1 . When trash sculptor Stephanie Hongo meets friends for drinks or dinner, it’s not unusual for one of them to hand her shopping bags full of lids, empty soap bottles, and even a Barbie leg or two. By now, she’s used to neighbors, friends and even strangers giving her their recyclable rejects.

But Hongo doesn’t need any more garbage. She has a large collection of her own at home. “You don’t need to be a trash picker to do this,” she says. “Trash is everywhere.” And for Hongo, where there is trash, there is art. Since 2017, Hongo has crafted complex sea creatures, realistic-looking jungle animals and other creatures out of everything from plastic forks to plastic tubing as well as a hair dryer, a purse, a tooth brush, and even a hair straightener.

Starting with her first piece—a blue deer named Yandoo that she fashioned out of odds and ends laying around her flat, which she screwed together and spray painted in a makeshift basement art studio—she’s gone on to create more than 160 trash sculptures.

“I feel very fortunate,” says Hongo, who loves making a living as an artist. “I care about our environment. The upcycling aspect of it is a lovely byproduct.” Though she doesn’t consider herself a true eco-artist, she hopes she’s inspiring others to reuse items that usually end up in landfills. But for her, she says, “The art comes first.”

Before starting each project, Hongo figures out exactly what pieces of scrap (废旧的) metal, tubing and plastics she’ll need to transform the pile of junk on her worktable into something fantastic, like a majestic octopus (章鱼) rocketing through the coral or a cute koala hugging a tree.

Since her funky creations sell on line at prices starting at $400, she’s been fortunate enough to make trash sculpting her full-time career. “It’s so much more than I ever expected,” she says.

I am fond of wild animals, which existence makes our world lively and colorfully. However, many wild animals in nature are in the danger. It is believed that human beings mainly lead the terrible problem. Thanks to many governments’ and organizations’ efforts, much attention from the world are paid to the protection of wild animals. As a member of human beings, I am sure willing to protect the wildlife. So far, I had launched two activities to show the public the great achievements make in the protection of the wildlife. Many of my classmates have joined myself. I hope that more people can participate in the activity to advertise the importances and benefits of environment protection.

It is reported that at present a city in Japan has a problem with graffiti(涂鸦). However, it is not the usual type of graffiti with paint from spray cans     1    (use) to write on walls. It is graffiti in sand.

Officials in the city of Tottori are asking tourists to give up     2     (write) messages and drawing pictures in the sand of its giant sand dunes (沙丘). The officials say the graffiti causes damage to the dunes,     3     destroys the pleasure others get in looking at the sand.

More than 3,300 cases of "sand graffiti"     4     (occur) at the tourist spot in the past decade. In January, two overseas tourists were ordered     5     (erase) a 25-meter-long message that read "Happy Birthday Natalie".

The Tottori Sand Dunes are famous throughout Japan     6     their natural beauty. They are the largest and longest sand dunes in the country and form part of     7     scenic coastal park on the sea of Japan coast. The biggest dune is 50 meters high.

The local government wants to improve tourists' understanding of the     8     (important) of the dunes. It will set up much     9     (many) signs in English, Chinese and Korean asking people to respect the dunes. A spokesman said, "We are concerned about whether the rules are     10     (complete) understood, and we want to continue to protect views of the beautiful sand dunes."