I want to take an action to put my family on the path to zero waste. First, I'll make sure the water in my house won't be left running when no one is using them and the lights in my room will be turned off when I left. Of course, I'll convince my parents to packing the goods in cloth bags instead plastic bags. Beside, I plan to do at least one environmental volunteer project with my family a week. For example, we can spare a few hour on Saturdays to serve at a restaurant but remind diners not to waste food. I'm surely we will be amazed at what much satisfaction we get from our work.

5 . The air is thin and we have to rest several times on the short trip from camp. On the plain (平原), we can just see many wild animals. This is why we're here to observe Tibetan antelopes.

Tibetan antelopes live on the plains of Tibet,Xinjiang and Qinghai.Watch them move slowly across the green grass. I'm attracted by the lovely animals.I'm also reminded of the danger they are in. They are being killed for their valuable fur.

My guide Zhaxi works at the Changtang National Nature Reserve. The reserve is a place for the animals and plants of northwestern Tibet. To Zhaxi, protesting the wildlife is a way of life."We're not tying to save the animals.” he says,"Actually, we're trying to save ourselves."

Between the 1980s and 1990s, the population of the Tibetan antelope dropped by over 50 percent. People were shooting antelopes to make profits. Their living places were becoming smaller as new roads and railways were built.

In order to save the animals, the Chinese government placed them under national protection. Zhaxi and other volunteers watched over the antelopes day and night to keep them safe from attacks. Bridges and gates were added to let the antelopes move easily and keep them safe from cars and trains.

The measures were effective. The antelope population has recovered and in June 2015.the Tibetan antelope was removed from the list of animals in danger. The government, however,does not intend to stop the protection programs, since the threats (威胁) to the Tibetan antelope have not yet disappeared.

Much is being done to protect wildlife but if we really want to save the planet, we must change our way of life. We can stop being a threat to wildlife and to our planet only when we learn to exist in peace with nature.

6 . On November 7, Lewis Pugh completed a one-kilometer swim in the freezing waters of King Edward Cove, off South Georgia in Antarctica. He was wearing only his swimming glasses, cap and Speedo !

Pugh is an advocate for our oceans and seas, working to protect these ecosystems with their large diversity of marine life. When asked why he doesn't wear a wetsuit(防寒泳衣), Pugh says, "I ask world leaders to do everything they can to protect our oceans. Sometimes the steps they need to take are difficult and unpopular. If I'm asking them to be courageous, I must also be. Swimming in a wetsuit would not send the right message."

It took Pugh about 19 minutes to complete the one-kilometer swim in Antarctica where the water averaged about 1.6 degrees Celsius. He says that his body can only tolerate about 20 minutes in the freezing waters before it starts shutting down. As he swims, his body temperature steadily drops, which in turn causes his muscle control to drop, slowing him down. When he is done with his swim, his support team rushes him to a hot shower and it takes almost an hour for his body temperature to return to normal.

Doctors and Pugh caution that one must receive months of training to swim in such cold waters. Even expert swimmers who are unused to freezing water can drown within minutes because of the physical shock experienced by the body. Pugh says he trained for six months before this swim.

This is not the first time that Pugh has swum in dangerous conditions. In 2007, he swam one kilometer in the North Pole to draw attention to the melting Arctic ice due to climate change. In 2015, he swam in the Bay of Whales in Antarctica's Ross Sea as part of his successful campaign to help set up a marine reserve there.

7 . The Tokyo Summer Olympics is going green. The 5,000 medals Japan has made are more special than most.

One novel focus of the Tokyo Olympics is to be“sustainable”—to avoid using too many natural resources, so that the games are easy on the environment. As part of this goal, the organizers decided to make all of the Olympic medals out of metal recycled from old electronics.

Almost all electronics are made with small amounts of "precious metals", like gold and silver. But collecting enough of these metals to make 5,000 medals was a huge challenge. That's because the amount of metal in each device is tiny. It would take about 20,000 cell phones to get just 1 kilogram of gold.

Beginning in April 2017, the organizers placed collection boxes around the country, and asked people to turn in their old electronic devices. Soon people began to respond to the initiative, turning in smartphones, digital cameras, hand-held games, and laptops. At first, collection went slowly, but soon more and more areas began to take part. By the end, 1,621 local governments had helped out with the collection process.

Then came the job of breaking those devices down into smaller pieces. After being taken apart and sorted, the small electronics were smelted (熔炼) to get all the gold, silver, and bronze elements. This is a tricky job, which calls for careful attention and good skill. It's also dangerous, because some of the metals and other things aren't safe for people to touch or breathe.

By the end of March, 2019, the organizers had hit their targets of getting enough metal for the medals. They had collected around3xkilograms of gold, 4,100 kilograms of silver and 2,200 kilograms of bronze. And now all the 5,000 medals are available for the would-be winners.

8 . Rachel Carson was concerned about what was happenig to the environment. So   in her book Silent Spring, she warned that some chemicals were poisoning the air, the water, the earth, and all its creatures. She imagined a time when spring would not bring the rebirth of flowers, trees, and the songs of birds. The book became a bestseller, and Ms. Carson was in great demand as a speaker. People lisened to her because what she said made sense, and because she was a scientist who knew her facts.

Rachel Carson was primarily interested in the world of sea and shore, so she       became a marine biologst for the government. She studied and recorded facts about the sea' s plant and animal life, their special characteristics, and the nature of their environments. In 1951, she wrote The Sea Around Us, which brought her honors, fame, and respect around the world.

Ms. Carson then devoted herself full-time to research and writing. One thing     much on her mind was the effect of modern technology on the natural environment. One day, a distressed friend wrote her to say that a plane spraying(喷洒) DDT had flown over her yard, and the next day several birds lay dead. Carson decided to act.

For four years she studied the use of pesticides(杀虫剂) in the United States, and then she wrote Silent Spring.

In her book Ms. Carson said that these pesticides would harm much more than     insects. She explained that these poisons would pollute the environment. “Even if their effects are not immediately observable, they remain for years in the water and the soil, and they become part of the food eaten by animals and humans.

Besides, after a time, insects develop immunity to pesticides,” she said.

Recent studies have shown that pesticides can affect human brainwave activity   and cause loss of memory and inability to concentrate. We should still remember Rachel Carson’s words, “I think we are challenged as we have never been challenged before to prove our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.”

9 . Providing five-star luxury (豪华) in the middle of a treasured wilderness without damaging the environment might not be easy, but it is far from impossible. The King Pacific Lodge in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest proves that if enough care and attention is taken, the task is within the reach of any tourist provider.

Unlike many other hotel building projects, no trees were cut down and no land was wasted in order to build it. The Lodge does not have the same location but sits on a floating boat pulled into the sea bay in May, till September. Those wishing to stay in one of its seventeen rooms must access it by boat or seaplane. Each guest staying at the Lodge is charged 3% conservation tax, but is rewarded by the chance to sight whales and bears. And since these are the main attractions of the area and of the Lodge, the management is well aware that in order to stay in business they must leave the area untouched.

In 2000, the Lodge management signed an agreement with the native Gitga’ at people. Together they work for the benefit of the area. The Lodge recognizes the native tribe (部落) as the owners of the land, pays the tribe for the use of their land and even supports the native youth and employs the tribe’s people. They, in turn, teach the newcomers about the local culture.

The King Pacific Lodge is one of a growing number of tourism companies that go beyond only minimizing (把……减至最小程度) their environmental effect to win the approval (批准) of the local community where they set up their business. These companies use environmentally friendly solution to problems, and are careful to limit their use of resources and protect threatened species. Realizing how destructive (破坏性的) tourism can be, they want to avoid the love-it-to-death effect of tourism and leave a lighter environmental footprint.

A small town in New Zealand has announced a(n)     1     (usual) plan to ban domestic cats in order to protect native wildlife.

Those who currently own cats will not be forced to give them     2    , according to the plan. However, after their cats pass away, they will not be allowed     3     (get) another one. The cats will need to have microchips (芯片) put just below the surface of     4     skins so that they can     5     (find) at any time.

Village     6     (official) say the plan is needed because domestic cats     7     (attack) wild animals in the area. Because of this, the area’s native wildlife is     8     (rapid) disappearing.

New Zealand has listed 150 animal species as being seriously endangered and in need of     9     (protect). These animals include a kind of ant     10     only lives under one kind of rock, and a kind of lizard (蜥蜴) that only lives in a certain area.