1     (see) from outer space, Earth is a blue planet, due to the fact that the ocean covers over 70 per cent of its surface. According to a new study published in the journal Science, the ocean plays a great role in     2     (slow) down global warming.     3     The New York Times reported, it is “    4     important buffer(缓冲物) ”. 

The oceans can absorb 93 per cent of the heat trapped by the greenhouse gases which humans release into the atmosphere. And the other 7 per cent     5     (absorb) by the air, land and ice caps, according to an     6     (analyse). 

“If the ocean wasn’t absorbing as much heat, the surface of the land would heat up much     7     (fast) than it is right now,” said professor Malin L. Pinsky at Rutgers University in the US. “In fact, the ocean is saving us from rapid warming right now.” 

However, the ocean itself, as Discover Magazine noted, is heating up 40 per cent faster on average than the United Nations     8    (believe) five years ago. That means if the ocean temperatures increase     9    this speed, the high water temperatures “will kill off marine ecosystems, raise sea levels and make     10     (hurricane) more destructive (破坏性的) ”, The Guardian reported.

Threatened by Arctic changes

Climate change may wipe out polar bears by the end of this century,    1    recent report in the journal Nature Climate Change said. However, unless more is done, their extinction is likely    2    (come) earlier as their home may disappear.

According to Science Daily, the Arctic, the only natural habitat for polar bears,    3    (be) in danger. Sea ice in the area could disappear    4    (complete) by 2035. This is undoubtedly bad news for this animal, as they use the    5    (float) sea ice to hunt.

Scientists made this    6    (predict) by using the UK climate model. According to Science Daily, this model allowed researchers to compare Arctic sea ice conditions during the last interglacial period(间冰期)    7    present day conditions. Researchers found that during the last interglacial period many shallow    8    (pool) of water formed on the surface of the Arctic sea ice during spring and summer. These pools, known as melt ponds, played a key role in the melting of the sea ice. This is because    9    there are larger areas of melt ponds, more heat is absorbed by sea ice, which causes it to melt    10    (far). To save the northern-most region of Earth, what we should be doing is "focusing all our minds on achieving a low-carbon world".

On March 28, 2020, millions of people around the world turned their lights off for “Earth Hour”,     1     event meant to remind people of the importance of climate action. Because of the coronavirus(冠状病毒), this year’s event     2     (mark) online.

Initially launched as a way of making people aware of climate change in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour     3     (grow) to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide ever since. It is held once a year. People switch their non-essential lights off for an hour     4     8:30 and 9:30 at night. There have been many public activities in     5     (celebrate) of Earth Hour around the world. This year, public gatherings aren’t allowed in most places. So instead, organizers encouraged people to take part digitally.

In Singapore that meant special on-line performances. Australia held a similar live-stream of performances by bands, comics, and others. In other places, people were encouraged to upload videos or photos     6     can highlight how important it is to protect the environment.

With the climate     7     (get) worse, focusing attention on climate action is seen by many as more important than ever. Scientists     8     (strong) suggest taking effective action before 2030     9     (avoid) the worst effects of the climate emergency. Though most countries usually use a bit     10     (little) energy during Earth Hour, the main idea is to remind people to take action on climate change outside of Earth Hour.

“Climate emergency” was picked by Oxford Dictionaries as the word of the year for 2019 after     1     (use) on average 100 times more than in 2018.

Defined as “a situation     2     urgent action is required to reduce or stop climate change and avoid environmental damage resulting from it ”, the word became one of the most important     3     (term) of 2019. “Climate” did not have a place in the top words     4    (typical) used to modify (修饰) “emergency” in 2018. Instead, the top types of emergencies that people wrote about     5     (be) health, hospital and family emergencies. But with climate emergency, people saw something new,     6     extension of emergency to the global level. The choice was reflective, not just of the rise in climate awareness, but the focus specifically     7     the language used to discuss it. Oxford said the rise of “climate emergency”     8       (show) an intentional push towards language of urgency.

The dictionary’s word of the year is chosen     9     (reflect) attention of the passing year and should have lasting potential as a term of     10     (culture) significance. Previous winners of word of the year include “toxic” in 2018 and “youthquake” in 2017.