were released, the scientists created eight underwater “hotels” for them. The hotels look like cages, providing a safe place for the seahorses to develop. Putting the hotels into the sea early allowed the cages to be covered with small sea life that can help provide food for the seahorses.

This is the fifth time the scientists have released seahorses into the area, and this time was a record. Around 380 seahorses were released. The researchers put tiny tags (标记) under the skin of many of the seahorses to help track them in the future.

Kilauea has been erupting almost without stopping since 1983. It is one of the world’s most     1     (close) observed volcanoes. Most of these observations took place at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Kilauea’s highest point, from     2     researchers now have to withdraw. But the     3     (late) eruption is one of the biggest and could provide scientists     4     a lot of new information.

Scientists from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and University of Hawaii are studying     5     the molten (熔化的) rock beneath the earth flows through a series of cracks (缝隙) under Kilauea before     6     (send) flying into the air. They want to learn what warning signs may exist for future eruptions to better protect Hawaii’s     7     (community).

Hundreds of small earthquakes caused by the eruptions have damaged the structure of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. So the scientists were forced     8     (take) the equipment and records out of the building and moved     9     (they) to the University of Hawaii. The records include     10     (science) information and photos that are more than 100 years old.

Wetlands are the link between the land and the water. They are transition zones where the flow of water, the cycling of nutrients and the energy of the sun meet to produce     1     unique and special ecosystem     2     (characterize) by hydrology, soils and vegetation—making these areas very important features of a watershed. The water is often groundwater,     3     (spill) up from an aquifer or spring. A wetland’s water can also come from a nearby river or lake. Seawater can also create wetlands, especially in coastal areas that experience strong tides. Here is one in China.

The National Nature Reserve of Guangdong Nanpeng Islands in Guangdong Province was established in 2003. It     4     (cover) a total area of 35,679 hectares. It became the fifth national-level marine nature reserve in Guangdong, as well as the first one in the eastern region of Guangdong, in 2012. In 2015, it     5     (recognize) and included in the International Important Wetlands Directory.

The main focus of the reserve is to protect the unique underwater natural landscapes, the ecosystems of the nearby     6     (coast) waters, the rare and endangered marine animals, the various fish species and their habitats, as well as the marine biodiversity.

Researchers have discovered 1,308 marine species in the area, including 772     7     (economic) significant fish, shrimp, crab, mollusk, and algae species. The reserve is home     8     more than 21 identified rare and endangered wildlife species in water, among     9     nine species such as the Chinese white dolphin and the nautilus are classified as first-class protected animals at the national level, while     10     (variety) of other 27 species, such as the common bottlenose dolphin is classified as second-class protected animals.

7 . According to a new USDA(the U.S.Department of Agriculture)report,U.S.forests could worsen global warming because they are being destroyed by natural disasters and are losing their ability to absorb planet-warming gases as they get older.The report predicts that the ability of forests to absorb carbon will start declining after 2025 and that forests could release up to 100 million metric tons of carbon a year as their emissions from decaying(腐烂)trees go above their carbon absorption.Forests could become a“substantial carbon source”by 2070,the USDA report says.

The loss of carbon absorption is driven in part by natural disasters such as wildfires, tornadoes and hurricanes,which are increasing in frequency and strength as global temperatures rise.The disasters destroy forestland,destroying its ecosystem and decreasing its ability to absorb carbon,according to Lynn Riley,a senior manager of climate science at the American Forest Foundation.Aging forests also contribute.The report found that older,mature trees absorb less carbon than younger trees of the same species,and U.S.forests are rapidly aging.

This trend is likely to continue,as forests come under increasing threat from climate change and exploitation(开采).The typical tropical forest may become a carbon source by the 2060s,according to Simon Lewis,professor in the school of geography at Leeds University. “Humans have been lucky so far,as tropical forests are cleaning up lots of our pollution,but they can’t keep doing that indefinitely,”he said.“We need to cut down fossil fuel emissions before the global carbon cycle starts working against us.”

U.S.forests currently absorb 11 percent of U.S.carbon emissions,or 150 million metric tons of carbon a year,equal to the combined emissions from 40 coal power plants,according to there port.The loss of forests as natural carbon absorbers will require the U.S.to cut emissions more rapidly to reach net zero.“As we work to decarbonize(碳减排),forests are one of the greatest tools.If we were to lose that tool,it means we will contribute that much more in emissions,”Riley said.