1 . Cows produce much methane (甲烷) the world’s second worst greenhouse gas, as they break down the grass. They are a large source of the greenhouse gases that are driving climate change. Now scientists have shown the pollution from cows can be reduced by adding a little seaweed (海藻) to their food.

Recently, the researchers from the University of California studied 21 cows on a farm for about five months. They taught the cows to get their food from inside a special hood, which allowed the scientists to know the amount of the methane the cows were giving off. They used a small amount of seaweed, which they mixed with the cows’ food.

The consequences were surprisingly good. In some cases, the cows produced 82% less methane. The improvement depended on the kind of food the cows were given. Even the worst-polluting cows produced 33% less methane. Over the five months, the scientists didn’t see any signs that the cows’ stomachs were getting used to the seaweed and starting to produce more methane again. What’s more, the cows that were fed seaweed gained just as much weight as the other cows.

But there are still some big problems with the idea of feeding cows seaweed. For one thing, there’s not enough seaweed to feed all of the cows in the world. So farmers would have to figure out a way to grow lots of seaweed. A bigger problem is that for most of their lives, cows live in the fields, where they eat grass. That means there’s no chance to feed them seaweed every day.

Still, as the study shows, something as simple as feeding cows seaweed can help reduce some of the pollution causing the climate crisis.

3 . Seventy-year-old Tububatu and his wife Taoshengchagan live in a village near Badain Jaran, Inner Mongolia. They’ve been spending every day since they retired in 2002 fighting against _________. Before Tububatu others had tried but_________. He just wanted to make a difference. He started by_________ just 50 trees a year, but kept doubling his_________to the point where he now plants thousands of trees a year.

The retired couple have been slowly growing their little desert forest at their own expense, so that they live a very_________life. Even though they mostly plant drought-resistant (抗旱的) types, they still make sure to water them at least once a day to make them grow_________ .

Although they’ve been_________by some neighbors who think their they are sure to fail, they haven’t given up. Over the last 19 years, the couple have planted over 266 hectares of desert and have no _________ to stop.

Apart from _________ the spread of the desert, Tububatu is also making a living by planting, as the desert-living cistanche is a(n) __________medicinal plant that can sell for up to 100 yuan per kilogram.

It’s reported that so far they have planted over 70000 trees, __________more than 1 million yuan of their savings. The _________conditions have weakened their health and they look older than they actually are, but they refuse to__________their battle against the desert.

The couple have received several__________and honors from the government over the years, becoming a good__________for all environmentalists.

Since Japan began releasing nuclear-contaminated (核污染) wastewater     1     the Pacific Ocean on August 24, 2023 despite strong opposition and criticism from the international community, Chinese netizens have expressed their     2     (angry) and concern, with a large number of them     3     (say) that they would no longer go to Japanese restaurants. According to the spokesperson, the actions of the Japanese government are contradictory to international conventions (公约) and experts say that the influence of Japan’s release of wastewater the safety of people throughout the world is     4     (predict). As a consequence, many domestic Japanese restaurants say that they will adjust their product lines, and seafood will either be selected from domestic sources     5     imported from other coastal countries. Some even say that they will seek     6     (develop) other new cuisines (菜肴).

“The Chinese government will take necessary measures to firmly protect the marine environment     7     Japan is determined to go on with its discharge (排放) plan.” said a majority of Chinese, among     8     are those living and studying in Japan now. In a poll conducted on Sina Weibo, more than 200, 000 netizens urge Japan to cancel its wrong decision and address the wastewater in     9     responsible manner. “We don’t want August 24, 2023 to be a disaster day for marine environment and we hope that the issue     10     (give) priority to and dealt with as soon as possible. If Japan does not change course, it must bear the historic responsibility for this decision.”

8 . It's just past 7 a.m.on a February morning in Maya Bay, several weeks after authorities reopened what is one of Thailand's most popular tourist attractions to the world for the first time since June 2018 following a massive restoration program.

In the hours to follow, a slow but steady flow of tourists becomes in great numbers as dozens of tourists make their way to the white﹣sand beach, phones at the ready as they take photos. Swimming is not allowed, though visitors can take a few steps in. It's disappointing, but a huge improvement over what visitors once experienced here.

Maya Bay is located in a Thailand's national park.The destination was made famous by the 2000 film The Beach，starring Leonardo DiCaprio.As the film's popularity grew，so did tourists' desire to visit the location where much of it was shot —Maya Bay.

"Around 40 years ago, Maya Bay was already a tourism destination, but mainly for Thai tourists because you didn't have speedboats at that time, " says Thon, a marine biologist and professor who requested authorities to close the bay four years ago. Over the years, the number of tourists rose from less than 1, 000 to as many as 7, 000 or 8, 000 visitors a day at its peak. On average, around 5, 000 people entered the bay each day.

In 2018, the Thai government closed the bay and began to restore the damaged ecosystem.

Since then, Thon and a team of fellow marine experts and volunteers have replanted over 30, 000 pieces of coral, much of it grown off the coast of a nearby island. Meanwhile, the wildlife also returned and has been growing. "Only three months after we closed the bay, the blacktip sharks came back and gave birth…so there are a lot of things happening in Maya Bay."

9 . Now, Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22. A man, called Senator Gaylord Nelson Take, was determined to change the way we treated our planet. He didn’t stop his work until he had made a difference.

In 1963, Senator Gaylord Nelson wasn’t happy with the earth’s condition. He wanted to clean up the planet and solve pollution and environmental problems. As a senator, Gaylord Nelson was someone chosen by US citizens to help make laws, so he had a lot of power. He went to John F. Kennedy, the President at the time, with his concerns. The President agreed that the planet’s environment was a serious issue, so President Kennedy went around the country on a five­day tour to promote (宣传) the idea of cleaning up the planet. People began making small changes, but it wasn’t enough.

A few years later, Senator Nelson decided to put one day aside every year for the cause of saving the planet. On April 22,1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated; 20 million American demonstrators (示威者) took part in Earth Day activities. Since then, Earth Day has become an international holiday. People all over the world are doing something to make the earth a cleaner, better place. Today more than 500 million people in 164 countries participate (参与) in Earth Day festivities!

Then, what can you do to make a difference?

*Encourage your family to recycle on a regular basis. It is a good way to help the earth!

*Switch to energy­efficient light bulbs in your house to reduce the effects of global warming.

*Every glass bottle you recycle saves enough energy to run a TV for an hour and a half, while recycling an aluminum (铝) bottle can save enough energy to run your TV for three hours!

*Turn out the lights when you leave a room — unless someone’s still there!

*Use re­useable containers for your school lunches and snacks.

10 . In 1620, about half the USA was covered by forests.   Today the forests have almost gone.   A lot of good land has gone with them, leaving only sand.   China doesn’t want to copy the USA’s example.   We’re planting more and more trees.   We’ve built the “ Great Green Wall” of trees across northern part of our country. The Great Green Wall is 7,000 kilometres long, and between 400 and 1,700 kilometres wide.   It will stop the wind from blowing the earth away.   It will stop the sand from moving towards the rich farmland in the south.   More “Great Green Walls” are needed.   Trees must be grown all over the world.   Great Green Walls will make the world better.