4 . Antarctica is the highest, driest, and coldest place on Earth. It is also the remotest, a fact which demystifies its unspoiled environment. It is difficult for people to get there, and not a comfortable place for people to stay once they arrive. It is widely described as the last true wilderness on our planet.

The cold climate is responsible for maintaining the continent’s year-round ice fields: They never melt. Even though Antarctica receives more sunlight than the equator, the temperatures are lower because the ice sheet reflects the heat back into space. Thus, the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was in Antarctica in July, 1983. Soviet scientists shivered (瑟瑟发抖) through temperatures that fell to minus 89.2 degrees Celsius.

Once completely inaccessible, Antarctica has more recently been playing host to adventurers seeking excitement, scientists interested in experimenting, and companies looking to exploit this wild zone for profit: gold, uranium and oil are just some of the valuable resources which lie beneath the continent’s icy covering.

For centuries, Europeans wondered about the existence of a South-pole continent, but no one actually knew for certain Antactica was there until 1820 when European explorers “discover” it. Since then, men have gone to Antarctica in search of adventure. Testing their abilities, several teams of explorers set out in 1911 to be the first men to stand at the South Pole.

Yet, Antarctica’s fragile and complicated ecosystem is threatened by its human visitors. Damage to the environment occurs as people come looking for resources beneath the ice, or carelessly leave their garbage behind. Currently, countries are working to ensure that the damage to Antarctica’s environment is minimized, and that the last wilderness on Earth will remain an unspoiled place.

5 . Joel Boyers and his wife, Melody Among, were heading home in their helicopter (直升机）when he received a call for help from a stranger. The caller’s brother and her ___________ were trapped on their roof in Waverly because of the rising floodwater.

The caller ___________ Joel Boyers to come to their aid. Boyers looked west towards Waverly at the storm clouds. Aware of the danger to __________ in such bad weather, though, he __________ put the brother’s address into his ___________. Soon, he and Among were in the air,___________ for what they were about to see in Waverly.

Upon arriving, he found the water below was __________. People were holding on to anything that didn’t move—roofs, trees. The flooding also ____________ cell phone service, meaning Boyers couldn’t use his phone to locate the ___________ he was looking for. He flew on anyway.

As Boyers drove the helicopter, Among began _________ people on roofs and bridges—anywhere Boyers could __________ and get them onboard. A rescued man pointed to a teenager. The teenager held onto a branch with one hand and the other held a dog she’d saved earlier while both were ___________ in the current (水流). With no place for Boyers to land, he __________ the helicopter until it hovered (盘旋) just above the water line. The rescued man jumped out and swam to the tree, where he helped the teen and the dog to the ___________.

Though the experience was ___________, Boyers admitted it was fun.

6 . The world is going through a basic transformation,which is changing the way we live, work and think. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is bringing dramatic change and giving rise to a future filled with exciting opportunities and new challenges. Together, governments and businesses must find solutions to society's most pressing needs—from creating a carbon-free economy to tackling population growth and urbanization.

In any period of rapid change there is a trend to look for a simple method,to greet the new things and replace the old way of doing things. But a closer look at the facts tells a different story. Complex problems require many solutions working in harmony to enable positive change.

The challenge for scientists and engineers is to provide solutions in fact, data and today's realities. And while technologies offer new tools to help uncover solutions, the process also requires hard work, imagination and lots of improvement.

Success rests on performing practical, realistic, long- term solutions that make the world cleaner, safer and more sustainable(可持续的).

The environment is a case in point. Much of the public debate has centered on the central role of renewable power sources in realizing a low-carbon energy future. While the industry is fully behind developing renewables, today we understand that a low or zero-carbon future depends on adopting a multifaceted approach.

We cannot control sunshine levels or decide when the wind blows, which means solar power and wind power generators will produce too much or too little energy at times. The transition to renewables needs to take account of serious considerations.

Batteries have been much discussed as a means of storing extra energy, but there are other choices. Power-to- X technologies enable spare energy created by renewables to be stored and redistributed when and where it is needed.

9 . Whether you’re interested in green agriculture and rainforest conservation or supporting sustainable sources, organizations worldwide are investing time and effort into various environmental protection projects. Volunteers are always needed to help with the different initiatives to protect the environment.

The past years have been bothered by an endless report of natural disasters occurring in geographically weak locations. Floods are affecting the places that previously never faced this problem while heat waves, droughts and earthquakes are becoming the norm (常态). Important wildlife and plant species are disappearing and threatening the planet’s biodiversity. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there are other problems: deforestation (毁林), pollution, water scarcity, illegal fishing and wildlife trade.

The ongoing industrialization and the lack of awareness are taking its toll (毁坏) and it’s time for that to change. Most people remain inactive, believing small changes won’t make a difference. However, there are many ways to help. Small changes carried out by some people do make a difference.

Excellent examples of this are organizations that believe small initiatives have a significant impact. These projects are growing steadily and positively affecting the environmental conservation and influencing the local community. They are creating awareness among others and helping them understand the importance of environmental conservation while creating volunteer opportunities to help the environment.

The organizations will learn valuable skills about environmental conservation but most importantly, they are moving towards change. There are enough environmental volunteer opportunities that need your help and there’s no time to waste! Continue reading about environmental volunteer programs abroad and take steps toward environmental conservation.

There are plenty of options once you decide to become an environmental volunteer. The tasks will depend on the project you have decided to volunteer with and can vary greatly. With over 130 projects focused on the environment, you’ll find projects that match both your skill set and travel preference.

10 . Today, methane(甲烷) is a central but under-appreciated part of the fight against climate change. Human activity releases far less methane than carbon dioxide, but methane packs a heavier punch. Over the course of 20 years, a ton of the gas will warm the atmosphere about 86 times more than a ton of carbon dioxide. Chief among the reasons for methane emissions(排放) are the gassy output of raising farm animals (cows release it most), rice production (certain environments involve micro-organisms that make it) and the fossil fuel industry(pipelines leak it) .

Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for centuries, making it hard to reduce its concentrations. By contrast, methane has a half-life of roughly ten years. If new emissions can be cut to below the rate at which old emissions reduce, the concentration of methane remaining in the atmosphere will soon fall, slowing global warming.

A big step would be to stop millions of tons of methane from leaking out of fossil fuel industry each year. Natural gas operators will be able to sell more gas in exchange for an acceptable investment so as to monitor and repair leaks. The International Energy Agency estimates that 40% of methane emissions from fossil fuels can be cut at no cost for firms.

The harder task is to reduce emissions from agriculture, but even here farmers can draw on new ideas, including developing new forms of feed for farm animals, and changing how rice field is irrigated.

However, politicians and the public tend to ignore the effects of cutting methane emission. But dealing with the gas with the efforts of the ordinary people would have a large effect at a relatively low cost.