In 2016, Shennongjia made     1     onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. It meets two criteria     2     (require) by the list. Firstly, it is apparently one of the most “complete” natural     3    (area) in the world,     4     some plants and animals have survived millions of years. Secondly, Shennongjia     5     (have) incredible biodiversity. It is     6    (challenge) to look after so many species. But scientists make great efforts     7    (protect) them. The local people also play an important part, and they live     8     harmony with nature.

As one of the most well-known tourist destinations in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Li River     1    (attract) millions of visitors each year.     2    , the river’s water quality has suffered greatly     3     increasing tourists, many of     4     threw garbage into the river. Previously, many tour boats,     5     number of commercial and industrial     6     (enterprise) as well as the rising local population led to severe water quality issues,     7    (cause) a decrease in the number of fish species. Luckily, many measures have been taken     8    (restore) the river’s original beauty. It’s believed that the beauty of the Li River     9    (preserve) for generations to come. With the policy of “Water Ten Plan” and the “River Chief System”, China’s waterways are heading towards a clean and     10    (sustain) future.

As we know, Earth is getting warmer and warmer,     1     results in melting ice and rising sea levels. In 2013, a dead polar bear     2    (find) on Norway’s Arctic island of Svalbard. Experts said that it was low sea-ice levels     3    (cause) by climate change     4     killed the polar bear. Scientists often mention that the “man-made” greenhouse effect is a big problem.    5     rise in temperature has led to an increase in extreme weather and natural disasters worldwide,     6    (cause) serious damage and costing human lives. The further global warming resulting     7     the continued greenhouse gas emissions     8    (require) the attention of people all over the world. Governments need to make policies and take measures     9    (reduce) greenhouse gas emissions. As individuals, we should also reduce our “carbon footprint” by restricting the amount of carbon dioxide our     10    (lifestyle) produce.

On my way home from work yesterday, I     1     (stop) off at a local supermarket. Among other things, I wanted to buy a couple of     2     (coconut). When I picked them up, I was     3     (amaze) that each coconut was wrapped in clear, thin plastic. Supermarkets want to make sure that coconuts reach the consumer in the     4     (good) condition. The packaging helps to keep the product fresh; it means the product will last longer.

I understand that, but in this case it’s     5     (complete) wasteful and unnecessary. It already has its own     6     (nature) packaging. It’s got a tough shell that’s almost impossible to break!

I really believe we should do away with packaging completely. There is     7     supermarket in Germany that has no product packaging at all. Its customers take refillable containers with them when     8     (shop), and use them instead of plastic boxes and bags.

In the last few years,environmental disasters     1    (become) more and more common.Terrible floods and storms are getting worse and worse everywhere and     2    (reduce) rainfall brings about more severe droughts.Volcanic    3     (eruption) and earthquakes are often the case.Overpopulation is the main reason.    4     top of that,global warming and the     5    (destroy) of the world’s forests contribute a lot to it.Of course,landslides and earthquakes have an important role     6    (play) in it.Homes built from     7     materials that could be found can easily collapse during earthquakes or landslides,    8     (especial) after heavy rain.Most disaster experts believe,if we don’t take immediate action,things could get     9     lot worse.For example,we haven’t seen the     10    (bad) result of eruption.

The last few years have seen environmental disasters     1     a grand scale, and experts are predicting far worse to come. Jin Li reports on our Earth’s changeable weather patterns.

So why is nature beginning to turn on us? One answer is overpopulation. The population of the world     2     (grow) at the disturbing rate of 10,000 people an hour, nearly 90 million a year, with most of the growth in the     3     (develop) world. People in agricultural areas, without any means to earn their living, move to the cities, and then construct shabby homes from     4     materials they can find on poor clay soil. These homes, seldom made of bricks, can     5     (easy) fall down in earthquakes or slip and slide downhill in landslides, especially in mountainous areas.On top of that adds global warming. This has mainly been caused by the huge amounts of carbon dioxide     6     (produce) by factories and vehicles, and the destruction of the world’s forests. As a result, a     7     (hot) ocean causes more powerful winds. Atlantic hurricanes—their howling winds with speeds of over 300 kilometres     8     hour—are 40% stronger now than they were 30 years ago.

Most disaster experts believe there is the potential     9     things could get a lot worse. Professor Hou Ming, of Beijing University     10     (study) volcanoes and he warns that the world has not seen the worst nature can do.