2 . There are hundreds of great national nature reserves in China. Now feast your eyes on the following amazing ones.

Qinghai Lake, China’s largest saltwater lake in Qinghai Province, is a key body of water for lots of animals and birds. As an important stopover, migratory birds (候鸟) would rest in this area during their movement trip every year. The reserve became a national nature reserve in the year of 1997.

The only Bayanbulak Wetland, in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is at the foot of Tianshan Mountains, which makes itself suitable for migratory birds. Bayanbulak means “rich spring water” in Mongolian, meaning that the area is rich in water. Every year, swans (天鹅) from different places fly here for nesting, which became a national swan reserve in 1986.

As one of the largest wintering places for swans in China, this reserve in Shandong Province mainly protects whooper swans (大天鹅), which make it different from other nature reserves. In 2007, it was changed into a national nature reserve. Now every year, thousands of whooper swans arrive here to spend the winter, making it an important resting and wintering place for themselves.

This reserve focuses on protecting coral reefs and their living environment in Sanya City, Hainan Province. In 1990, it became a national nature reserve. This reserve is on the coast, so the area of the reserve has good water quality and many kinds of creatures,

3 . How to Prepare for an Earthquake

An earthquake can be a very destructive natural disaster, particularly in the Pacific Rim region. After an earthquake, your home may be a mess and you might be left without a water supply or power.     1     By doing so, you may minimize the damage and injury in and around your home.

· Create a disaster plan.

Form your plan and know what to do before the earthquake happens.     2     The most important first step is understanding what to do when an earthquake hits.

    3    

In a real earthquake, this is your number one defense. Drop to the floor, take cover under a firm desk or table and hold on firmly. Namely, drop and cover your head from falling objects. Stay there until the shaking stops.

·Learn basic first aid.

There are resources in your community to educate people on how to deal with first aid emergencies.     4    

·Write down and share emergency contact lists.

This should include everyone in your home, office, etc.     5     In addition to normal contact information, ask each person to provide an emergency contact as well.

4 . A new study by the Zoological Society of London has found that nearly one in five of the world’s 10,000 species of reptiles (爬行动物) are threatened with extinction. The study, which has been printed in the journal Biological Conservation, was carried out by more than 200 experts who assessed the risk of extinction of 1,500 reptiles selected at random from around the globe.

The primary author of the paper, Monika Bohm, explained to the Zoological Society:” Reptiles are often associated with extreme habitats and tough environmental conditions, so it is easy to assume that they will be fine in our changing world. “However, that’s far from the truth:” Many species are very high specialized in terms of habitat use and the climatic conditions they require for day to day functioning, “Bohm said.” This makes them particularly sensitive to environmental changes. “The paper highlights three critically endangered species in its research, including the jungle runner lizard Ameiva vittata, which has only ever been spotted in the Cochabamba region of the Bolivian jungle—an area under threat from the growth of agriculture and logging. The two most recent searches for the species have been unsuccessful. Meanwhile in Haiti, six of the nine species of Anolis lizard in the country risk extinction due to increasing deforestation (毁林).

Also at risk are freshwater turtles, with 50% of all species at risk of extinction from hunting; turtle parts are in high demand as ingredients in traditional medicine. According to the study 30% of freshwater reptile species are also in danger of completely disappearing.

Reptiles have a long evolutionary history: snakes, lizards, crocodiles and tuataras first appeared on earth around 300 million years ago. They are an important part of many ecosystems. ”This is a very important step towards assessing the conservation status of reptiles globally, “Philip Bowles from the IUCN Species Survival Commission said in response to the study.” Tackling the identified habitat loss is key conservation priorities in order to transfer declines in these reptiles.”

7 . Recycling is good for our planet, but it can be confusing. Can I recycle plastic bags? What about pizza cartons? Toothpaste tubes? Which bin should I use? There are so many questions, and more than half of Americans are unsure about how to recycle.     1     Here’s a handy four-step guide on how to recycle effectively:

Know what to put in the recycling bin. Keep it simple and focus on the most commonly recycled items, such as paper, glass, aluminum and plastic.     2     Don’t use the recycled symbol as a guide. “The number on the container is really for people to identify the type of resin (树脂). That’s not helpful for the common consumer,” said Cody Marshall, a strategist at nonprofit Recycling Partnership.

    3     It is really important to know what you cannot put in your bin. You can always check with your city or at BeRecycled.org. If you live in the US, just plug in your postcode to search. Recycling companies struggle with the same problem items: hoses (软管), cords, needles and clothing, according to Marshall, so don’t put those items in your bin.

Wash or clean items. Do a quick clean to make sure there is no food left in containers before you put them in the bin.     4     Save food for composting (堆肥) in your garden.

Don’t bag it. Unless you live in a place that requires it, like New York City, keep the recyclables lost in the bin. “A lot of the time, it’s not safe for our employees to tear those bags open, or it takes too much time,” said Keller. “    5    ”

9 . The Amazon rainforest is now alarmingly close to dying by 2030 due to climate change and forest loss, a WWF report warns.

The world’s largest rainforest is now close to a “tipping point” (临界点) that could mean it changes forever, no longer benefiting humanity in dealing with climate change by soaking up greenhouse gases, the report says.

Deforestation (森林砍伐) in the Amazon reached a record high this year, as illegal trees cutting increased to the highest levels in 15 years. Between 13 to 17 percent of the Amazon rainforest area has already been lost in the past 50 years. The WWF report said an area of 1.4 million square miles of the Amazon has experienced a lack of rain, a constant dry season and deforestation, which could lead it to become degraded, turning to a dry land.

What’s worse, the “tipping points” could lead to irreversible (不可逆的) loss, including receiving less than 1500mm annual rainfall, a dry season of more than 7 months and deforestation of the area to reduce to just 20 percent of the original cover. The loss of the Amazon would further reduce the chances of alleviating (减轻) global warming as the areas’ trees take in enormous amounts of carbon dioxide.

“This paper sounds an alarm bell for humanity, revealing the threats of climate change and forest loss are pushing the world’s largest rainforest at risk,” Professor Gagen, lead author of the WWF report, added. “The evidence gives a serious warning that we need to take the tipping point risk seriously and act immediately to cut emissions (排放), saving natural resources, and, most importantly, change the indifferent attitude to forest loss which are sending people and our planet down a path to disaster.”

“Only by listening to the voices of Amazonia’s peoples and by preserving nature can we bring our world back to life,” Gagen said.