Wildlife protection is     1     global issue, as illegal hunting and habitat loss continue to threaten the balance of ecosystems (生态系统). The decrease in species has caused concerns among individuals and organizations all over the world.     2     (recognize) the serious need for actions, people are making efforts to raise awareness to fight     3     these harmful practices.

To deal with the threats faced by wildlife, building reserves and habitats plays an important role. These areas provide a safe place for various species to survive, allowing     4     (they) to live and grow without the effect of human activities. By     5     (create) these protected spaces, we can ensure the     6     (preserve) of their natural habitats and protect their populations for future generations to enjoy. However, the challenge     7     (lie) in keeping the balance between conservation and economic development. Practical practices, such as responsible tourism and the promotion of environment-friendly industries, can create income without doing harm to the well-being of wildlife and their habitats. By carrying out these practical practices, we can develop a     8     (harmony) relationship between human activities and the natural world.

    9     (true), wildlife protection is a necessary issue     10     requires efforts from governments, organizations, and individuals. By rising awareness and applying stricter management, we can reduce the threats faced by endangered species.

2 . When people think about ways to help the environment, encourage biodiversity and decrease greenhouse gases, they don’t usually think about the impact of food waste.     1    

Producing food for a growing global population is a complex challenge with a lot of negative environmental consequences, so food waste creates unnecessary stress on our fragile environment. Here are four things you can do to cut food waste.

    2     This can help increase the shelf life of many of the most commonly wasted foods, including fruit, vegetables and dairy products. About 90% of milk waste happens in the home. Adjusting your fridge to the right temperature can save 50, 000 tons of milk waste every year.

Single-use plastics. Many of us are seeking to decrease the amount of single-use plastics in our lives, and in our shopping baskets. This is good but often these plastics and packaging keep food fresh for longer.     3     Scientists are working on developing methods of treating and storing food that can extend its shelf life.

Dish up smaller portions. This results in up to 20% less food waste. Many of us put our leftovers in the fridge, then forget about them. Fortunately, there are many ways to manage our fridge contents effectively and decrease food waste.     4     Labeling leftovers reminds us when they went in and when they need to be eaten by. Try and freeze meat dairy and bread if they are close to spoiling—this will extend their life.

Buy directly from local suppliers. Our food systems and supply chains are incredibly complex, which leads to high levels of food loss and waste. In contrast, buying directly from local suppliers results in less waste.     5    

Terry Townshend is an ecologist from the UK. In late October, he climbed to the roof of a building to check out a hand-sized recording device     1    (lay) there to catch the sounds of migratory birds (候鸟) at Beijing’s Olympic Park. Every two weeks, he came here to collect data and share it     2     universities’ research centres for this year’s bird tracking study.

As a birdwatcher     3     has lived in Beijing for over a decade, Townshend founded a website     4     formed a group for fellow enthusiasts. He works to raise environmental     5    (aware) among people to help save some of China’s most endangered birds, initiating projects to track some of Beijing’s celebrated birds.

Though observing the migratory birds in Beijing    6    (be) one of Townshend’s main activities now, his bond with China was established twelve years ago. At that time, the non-governmental organization Townshend once worked with was invited by the Chinese government     7    (cooperate) in boosting support for China’s general environmental laws on climate change. As the project leader, Townshend came to-China for the first time. After getting to know the country, he decided to stay here for     8    (far) research.

“China     9    (value) the recovery of nature in past decades. With the efforts to carry out various targeted protections toward nature,     10     future looks bright for China’s biodiversity. ”Townshend said.

5 . It is a well-known fact that plastic bottles, which take hundreds of years to rot, are harmful to our environment. However, efforts by environmentalists to encourage consumers to switch to alternatives, like water fountains or reusable bottles, have not been very effective. The U.S. alone uses over 50 million plastic bottles annually, 80% of which end up in landfills.

To try to stop that, Rodrigo García González, Pierre Paslier and Guillaume Couche from the Imperial College London have been working on a revolutionary solution — water wrapped inside an eatable container made mostly from seaweed. All the customer has to do to relieve his/her thirst is pop the entire drop into the mouth.

The inventors, who have been working on the Ooho bubble since 2014, use a simple two-step cooking process called spherification (球化) to create the delicate container. They begin by dipping a frozen ball of water or juice into a chemical solution (溶液). This helps form a layer around the liquid. The ball is then absorbed in a solution made from seaweed extract. This creates a second layer, helping strengthen the structure so that the water or juice does not leak. In addition to saving our environment, the biodegradable (可降解的) packaging costs just two cents each, making it cheaper to produce than plastic.

After three years of perfecting the design, the inventors, who recently raised over 1 million USD from a financial activity, are ready to bring the Ooho bubble to local market. However, there are a few challenges that still need to be overcome before the product’s launch. In addition to getting accustomed to the taste of the covering, each eatable container contains just a mouthful of water, requiring consumers to drink multiple bubbles to relieve their thirst. There is also the issue of finding an eco-friendly packaging to transport the bubbles so that they remain clean and do not burst. Hopefully, the inventors will find ways to handle the issues so that we can reduce, or perhaps even remove, plastic bottles.

6 . Tima Abudhi is a 55-year-old mother of five. When growing up, she remembers watching her neighbors _________ at the mangrove forests (红树林) around her village on Pate Island, on Kenya’s east coast, to build houses or to sell as wood.

As the mangroves _________, so did the fish that live among their roots --- a _________ for the fishing village of Kizingitini. The threat to their livelihoods and homes _________ Abudhi and other women to start replanting the mangroves, often spending all day at the _________, taking time away from caring for their families and _________ their small businesses. Protecting the mangroves over the past few decades has _________ their incomes, but they felt it was a matter of urgency, Abudhi said.

“Replanting the mangroves is not _________. We have to go early in the morning to get the seedlings (幼苗) and then come to the beach and plant them until evening, just before the tides _________ again. We couldn't make __________ time for our businesses,” she said.

Today, the women of Kizingitini no longer have to __________ to both make a living and conserve the mangroves, thanks to a loan scheme that helps them keep food on the table so they can __________ to continue planting. “This has led to increased __________ of women in conservation and community development, as well as reduced __________ inequality,” said Abudhi.

Mangrove forests can __________ flooding and are considered key to controlling climate change and protecting people against warming-linked disasters.

7 . If all goes well, a balloon will soon rise from Space Center in Sweden. It will float high into the upper atmosphere, where nothing will happen, and then return to Earth. Nevertheless, a collection of environmental groups is trying to stop it.

The campaigners are against the flight because of what comes next. The balloon is a test flight for a research being run by the University of Harvard. The research aims to test an idea called SAI, in which fine dust is added into the upper atmosphere to boost the amount of sunlight reflected back into space. A future flight will release a small amount of calcium carbonate dust into the upper atmosphere, in order to help researchers learn more about solar geoengineering — an excellent but theoretical idea of deliberately adjusting the Earth's systems to prevent the bad effects of climate change.

Opponents worry about two things. The first is the moral issue. If solar geoengineering works, it could reduce pressure to deal with climate change at its source by cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. Furthermore, in order to keep temperatures low, the reflective particles (颗粒) would have to be topped up continuously. A sudden stop could result in very rapid wanning. Raymond Pierrehumbert, a physicist at the University of Oxford, says solar geoengineering is too risky even to research outside of computer simulations (模拟).

Not all environmentalists are opposed. The world is likely to miss the target, set in the Paris agreement, of keeping warming to 1.5℃."We're not well-served by not understanding what these technologies represent," says Steven Hamburg. Mr Hamburg favours small-scale geoengineering research. Other green organisations have also hesitantly approved of exploring the idea.

Exploration is likely to carry on in any case. Once a taboo, geoengineering is being taken increasingly seriously. A recent report on climate change suggested that SAI could help keep warming below 1.5℃ America has developed a research plan for solar geoengineering. Both China and India have launched research programmes of their own. Activists will continue to oppose experiments. But balloons will likely fly anyway.