At the Shishou Milu National Nature Reserve in Hubei Province, about 2,000 creatures wander freely. Their numbers include 460 deer born this year, showing that the species,     1     was once endangered in China in the early 20th century, has staged a remarkable     2     (recover).

Often     3     (refer) to as sìbuxiang, a milu deer seems to consist of parts of various creatures. It has antlers (鹿角) like other deer, but seems to have the head of a horse, the feet of cattle and the tail of a donkey (驴).

    4     one of the animal’s three major protected areas in China, the Shishou reserve was established in 1991. Close to the Yangtze River, the area has a complete wetland ecosystem,an ideal habitat for the deer. Its conservation story provides     5     example for other endangered animals under a threat of extinction.

    6     (ensure) a safe environment, two engineers and eight rangers (护林员) are sent to get around the reserve. Advanced technologies are applied to help observe and analyze     7     (they) habits and environment. The efforts of those responsible for the deer have     8     (significant) resulted in the increase in numbers.

In the     9     (country) three major protected areas the Nanhaizi Milu Park in Beijing, the Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve in Jiangsu Province, and the Shishou reserve——the number of the animal     10     (increase) from 39 to over 10,000 since 1986.

5 . Buying furniture is easier than ever. You can even order a new table and chairs online without ever leaving home. But did you ever think about how furniture is made? The process begins with trees but now researchers have found a better way: growing it in a lab instead of a forest. Instead of cutting down trees and adding to deforestation, Velasquez-Garcia said, “If you want a table, then you should just grow a table.”

The research group found a way to actually grow plant tissue (组织) — wood and fiber — in a lab that is similar to the way cultured meat is grown. While there is still a long way to go to actually grow a table, the team was able to grow structures from cells from zinnia leaves.

Making furniture and other items from biomaterials could eliminate cutting down trees in forests. “The way we get these materials hasn’t changed in centuries and is very inefficient,” said Velasquez-Garcia. “This is a real chance to avoid all that inefficiency.”

There are other benefits to using lab wood too. Lab grown wood can be handled to take on any shape — like 3 D printing — so it may be possible to build a table without glue or screwing parts together.

Beckwith, a mechanical engineering PhD student, was inspired by a visit to a farm to try to make land-use more efficient and environmentally sound. “That got me thinking: Can we be more strategic (战略上的) about what we’re getting out of our process? Can we get more yield for our inputs?” she told MIT News. “I wanted to find a more efficient way to use land and resources so that we could let more farmlands remain wild, or to remain lower production but allow for greater biodiversity.”

Today, the two largest uses of trees are to make wood products and paper. When new biomaterials become readily available, forests will lose their economic value and will be preserved for their environmental, health, and recreational value. These researchers, like Velasquez-Garcia, are speaking for the trees.

7 . Chinese scientists say they have developed a robotic fish that can remove microplastic particles from water environments. Researchers working on the project say the robots could help to clean up plastic pollution in oceans around the world.

The robotic swimmers are about 1.3 centimeters long. They are made of a soft chemical Compound. The robots are designed to absorb microplastics while moving through the water. The project was launched by a team at Sichuan University in southwestern China. The researchers said the robots have already performed well in shallow water and they plan to carry out more tests in deeper waters. The scientists reported their findings in a new study in Nano Letters. The publication comes from the American Chemical Society, a nonprofit organization supported by the U.S. Congress. The robotic fish were built to target microplastic particles, which are smaller than five millimeters. Studies have confirmed that microplastic pollution has been discovered in many natural environments. The material comes from the breakdown of manufactured plastic products and industrial waste.

The team said the robots can be controlled by light. Turning “a near-infrared light laser” on and off causes the fish’s tail to move back and forth, the American Chemical Society said. The robotic fish can swim up to 2.76 body lengths per second. The researchers said this is faster than most similar soft robots. Wang Yuyan was a member of Sichuan University’s research team. She told Reuters news agency that the small, lightweight robot is currently being used to collect microplastics for research purposes. But Wang added that the team plans to expand that use so the robot fish can remove larger amounts of microplastic waste from deep ocean areas. The fish can take in different kinds of microplastics and even repair itself when damaged, the researchers said. And if a robot fish is accidentally eaten by a real fish, it could safely digest the material, the team added. Wang said similar robots could be developed to be placed inside the human body to remove unwanted materials or disease.

8 . Food waste contributes to ever-growing landfills (垃圾堆).    1     If you want to help the environment in your own way, you can start by reducing, or better yet, completely erasing food waste in your home. To give you an idea of where to start, here are some tips:

Don’t buy too much food whenever you go grocery shopping.    2     However, if your family cannot eat all the food before it goes bad, then it just adds to food waste. Taking several short grocery shopping trips every week instead of one long trip may help keep you from buying too much food, thereby cutting back on food waste.

Always make a shopping list.    3     That’s because you already know what things you need. Moreover, a list will prevent you from buying food items that you already have at home, which can help reduce the amount of potential food waste.

    4     For meats, you have to keep them in the freezer while fruits and vegetables should be stored in the crisper compartment (保鲜室). Although these tips may seem simple, they can help greatly reduce the amount of food waste that your family produces.

Use the “First-In-First-Out” method. For example, placing the newly bought foods at the back of the fridge or cupboard will encourage people to use the ones that are in the front row. This will ensure that you know what you have and reduce food waste.     5    

As an ancient story goes, there was a family in China’s Shanxi Province that could hear someone crying in their courtyard every night. They followed the sound,     1     found nothing. One day, a member of the family discovered     2     unusual plant 500 meters away from their house. He     3     (dig) five feet into the ground to find the root of the plant that looked like a human body. This plant is called ginseng.

Ginseng has a     4     (benefit) effect on our health according to the account in the book, Materia Medica,     5     (write) by Li Shizhen. And according to Chinese Pharmacy Dictionary, ginseng is used for     6     (treat) many kinds of diseases. Chinese people believe the roots of ginseng can function     7     a wonderful medicine.

Ginseng likes a cool and moist environment and prefers loose sandy soil. In China, it grows mainly in     8     (province) of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. But many varieties of wild ginseng having been suffering habitat     9     (lose) in recent years, leaving them endangered.     10     (lucky), China has taken effective measures to protect Changbai Mountain and other ginseng nature reserves to help with the recovery of the herb. Chinese herbal medicine is an important part of Chinese culture.