1 . Chinese scientists have collected seeds of several plants at a height of about 6,200 meters above sea level on the world's highest peak—Mount Qomolangma and will permanently preserve them in a place where seeds can be kept alive for as long as thousands of years.

The seed haven, namely the Germplasm (种质) Bank of Wild Species (GBWS), is located in an ordinary four-story building in a research institute in Kunming, Yunnan Province.

As the genes of most plants are contained in their seeds, germplasm resources have become the carriers of plants' genetic information. A seed bank serves as the most important facility for preserving such resources.

The fast loss of biodiversity and germplasm resources is the main reason for the establishment of seed banks around the world. Construction of the germplasm bank in Kunming started in 2004, and it was put into operation three years later.

“Wildlife germplasm resources have great application potential in the biological industry, attracting global attention, especially for the collection and preservation of wild plants,” said a researcher. Currently, seeds can only be accepted by the GBWS if they tick at least one of the three boxes: endangered, endemic (特有的) or “of economic importance”.

The long-term conservation of a seed is a complex procedure, involving more than 70steps, at the end of which the seed will be stored at -20℃. If properly stored, the seed could theoretically stay alive for decades or even thousands of years.

“When a species is destroyed by natural disasters, we will activate these seeds and bring the species to life,” said Li Dezhu, director of the seed bank.

2 . Sia Godika was 13 when she noticed the barefoot children of construction workers at a building site near her house in the upscale Koramangala district of Bangalore, India.

“Their feet were bare. Cracked. Hard. Dirty. Bleeding,” reflects Sia, now 17. “They were just walking around that construction site like it was an everyday practice for them.” And it was: In that moment, Sia realized the troubling contrast to her own privilege.

“I went back home, looked at my own feet and thought, Wow, I’m 13 years old. My feet are so tender. ” Then she gave her shoes away to the children. Later that year, with the help of her parents and community volunteers, Sia founded Sole Warriors, a charity dedicated to providing footwear to those in need, epitomized by its motto: “Donate a sole, save a soul.”

The idea, which started as a dinner conversation with her parents, quickly grew. After she spread the word with posters and WhatsApp groups, inquiries from people who wanted to help came flooding in. For months, Sia was juggling schoolwork and her new passion project.

Now in its fifth year, the organization runs distribution drives in which Sole Warriors collects used footwear, refurbishes (整修) it and donates the finished products to people in need. Today Sole Warriors gave out 28,000 pairs of shoes. But the organization’s growth wasn’t without its challenges. When it came to looking for collaborators, such as a company that would do the refurbishments free of charge, Sia faced one obstacle after another before finding a partner in India’s Pressto Cobbler.

In recognition of her impact, in 2021 Sia was given the Diana Award, given to people aged nine to 25 in memory of the late Princess of Wales. Awarded by a U.K. based charity of the same name, it’s one of the most prestigious honours a young person can receive for social action or humanitarian work. But her work isn’t done. “Our goal has always been to touch a million feet,” she says.

4 . Carli Lloyd is grateful for the opportunity to play professional volleyball again after leaving the court.

She _________ Athletes Unlimited (AU) with opening up the door to _________ her dreams that were put on pause. “I wasn’t sure what it would look like,” Lloyd said. “AU has given me the _________ to play again. It’s amazing to be a _________ of the organization.”

While Lloyd was pregnant and shortly after giving birth to her daughter, she had hopes of returning to the _________. Lloyd spent months at home training and preparing for the _________. “I worked really hard at home to get my body back in _________. I wanted to see how it felt to _________ again.”

“My goal every week is to be _________ to my team. I want to do everything I can to help my team win the __________. Each day I’m thinking about what my __________ is and how I can help this group succeed.”

She believes in teamwork. __________, when asked the way the league is structured, Lloyd said she felt great anxiety initially for fear that the __________ may be more on the individual and less on the __________. “Volleyball is a team sport, all the pieces __________ and you need cooperation to be successful.” Lloyd said.

On the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (高原), the Sanjiangyuan Region, which has the     1     (impress) landscape and various wildlife, is home to the headwaters (上游) of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers,     2     is thus known as Asia’s “water tower”. The Sanjiangyuan Region is not only the source of splendid rivers, but also an important habitat for species on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. In the past few decades, the delicate ecological environment     3     (preserve) silently by the locals.

Little known to the outsiders, Jianzuo Village, located near the headwaters of the Lancang River, is the first community on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau to lead a zero-waste life. People gave up using plastic products     4     (protect) the water and soil in the Sanjiangyuan Region. In 2017, local people made use of floors, doors and windows     5     (desert) in the Yushu earthquake to build     6     zero-waste environmental protection school.     7     makes the school unique is that the insides are decorated with recycled things and second-hand furniture. And every old object has a special story. The zero-waste school also     8     (remind) the local people of the beauty of traditional culture. As the “zero-waste dream” comes true, people who have lived     9     generations on the plateau have also regained their cultural     10     (confident).

6 . Melissa Sevigny, a science journalist for Arizona Public Radio, recounts the details of the 1938 river journey of Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter, who, along with their guide, Norm Nevills, and a few other crew members, traveled down the Colorado River with the goal of cataloging (登记) undiscovered plants in the area. The Colorado River was known as the most dangerous river in the world. But for Clover and Jotter, it held-a great appeal: no one had surveyed the Grand Canyon’s plants, and they were determined to be the first.

As women scientists, Clover and Jotter faced scrutiny (监督) even before their trip began. They started in Green River, Utah, and then traveled through Cataract Canyon, Glen Canyon, and the Grand Canyon before ending at Lake Mead. For Clover, the trip fit perfectly with her dream of cataloging all the Southwest’s cacti (a kind of plant), but, more than that, it was a chance to make her mark on the field of botany. As they made their way down the river, they continued to face challenges, including navigating intense rapids, losing one of their three boats, and dealing with aggressive reporters and inaccurate and imaginary news reports. When Clover and Jotter finally reached the entrance of the Grand Canyon, they felt apprehensive, but they decided they had no choice now but to brave the wild river.

Drawing information from the crew’s letters and journals, Sevigny brings us directly into the boats and introduces us to many of the plants that Clover and Jotter surveyed and collected. The author also includes a map of the route and photographic images of the crew at different points along the way. Woven (编织) throughout the narrative of Clover and Jotter is the early history of travel on the Colorado River as well as how Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and the Park Service have shaped the eco logy of the river over time.

As the author notes, women in science still face challenges and barriers; Sevigny hopes that recalling the past will lead to a fairer future.

The popularity of ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River, such as Zhouzhuang and Wuzhen, has aroused a nationwide trend in the construction of ancient towns. Lin Peng, the director of China’s Institute of Ancient Cities and Cultural Studies, pointed     1     that there are more than 2,800 developed or developing ancient towns in our country,     2     is definitely the highest number globally.

In ancient towns,     3     immersive (沉浸式) experience being mentioned here is historical and cultural characteristics — the “ancient” of ancient towns. Apart from visible “special buildings”, characteristics also include invisible “culture”. Tourists in ancient towns want to see the living     4     (condition) of local people, feel the vitality of town life, try characteristic local snacks     5     (influence) by geography and folk customs, and understand how long history     6     (shape) local culture. Out of modern fast-paced work and life, tourists want to awaken their inner softness with a slow-moving ancient town.

Touring ancient towns is for recreation, relaxation, and pleasure,     7     if all the ancient towns in different places are the same and cannot find their own     8     (unique), then ancient town tourism will     9     (eventual) decline. Let every ancient town become a unique historical imprint (印记), so that tourists can find their “poetry and distance” while     10     (wander) through the ancient towns. This is the soul that ancient towns need to regain.

10 . One teacher had two students. One of them had a positive vision while the other had the _________ one.

One day, the teacher _________ for a park with both the students and while wandering in the garden, they _________ a mango tree from which some ripe and juicy mangoes were _________. On seeing this, the teacher thought to _________ both of his students. Then, he asked the first one, “My dear child, what do you think of this mango tree?”

The student answered instantly, “Teacher, in spite of people _________ this tree with stones, it gives us sweet and juicy mangoes. It does _________ but still it gives us fruits. I wish all human beings learn this important _________ from the mango tree—to share their _________ even if they have to suffer for this.”

After that, the teacher asked the other student the same question. The student __________ answered, “Teacher, this mango tree is no good and will not give mangoes by itself but only when we hit it with stones and __________. Therefore, we should hit it hard to get sweet mangoes from it. That is the only way to __________ these mangoes. It is also clear from this tree that in order to get good __________ from others, we need to be violent and only when we become violent, then and only then will we get __________.”

The teacher was delighted with the answer given by the first student because he had an admirable vision and __________ the tree with positive vision.