While thousands of college students headed for warm climate to enjoy sun and fun during their week off from classes, seven local students had other plans.

The Northern Essex Community College (NECC) students and one of their teachers spent part of their spring break in New York City, helping repair an area     1     (destroy) by the hurricane. “I wanted to see for myself what happened,” said Terry. “I couldn’t imagine    2    it is like to lose your home and everything that you know and the    3    (power) effect the hurricane had on those people. I wanted to do something, to understand their feeling of helplessness.” The group headed into Brooklyn’s Red Hook district, which was hit hard by the hurricane. There they met people from other parts of the country,     4    had also volunteered to help. Together, those volunteers and the NECC students worked     5     (clear) rubbish out of a three-story building. They put on protective suits and gloves    6    they entered the building.

Inside the building, the students saw nothing but broken walls and doors and pieces of the building     7    (lie) all over the place.

The students returned to school with     8    sense of achievement, a feeling     9    they helped people in need. I was remarkable how a community lost so much and was still able to recover, and this left the deepest impression    10    the students.

We live in a world of plastic. Shopping bags, drink bottles, your toothbrush and even your clothes are among the everyday items     1     (make) from plastic. But plastic isn’t fantastic, and neither is the current state of our environment.

Humans     2     (produce) plastic on a large scale (大规模地) since the 1950s. We produce hundreds of millions of tons of plastic every year and production is only increasing.     3     (fortunately), most of it is used only once and then thrown away. Only a small part of plastic     4     (recycle). The majority ends up in our oceans.

A Plastic Ocean is a documentary film directed by the Australian journalist Craig Leeson. It investigates the serious harm plastic has done     5     our oceans. What starts off as an adventure to film the blue whale, the     6     (large) animal on the planet, leads to the shocking discovery of a thick layer (层) of plastic     7     (float) in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The film sends the message that our actions and choices can severely influence the planet.

Plastic is so widely used because it is durable (耐用的) and cheap. However, this durability is the same quality that makes it so     8     (harm) to the environment. Most plastics do not break down chemically. Instead, they break into smaller pieces     9     can remain in the environment for     10     long time.

We are all aware of the threats our planet is facing. Experts agree that it’s mainly humans     1     are responsible for the destruction of the environment. Activities such as mass farming and burning       2     (harm) our climate now-and we are suffering too through natural     3       (disaster) such as flooding and droughts.

One of the most destructive activities we are carrying out is deforestation (砍伐森林). This has been most noticeable in Brazil, which is home to the world’s     4     (large) rainforest. Deforestation there     5     (hit) its highest rate in the past decade, according to official data. The result of widespread deforestation has threatened     6     centuries-old way of life. The future of the rainforest could be     7     danger of being damaged.

The amount of deforestation in the Amazon has     8     (actual) seen a decline but the figures are still large. Brazil has taken some steps to try and decrease deforestation by     9    (introduce) government policies including fines for breaking land use regulations. While humans are largely     10     (blame) for the destruction of the rainforest, it seems only humans will tackle this problem and save planet Earth.

South Koreans consume 2.4 billion plastic straws (吸管) annually. And like in many other countries, the government is stepping up to reduce the amount of single-use plastics.

The idea of Rice Straws came to Kim Kwang-pil when he first saw     1     eatable cup. He thought to himself, “If they can make a cup you can eat, why not a straw?”

That was the beginning of Kim’s company, Yeonjigonji,     2     produces eco-friendly straws     3     (make) of rice. Kim settled on rice mainly     4     it is familiar to consumers in his country. The rice straws come in various shapes and sizes and can     5     (complete) break down within 100 days.

“I met people who wouldn’t believe I could eat the straws. So, when I did, they     6    (convince),” said Kim.

So far the company     7     (sign) deals with companies in dozens of countries throughout Asia, North America and South America.

As they are eatable, the rice straws need to pass food safety laws in each country. But Kim believes that his straws are     8     (good) than paper or other straws. “After all, you still need to cut down trees     9     (produce) paper straws,” said Kim, whose next goal is to create environmentally-friendly, single-use cutlery (餐具), like forks,     10     (knife) and spoons.

We as individuals can also reduce our “carbon footprint” by     1     (restrict) the amount of carbon dioxide our lifestyles produce. It is our     2     (responsible) to seize every opportunity to educate everyone about     3     (globe) warming.

Scientists found that air pollution may be responsible     1     a big reduction in     2     (intelligent). Research showed that air pollution led to big falls in test     3     (score) for languages and mathematics. The study called "The influence of air pollution on cognitive (认知的)performance"    4    (conduct) over four years ago. Researchers analyzed speaking and mathematics tests     5     (take) by 20,000 people of all ages. They said, "Polluted air may do harm to cognitive ability as people become older. "

The study is a warning to the rest of the world ,    6    (particular) those in cities. Over 91 percent of the world population live in areas with polluted air,    7     is the fourth biggest cause of global deaths. Researchers discovered that the     8    (long) people were exposed to polluted air, the greater their cognitive ability went down. They said air pollution caused a year' s worth of lost education. For those aged over 60, this could be several years. A researcher warned, "There     9    be) no shortcut to solve this issue. Governments really need to take effective measures     10    (reduce) air pollution. "

The number of chinstrap penguins in some colonies in western Antarctica     1     (fall) by as much as 77 percent since they were last surveyed in the 1970s, say scientists studying the impact of climate change on the remote region. The chinstrap penguin,     2     (name) after the narrow black band under its head, inhabits the islands and shores of Antarctic oceans and feeds on krill( 磷虾). It is the dramatic declines     3     catch the attention worldwide.

A study, published by the United Nations meteorological agency, states that heat-trapping greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide - have reached an unprecedented level in the atmosphere,     4     contributes to global warming. Researchers discovered that between 1979 and 1990, Antarctica shed     5     average of 40 billion tons of ice mass annually. Climate changes are turning into a severe situation,     6     (impact) marine and land ecosystems.

China, as a big country, plays an important role in environmental protection. It aims not only to get rid of the environmental challenges domestically but also to help other parts of the world achieve     7     (they) climate goals. Investment in China on renewable energy accounts     8     45% of total global investment. Since 2014, China has invested     9     (heavy) in the wind and solar PV projects in the regions along the Belt and Road. Faced with this situation, every country should raise the     10     (aware)of environmental protection.