California is burning! Wildfires have spread (传播) across the US state and smoke     1     (fill) its skies since Oct 23. Take the Kincade Fire in northern California for example. It forced 200,000 people     2     (escape) from its path within one week.

California has seen many     3     (wildfire) in recent years. Why is this? California has the perfect wildfire conditions, Park Williams,     4     is a US climate expert, told The New York Times. It has dry air and high temperatures from spring through late fall. At     5     same time, seasonal winds blow across the state every year,     6     (cause) the wildfires to spread quickly and last for weeks.

Global warming has also made the fires     7     (bad) than before. It has dried out the state’s trees and other plants, which makes them burn     8     (easy). There are also other causes for California’s wildfires.     9    , it’s humans that have caused 90 percent of them, according    10     the US National Park Service.

Turning Deserts to Oases

Miracles are occurring in northwest China where stretches of deserts are turning green with thriving trees and luxurious grass. Decades of efforts have resulted     1     victory in the battle against desertification and China has not only achieved the UN sustainable development goal of zero net land degradation by 2030 well ahead of schedule, but also reversed（逆转）the trend of desertification and sandification.

The eco warriors have come up with a series of     2     （success） practices to end desertification, like the farmers’ group in Minqin,     3     county in Gansu Province, northwest China. Their success in fighting the approach of the desert offers important experience for desertification prevention and treatment. It is also the Chinese     4     （wise） for global ecological management.

China has the largest desert area in the world, with the largest number of people     5     （expose） to deserts and sandstorms. It is home to eight major deserts and four major sandy lands, which cover one     6     （five） of its territory. The western and northwestern parts are     7    （serious） affected by desertification.

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949，the government     8     （give） priority to the prevention and control of deserts,     9     is listed as one of the strategic missions of the nation.

Major ecological projects have been carried out to green the country. The Great Green Wall also known as the Three-North Shelter Forest Program, is the biggest tree-planting project in the world,     10     （create） a green barrier to keep the encroaching desert in the north at bay.

Absolut Vodka, a brand of international wine & spirits giant Pernod Ricard, launched the new Absolut Nights 100 campaign—Comeback across China on Dee. 6 in Beijing, with a new comeback limited-edition bottle using creativity    1     ( drive ) recycling. The Absolut Comeback campaign attempts to pool creative nightlife ideas from young Chinese people to explore more possibilities.

Under the theme of “Comeback”, the new season of Absolut Nights 100 campaign encourages young    2    ( consume) not only to explore more possibilities with their creativity and artistic talent to open the world in different ways    3     also to make sustainability and recycling part of their lifestyle. Absolut Vodka launched a campaign to promote    4     ( recycle).

The limited-edition Absolut Comeback bottles, which     5     ( make) with more than 41 percent recycled glass, are launched simultaneously across China. For the first time, Absolut takes advantage of the bottles to spread    6     idea that everything can be recycled and reused, in an effort to inspire more people to reduce waste by unleashing their creativity.

Absolut Vodka's strategy has always been in consistence    7    Pernod Ricard’s commitment to sustainability. In April 2019, Pernod Ricard     8     (launch) its “2030 Sustainability & Responsibility Roadmap”, to further upgrade    9    (it) strategy in enabling sustainability.

In June 2019, Pernod Ricard China and the Institute for Sustainable Development Goals, Tsinghua University,    10    ( joint) released the first Sustainable Bar Operation Initiatives and Application Guidelines for China.

At 8,844.43 meters high, Mount Qomolangma is     1     (tall) mountain on Earth. While     2     is famous for its challenging hike, parts of the mountain are facing a problem: garbage. Every year, thousands of     3     (visit) throw away tons of trash, including soda cans (罐) and plastic bags.

According to the UN, over 140 tons of trash have been left on the mountain. To reduce trash, China is limiting the number of people     4     can climb the mountain’s north side. Only 300 people will     5     (allow) to climb it each year, and only during spring.

Local residents cleaned the mountain last year,     6     (remove) trash at a height of 5,200 meters. They     7     (collect) about 8.4 metric tons of trash, according to figures from the Tibet autonomous region’s government (西藏自治区人民政府).

This year, the local government plans to spend 4 million yuan       8    a new clean-up campaign, setting up stations to sort, recycle and break down garbage collected from the mountain.

In addition to trash, workers will also collect the bodies of     9     (die)   climbers. As of the 2019 climbing season, more than 300 people have died on Qomolangma, with 12 deaths this year.

A group of artists will try to turn some trash into artwork. They will show these works     10     (local), to remind people not to leave trash when climbing the mountain.

David Katz was upset by all the plastic going into the ocean. To help solve the problem, he had a     1    （create）idea to treat plastic like money. Mr. Katz calls his idea the "plastic Bank". The goal of the Plastic Bank is to use plastic to help people solve the problems     2    (gradual）. The Plastic Bank adds a value to plastic waste by paying people to recycle it.

The program began in 2015 in Haiti, a poor island nation with many     3    （problem）of waste plastic. The Plastic Bank has 30 "markets" in Haiti. At the Plastic Bank markets, people can exchange the plastic they've collected for     4    they need. The Plastic Bank markets sell lots of things that local people need. The stores also allow plastic collectors to use the money they earn to pay     5    health care or school.

To make sure that the plastic     6    （recycle）, the Plastic Bank works with partners, who agree     7    （use）the plastic that is collected. When customers buy these products, which are labeled "Social Plastic", they know that they are both helping people in other parts of the world     8    keeping plastic out of the ocean. So far, the Plastic Bank     9    （keep） about 7 million pounds of plastic out of the ocean. It makes a great     10    （contribute）to the ocean.

On April 22nd, the UNEP(United Nation Environment Programme) called for increasing protection of Antarctica,     1    is the world’s most southern continent.     2    (scientist) say climate change and human activity have     3    (increasing) led to the melting of massive pieces of Antarctic ice. Not only is the disappearance of ice affecting wildlife     4    the area such as seals and penguins, but also causing oceans and seas around the globe     5    (rise).

This leads to an even     6    (big) threat to coastal cities. For instance, Venice, an ancient city of Italy, has long been threatened by the rising sea levels. So far, this situation     7    (make) worse by the fact that its ancient houses     8    (build) on a body of water are slowly sinking. In addition, the salty water is also destroying both famous buildings     9    priceless artworks of Venice. Therefore, it’s high time that action should be taken to fix     10    serious problem.

Strange things appeared before the Tangshan earthquake happened. For three days the water in the village wells     1    (rise) and fell. The well walls had deep cracks in them. A smelly gas came out of the cracks. Some animals including fish,     2    (mouse) behaved strangely. Other strange things also happened in the city,     3     people thought little of these events and they slept as usual.

    4     (final) a terrible earthquake hit the city of Tangshan on July 28, 1976, in which more than 240,000 people died and many     5    (injure). Many houses fell down and sand filled the wells instead of water. People were greatly shocked. All the electricity in the city was cut off and people began     6     (wonder) how long the disaster would last. The whole city was completely destroyed and the world seemed to be     7    an end. It was one of the most destructive earthquakes ever,     8     shocked the whole nation.

However, the people of Tangshan didn’t lose hope because 150,000 soldiers were sent to help the rescue workers. The soldiers tried their best to dig out those     9     were trapped. They also built shelters for the     10     (survive). Fresh water was taken to the city by every means. Slowly, the city began to come back to life.

8 . Are you facing a situation that looks impossible to fix?

In 1969,the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River Cleveland, Ohio. It    1    (be) unimaginable that it could ever be cleaned up. The river was so polluted that it    2    (actual) caught fire and burned. Now, years later, this river is one of    3    most outstanding（杰出的）examples of environmental cleanup.

But the river wasn’t changed in a few days    4    even a few months. It took years of work     5    (reduce) the industrial pollution and clean the water. Finally, that hard work paid off and now the water in the river is    6    (clean) than ever.

Maybe you are facing an impossible situation. Maybe you have a habit    7    is driving your family crazy. Possibly you drink too much or don’t know how to control your credit card use. When you face such an impossible situation, don’t you want a quick fix and something to change immediately?

While there are    8    (amaze) stories of instant transformation, for most of us the    9    (change) are gradual and require a lot of effort and work, like cleaning up a polluted river. Just be     10    (patience).