1 . Plastic is everywhere in our environment, especially in the ocean. Actually, a large amount of plastic waste is floating around the world’s oceans today, waiting to be eaten by some fish or oyster, and finally perhaps by one of us.

Because plastic wasn’t invented until the late 19th century, and its production only really took off around 1950, we have a mere 9.2 billion tons of the stuff to deal with. Of that, more than 6.9 billion tons have become waste. And of that waste, a surprising 6.3 billion tons never made it to a recycling bin. No one knows how much unrecycled plastic waste ends up in the ocean. In 2015, Jenna Jambeck, an engineering professor, caught everyone’s attention with a rough estimate: between 5.3 million and 14 million tons of plastic waste each year just come from coastal regions.

Meanwhile, ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine (海洋的) animals every year. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. Some are stuck by abandoned things made of plastic. Many more are probably harmed invisibly. Marine species of all sizes, from zooplankton to whales, now eat microplastics. We are closely related to oceans so the consequences of throwing plastic away may return to affect us some day.

“This isn’t a problem where we don’t know what the solution is,” says Ted Siegler, a Vermont resource economist, “We know how to pick up garbage. Anyone can do it. We know how to deal with it. We know how to recycle.” It’s a matter of building the necessary systems, he says, ideally before the ocean turns into a thin soup of plastic.

3 . Growing up in coastal Maine, Lynda Doughty spent lots of time out on the sea. There she often saw whales, seals and other marine (海洋的) animals. She developed a(n) _______ for the wildlife living along the coast.

“I remember being so amazed by them and _______ what was happening in their life,” Doughty said.

She also _______ that their livelihood was influenced by pollution and other human-related activities. She wanted to do something to _______ these animals.

So she became a marine _______ and worked with organisations that provided help for sick and injured sea animals. But as many nonprofits (非营利机构) closed their doors, Doughty decided to step in.

In 2011, she _______ her nonprofit, Marine Mammals of Maine, and has since provided help and medical care for more than 3,000 sea animals.

When COVID-19 broke out, things became more difficult, but they couldn’t _______—the animals _______, needed their help.

“We were so nervous of how we would _______ as a nonprofit in uncertain times,” Doughty said. “________, our team stood strong and we were able to continue to help animals.”

When another New England-based marine animal rescue program ________ its animal care during COVID-19, Doughty’s work became more ________ than ever.

“We could no longer take any ________ to their rescue center and there were not enough rehabilitation (康复) places for these animals. Actually, we were really ________ and there was more pressure for our center to stay open,” Doughty said.

“I feel this strong ________ to help these animals,” Doughty said. “This is what I was put on the earth to do.”

China’s first overpass for wildlife migration has already come into use. The bridge     1     (lie) over the newly constructed National Highway 214 is able to link animal habitats which are separated     2     the road.     3     (cover) with sand-much like the surrounding land, the overpass can fit in with the environment well.

It has been about two years since the national highway     4     (begin) and it was designed with environmental protection as a top priority. A project environmental engineer for the highway said the construction of these man-made corridors (通道)     5     (base) on years of observation of wildlife migration in the region. The bridge, for example, is built according to the region’s natural conditions and with     6     purpose of reducing the highway’s effect on the animals significantly. Wildlife overpasses and underpasses assist animals       7     (safe) crossing over or under busy roadways and allow them to continue to use their customary paths,     8     would otherwise be blocked.

Those passageways,with a total     9     (long) of 59 kilometers, enable antelopes and other animals to cross the railway freely. So far, China has put great effort into achieving     10     (harmony) coexistence between human development and the protection of wildlife. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world’s highest railroad, has 33 underpasses for migrating animals.

6 . The government of Singapore has created a highly developed system that turns wastewater into drinking water. The system involves a network of tunnels and high technology treatment centers.

The system helps reduce ocean pollution, as only a small amount of the treated water is sent into the sea. The United Nations estimates that 80 percent of the world’s wastewater flows back into the oceans without being treated or reused.

Singapore has few natural water sources. The island nation has long had to depend mostly on supplies from neighboring Malaysia.

Low Pei Chin, an expert, told reporters, “Singapore lacks natural resources, and it is limited in space, which is why we are always looking for ways to explore water sources and stretch our water supply. One major plan is to collect every drop and reuse endlessly.”

Parts of the water treatment center are underground. Wastewater enters the center through a 48- kilometer tunnel that is linked to sewers. The center contains a large system of steel pipes, tubes, tanks, cleaning systems and other machinery. It can treat up to 900 million liters of wastewater a day.

In one building, a network of air flow systems has been put in place to keep the air smelling as fresh as possible. Waste that arrives at the plant goes through a cleaning process before powerful pumps send it flowing to areas above ground for more treatment. There, the treated water receives additional cleaning. Bacteria and viruses are removed through highly developed cleaning processes and then disinfected with ultraviolet radiation (紫外线).

Singapore is also in the process of expanding its recycling system. The country will add another underground tunnel and a major water treatment center to serve the western half of the island. Officials expect work on the center to be completed by 2025. By the time the expansion is finished, Singapore will have spent about $7.4 billion on its water treatment systems.

8 . On November 7, Lewis Pugh completed a one-kilometer swim in the freezing waters of King Edward Cove, off South Georgia in Antarctica. He was wearing only his swimming glasses, cap and Speedos (速度计).

Pugh is an advocate (提倡者) for our oceans and seas, working to protect these ecosystems (生态系统) with their large diversity of sea life. When asked why he doesn’t wear a wetsuit, Lewis says, “I ask world leaders to do everything they can to protect our oceans. Sometimes the steps they need to take are difficult and unpopular. If I’m asking them to be courageous, I must also be. Swimming in a wetsuit would not send the right message.”

It took Pugh about 19 minutes to complete the one-kilometer swim in Antarctica where the water averaged about 1.6 degrees Celsius. He says that his body can only tolerate about 20 minutes in the freezing waters before it starts shutting down. As he swims, his body temperature steadily drops, which in turn causes his muscle control to drop, slowing him down. When he is done with his swim, his support team rushes him to a hot shower and it takes almost an hour for his body temperature to return to normal.

Doctors and Pugh warn that one must receive months of training to swim in such cold waters. Even expert swimmers who are unused to freezing water can drown within minutes because of the physical shock experienced by the body. Pugh says he trained for six months before this swim.

This is not the first time that Lewis has swum in dangerous conditions. In 2007, he swam one kilometer in the North Pole to draw attention to the melting Arctic ice due to the climate change. In 2015, he swam in the Bay of Whales in Antarctica’s Ross Sea as part of his successful campaign to help set up a sea life reserve (保护中心) there.

10 . Latin America’s first renewable fuel-powered, garbage-trapping wheel is cleaning one of Panama’s dirtiest rivers. It is powered by water and solar energy. It pulls waste out of the Juan Diaz River. Most of the waste comes from the capital area of Panama City where about 2 million people live. Thousands of kilograms of garbage flow down the river into the ocean each year.

As the leader of the project, Robert Getman said, “Cleaning beaches is good, but it is more effective and cheaper to trap garbage in rivers because when it reaches the ocean, the environmental and economic cost becomes too high.”

The Juan Diaz River is one of the most polluted in Panama. Waste systems in the area are poor, and land development is not well supervised (监督). The river also passes through Panama City, one of Central America’s largest cities. Still, the waterway and its mangrove trees are home to wildlife like turtles and birds. According to this situation, the environmental group Marea Verde launched the wheel in late September, which is named Wanda Diaz. By the middle of October, it had gathered 28. 6 cubic meters of plastic bottles from the water. Over five years, Marea Verde projects have slowed the spread of waste along the Juan Diaz River and other Panama’s rivers. Several years ago, the group launched its “Barrier or Trash” technology, a floating device. It captured more than 100 metric tons of waste in the Matias Hernandez River within two years.

The Baltimore Bay “Trashwheel” in the United States is the model for Marea Verde’s machine, Wanda Diaz. However, Wanda Diaz is more advanced and superior in terms of technology, and it even has cameras with artificial intelligence (AI) that can recognize and sort different plastics.

“We want each of us to raise awareness that we can prevent the death of the Juan Diaz River, ”said Marea Verde’s leader Sandy Watemberg. She expressed her hope that the wheel would also help many more other rivers. But she also pointed out that those who accustomed themselves to single-use plastics needed to rethink their behavior.