1 . This past summer I set out on a journey to Canada’s Arctic. When I left I was wrapped in a blanket of uncertainty and ______.

But when I first met the group members, I knew I didn’t have anything to ______. The group was amazingly ______ and I was soon part of a big family boarding on an amazing ______!

Approaching the Arctic, I was repeatedly ______ with its unusual largeness and its beauty. There I flew over vast glaciers (冰河) and stood on the frozen Arctic Ocean, ______   polar bears walk in search of seal holes, and _______ wait for a meal.

However, I also learned the pollutants carried by ocean from far away have a negative ______ on all Arctic inhabitants. And global warming has put polar bears at ______ because a warmer climate means that they have a shorter time to ______ seals on the ice.

During the journey, I talked with some ______ scientists about the ruins of homes once ______ by the ancient Thule people. I made good friends with people from different parts of world.

The Arctic is a land of incredible beauty which ______ to be preserved. I’ve learned why it is so important to ______ it. This journey has made me more determined to try to ______ that I do not leave negative or harmful footprints on either Earth or its people.

2 . A powerful earthquake hit Morocco, killing thousands of people and causing huge damage over a large area.

The earthquake struck around 11 pm on Friday night. It was not only one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Morocco, but also the country’s deadliest earthquake in over 60 years. So far, the earthquake is reported to have killed over 2,900 people. The earthquake was especially precarious as it happened at night, when most people were asleep at home.

The center of the earthquake was in the Atlas Mountains, about 72 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh, a large city popular with tourists in the center of Morocco. Fortunately, many of its modern buildings survived the earthquake. However, the old part of the city, called the Medina, whose buildings are over 1,000 years old, was hit hard, leaving many of those buildings in ruins.

Outside of Marrakesh, the earthquake caused even more damage. In the Atlas Mountains, the earthquake’s center, there were many small villages. Many people in the area lived in simple houses made of mud, a traditional way of building in Morocco. But they’ re not strong enough to survive earthquakes and many of these houses simply fell apart, turning into sand. The Moroccan government has laws requiring buildings to be built more safely, yet these rules were often overlooked.

In larger cities, rescue efforts seemed to be going well. But it took a lot longer for help to reach remote (偏远的) areas in the mountains. That meant the local people in those areas had to deal with the situation on their own. They had to dig through the ruins with their hands, searching for survivors who were trapped. Moreover, many people were sleeping outside, unsure if their houses were safe enough.

More help was on the way. Many outside countries offered teams of experts and emergency supplies. But the government said too many different rescue teams could make the situation more confusing.

More than 11,000 scientists from 153 countries have sounded the alarm on climate change. In a paper     1     (publish) last week in the journal BioScience, they signed a declaration (声明) stating clearly that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency, saying that if no changes     2     (make), the world will face untold suffering. The evidence that the scientists collected reveals an undeniable truth    3     human activities have been causing global warming from the fast rise of fossil fuel consumption    4     the increase in greenhouse gas emissions (排放) over the past 40 years.

The scientists also gave some instructions to fight against global warming,     5     (propose) six actions to prevent further disasters: stabilizing population     6    (grow) by investing into family-planning services and girls’ education, replacing fossil fuels, cutting the emissions of climate pollutants, eating less meat, restoring and protecting ecosystems, and building     7    carbon-free economy.

The scientists say the climate crisis is     8     (close) related to human activities, so they call on people     9     (change) their life styles. But these measures are comparatively abstract.    10    , it is high time for policymakers to figure out more practical measures that can bring down carbon emissions.

7 . Scientists from the National University of Singapore studied how much time twins spent in natural spaces compared with each other and found that they shared a similar level of desire to be in nature.

“The reason we decided to study this in twins is that we could estimate heritability(遗传性)based on the genetic similarities in identical twins(100%)versus genetic similarities in non-identical twins(50%),” said Chia-chen Chang, who led the study. “If a trait(特性), such as the desire to be in nature, is clearly more similar between identical twins than non-identical twins, this will then suggest a trait is heritable.”

Using the TwinsUK registry, researchers surveyed 1,153 pairs of twins—identical and non-identical—about how they experienced nature. They were required to answer questions involving how frequently they visit natural spaces such as public parks and private gardens and rate their familiarity with nature. After comparing and analyzing the collected data, researchers found that identical twins were more similar to each other in their attitudes towards nature.

While previous studies have found that spending time in natural spaces improves mental well-being, this varies from person to person. For the first time, the researchers say, this study has indicated why that is by suggesting there is likely to be a genetic component in our preference for nature and our likelihood to visit natural spaces.

However, heritability declined with age, perhaps showing that environmental factors such as access to nature and green spaces bring about a love of the outdoors as one grows older. That is to say, a person's desire to be in nature and how often they experience it are influenced by both genes and personal experiences. Those who live in urban environments without access to nature could end up having a lesser appreciation of it. Hence, it's necessary that diverse urban planning is needed to provide access to natural spaces-and the benefits they offer—for all.

8 . In the northernmost edge of Colombia sits the coastal town of Acandí. Access to the town is only by water or air; there is no road that leads there. The residents there are faced with the struggles of balancing livelihoods while protecting biodiversity.

In the past, traditional community fishing methods, passed down by the elders, focused on the reasonable fishing and management of resources. However, the introduction of large-scale trawling vessels(拖网渔船) decades ago gradually depleted the area’s fishing resources, leading to damage to marine(海洋的) life seriously.

Jesús Antonio Julio Cuestas, who serves in the region’s conservation and management of marine resources, stresses the bad impact of these developments and calls for new fishing techniques. “Fishing and conservation co-exist as long as we have good management practices and reasonable use of our fishing resources,” says Cuestas. He and other officials actively monitor fishing activities in Acandí. Each morning, they visit the fish markets to gather data on fishery resources—including prices and sizes—to monitor the state of the local fishing industry.

Along with Cuestas, the fishers work to reduce their impact on the marine ecosystem. By changing fishing methods and adopting new practices, they aim for a more balanced approach to fishing. “This year the local fishermen have not used the trawl net s that were causing the death of the leatherback sea turtles,” explains Cuestas proudly. Changes include the efforts of boats to protect the seagrass that serves as feeding grounds for marine life and an end to fishers throwing net s where turtles lay their eggs.

This marine reserve in Acandí, Cuestas believes, is their greatest treasure. He attaches great importance to working together with local residents to improve the quality of life while preserving the marine ecosystem. By doing so, he imagines a picture where individuals from the fishing community can pursue various careers, such as engineers or lawyers, proudly stating that they are the products of the fishing tradition in Acandí.

9 . By 2050, 68% of the global population will live in cities. That’s 2.5 billion more people than today. In Europe, three out of four of us already live in urban areas, and the consequences of that are becoming clear. Researchers estimate that nine million people die every year as a direct result of air pollution. As our cities grow and more people move into already crowded spaces, what do we need to do to transform our urban areas into healthy places to live? An increasing body of research tells us that we should be letting nature back in.

Green spaces in cities mitigate the effects of pollution and can reduce a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect, which refers to heat trapped in built-up areas. The effect appears in towns and cities where the heat generated by people, transport and industry is trapped in the narrow roads and concrete structures, unable to escape to the atmosphere. This can bring the temperature in urban areas up 3 — 4°C higher than the surrounding countryside, and with that comes a severe cycle. Increased temperatures in summer lead to an increased demand for cooling. This expands our energy consumption, which in turn build up fossil fuel consumption, increasing pollutants in the air and harmful smog on our streets.

Planning cities to include green spaces wherever possible is the first step in making our urban areas healthier. For example, adding a layer of vegetation to rooftops and creating green roofs has proven to reduce the urban heat island effect. Trees in our streets also play their part, and a variety of tree species can have a profound effect. Simply having access to green spaces in cities can do wonders for our stress levels and concentration at work. “People need to interact with nature whenever the opportunity arises. Something as simple as a five-to-ten-minute break during the workday can improve well-being and boost productivity,” Cecil, an expert studying nature in cities says.