2 . Good news came from Killington. In a challenging ______ that unfolded in 2024, the police department, along with the search and rescue team, ______ rescued 23 lost skiers and snowboarders. It was a remarkable ______ of teamwork and commitment.

The police department received a call at 2: 30 pm informing them of 7-9 lost individuals in the woods. However, as the officers, ______ with the search and rescue team, dug into the investigation, they ______ a more extensive situation involving a total of 21 last individuals. They set off instantly.

______ frosty temperatures, the rescuers hiked and snowshoed about 5 miles to reach the trapped skiers and snowboarders. They tripped and ______ their knees. But their goal was ______ : find everyone and bring them to safety. Finally, they did it.

Just when the rescuers thought their mission was ______, an additional call came in for two more lost skiers. Without any ______, six of the rescuers reentered the woods. They ______ and accompanied the lost to safety, ______ the highly organized activity at about 7: 30 pm.

The rescuers went to great ______ to ensure the safety and well-being of others. The ______ of these selfless individuals illustrated the true spirit of community. The police department ______ special thanks to all involved.

The 2.4-km-long Peljesac Bridge (佩列沙茨大桥), connecting Croatia’s mainland with the Peljesac Peninsula on the country’s southern Adriatic coast,     1     (be) a Belt and Road Initiative project built by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) .

The bridge has     2     (significant) improved people’s lives, cut travel time to the Adriatic coast and increased     3     (economy) opportunities for the region. “This bridge is not a luxury; it is our     4     (necessary),” said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic when the bridge was opened.

The construction team attached great importance     5     environmental protection. While     6     (build) the bridge, they took different measures to create     7     environmentally friendly site. A bubble curtain, a measure to reduce noise caused by underwater construction,     8     (apply) to decrease the disturbance to the wildlife in the sea and neighboring residents. In addition, oil containment zones were set up at the site     9       (prevent) possible oil leaks.

“I have worked on some other big projects in Europe, but none compare with the Peljesac Bridge project,” Selma Knudsen said,     10     worked as a commercial coordinator on the Peljesac Bridge project.

4 . Wildfires are common nowadays. Lightning, campfires, power lines or other sources may lead to big wildfires.     1     But when they break out on populated places, wildfires can endanger human lives and property.

Still, wildfires have always been a part of some forest ecosystems.     2     For one thing, wildfires can get rid of trespassers(入侵者). The native animals often know how to escape a wildfire. But harmful species may not, so they could get wiped out.

Fires can prevent trees from overcrowding each other, which allows smaller plants and animals that need sunlight to grow below. Plus, wildfires burn up a lot of leaf litter, pine needles and other dead matter on the ground. This clears out junk that may stop new plants from growing and releases nutrition back into the soil.     3    

There are also species that have evolved (进化) to depend on regular wildfires. Banksia trees in Australia, for instance, only release their seeds in the heat of a wildfire.     4     And birds such as the black-backed woodpecker prefer to live in recently burned areas, because newly burnt trees may offer easy access to a feast of insects.

    5     They set these fires only in areas and under weather conditions where they're sure they can control the flames. Specific burns are meant to provide the benefits of natural, low-intensity fires. So, one important way to protect against fires is professionals setting them.

5 . The Canadian town of Churchill is well-known for its arctic (北极的) wilderness. This town of extremes is home to about 900 year-round residents. However, 500, 000 tourists, more or less, flood here throughout the year.

In this setting, there’s a special find in a simple shipping container just outside the town. It’s a new project called Rocket Greens, led by the Churchill Northern Studies Centre(CNSC). Rocket Greens has successfully demonstrated the possibility of planting fresh, leafy produce regardless of seasons or weather conditions.

Erin Greene, a Churchill resident since 2015, became one of the first subscribers to Rocket Greens’s CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. “When I first moved here, it was very hard to get good-quality fruits and vegetables. We would never get fresh herbs and never see things like Swiss chard or kale,” recalls Greene, who says she now maintains a healthier diet and has become more self-sufficient as a result of the program.

In addition to Rocket Greens, CNSC has set up a seeding project for community garden support. This involves planting seedlings during the late fall and early spring that have been distributed to local community members free of charge in summer. Due to the short growing season and the challenging agricultural conditions, this seeding project offers a head start. “Community members can receive plants at no charge. It’s an educational tool to learn how to seed a field properly and how to grow your own food in your own home,” explains Dylan McCart, director of CNSC. This year’s seeding program will include a variety of crops such as peas, corn and peppers to make up for the traditional vegetables that are typically planted during Churchill summers.

“Considering the challenges of operating in a remote location like Churchill, we were one of the first ones to be able to do it, so it’s great that we were able to have that vision at that time. And it’s still successful today,” McCart says.

6 . “When we think of curiosity, we often think of the need for immediate answers,” said Abby Hsiung, Ph. D. , a postdoctoral researcher at the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and lead author of a new research paper. “But we found that when people were more curious, they were actually more pleased to wait.”

“When we watch TV shows or football games, we’re watching that information develop over time, uncertain about how it’s all going to end,” said Hsiung. “I wanted to know if higher curiosity would push people to seek, or to avoid getting an immediate ‘spoiler’ (剧透).”

Hsiung drew inspiration from short cooking videos that are popular on social media. “These videos caught my attention because even though they’re so short, they manage to develop a description and suspense (悬念), so that you’re attracted and curious about how the pizza will all come together.” So Hsiung got out her digital paintbrush and made a lot of 30-second animated line drawing videos that, like the cooking videos, eventually ended up as something highly recognizable, like a hamburger or a dog.

More than 2,000 adults from across the U. S. then watched 25 of these short line drawing videos online. Participants in Hsiung’s study were asked along the way how curious they were, how they felt, and to guess what the drawing would become. Viewers also had a spoiler button to skip ahead to see the final drawing. Hsiung and her team were surprised to find that when people were curious, they refused to hit the spoiler button and kept watching the drawings unfold. It was when people were less curious that they tended to go for an instant answer.

The study also found that curiosity increased at different stages of watching these videos. “We saw higher curiosity during moments when it seemed like the drawing could turn into anything and also when participants were starting to really home in on a single answer,” said co-author Jia-Hou Poh, Ph. D. , a postdoctoral researcher at the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences.

7 . Nearly a million bats are killed each year in the United States by crashing into working wind turbines (涡轮机), pushing the Department of Energy (DOE) to take some measures.

As the United States seeks to expand wind energy to reduce carbon emissions and minimize climate impacts, land-based wind turbines are emerging as a threat to several bat species. In 2022, wind power generated about 10 percent of U. S. energy and accounted for half of the electricity from renewables. DOE projects U. S. wind capacity to nearly triple by 2050, adding 260 gigawatts. Some of the increase will come from offshore wind farms, which are less harmful to bats. “The 880, 000 bats killed every year in the United States is a shockingly large number, ” said Winifred Frick, a chief scientist at Bat Conservation International.

The death count suggests many bat species could become endangered in the next few years. The value of bats goes beyond benefits that farmers get from pest control. They have a positive impact on pollinating (授粉) plants and increasing agricultural production. They could also help scientists understand aging and death better because bats have relatively longer life.

But the scientific community currently has no idea why wind turbines attract bats or how to keep bats away from the turbines whose blades reach 200 feet. DOE has given scientists millions of dollars, aiming to address the knowledge gap.

The fund is going to scientists who will test untried methods of bat protection. The goal, Frick said, is to “find solutions that can maximize energy production while minimizing the number of bats killed.”

Frick’s team has received $ 2. 5 million to test whether the bright lights fixed on turbines to warn aircraft pilots are attracting bats. If that is the case, wind farms can put up aircraft detection systems that will turn on flashing warning lights only when an airplane is nearby and reduce bat deaths. DOE’s funding will allow researchers at the nonprofit research institute to run tests in a wider range.

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