Imagine that you’re sleeping in the wild in a tent and are awakened by the sound of wolves howling(狼嚎叫). That’s     1    happened to me last summer when my family and I spent the night at the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) in South Salem, New York. The howling didn’t frighten me. Wolves howl to communicate     2    each other.

The WCC educates people about wolves,    3    (they) relationship to the environment, and how to ensure that they survive. Guests     4    (invite) to visit the wolves year­round. The center is home to twenty­five wolves and two    5    (serious) endangered species—the red wolf and the Mexican gray wolf. At one point, both species     6    (be) extinct in the wild. With help from the WCC, the wolves are making a comeback.

“Wolves help to keep all other animals in balance(平衡) and keep the environment really     7    (health) ,” said Mary Kate Kabbes, an educator at the WCC.

When wolves became extinct in Yellowstone National Park, the elk(麋鹿) population increased to five times its normal(正常的) size and destroyed areas where birds lived. As    8    result, several bird species were forced to leave the park.

Now that wolves are back at Yellowstone, the birds have returned. “Learning about wolves, reading books about them, and telling your family and friends is a simple way    9    (help) spread the word about the     10    (important) of wolves.” Kabbes said.

4 . Hello, everyone! I’ve just come back from a wonderful trip to Tibet. Snow-covered mountains disappear into clouds that seem almost close enough to touch. It was so beautiful there that     1     . The scenery was so impressive and the air was so fresh and clean. Watching animals move slowly across the green grass,     2     . Attracted by its fascinating scenery, more and more visitors have crowded into the place. In order to protect it,     3     . However, cans, paper and plastic bags are still being thrown away by many tour groups. That’s to say,     4     . I worry about the effect this will have on the local wildlife.     5     We should all think about this question. Only when we learn to exist in harmony with nature can live a peaceful life.

7 . John “Charlie” Veron-widely known as “the Godfather of Coral Reef (珊瑚礁)”-is a celebrated expert who has personally discovered nearly a quarter of the world’s coral species and has spent the past 45 years diving Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. But now the 73-year-old is raising the alarm about its future. The Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders, is 2, 300 kilometers long and is the only living organism that can be seen from space. It is considered a World Treasure Site due to its biodiversity (生物多样性)with 30 species of whales, dolphins and sharks. Within the reef itself, there are also a number of tiny organisms and fishes.

However, its health is threatened. After the recent mass bleaching (白化)events, Veron dived in many areas of the Great Barrier Reef to see the damage for himself. “I was seeing and feeling it and it was absolutely shocking, ” he says.

Veron says the mass bleaching events in the past few years-and the possibility of losing one of nature’s greatest treasures-were a wake-up call for the world in the wider battle against climate change, which, together with the rising sea temperature, is considered the greatest threats to the reef.

Fortunately, earlier this year, the Australian government announced nearly 400 million dollars in new funding towards scientific projects designed to help the reef.

There has been criticism in Australia about the slow process for the funding. “It won’t be wasted, though,”Veron says. “As scientists will be able to create a sort of seed bank to protect the species until the climate is good enough to rebuild the reef. What the scientists hope to do is to help nature along a bit after the big carbon dioxide increase is over and it starts to come down.”

8 . Coral reefs(珊瑚礁)as underwater walls can help reduce the effects of hurricanes on coastal communities. This seems unbelievable. It is reported that scientists have discovered that coral reefs are even more effective than man-made sea walls under the water. However, coral reefs are especially easy to be influenced by climate change. Overfishing and pollution have also proved very dangerous to them. Since 1950, half of the world’s coral reefs have already been lost. To protect our communities and keep sea ecosystems alive, we need to protect coral reefs right away.

Let’s take a closer look at how coral reefs protect us from floods, and how scientists are restoring (修复) reefs.

The roles that coral reefs play as underwater walls have long been recorded by scientists. During a Category 3 hurricane in 2015 in Australia, the coral reefs effectively protected the eastern shoreline from flooding. In contrast, the western coasts without coral reefs suffered serious damage. The researchers observed that the shape of coral reefs can break the approaching waves. More recently, researchers at the University of Miami have reached the same conclusion. They used a special lab simulator to recreate ocean conditions during a Category 5 hurricane. They found that coral reefs could reduce the impact of waves by up to 95 percent!

Because of higher ocean acidity (酸 性) and temperature, coral reefs are disappearing and dying out. At the same time, climate change puts weakened coral reefs under more stress. The University of Miami researchers are testing to plant new coral reefs while others are actively looking for effective methods to reduce the acidity of sea water. The governments have also paid more attention to these actions and provided enough money for reef restoration. With these efforts, we may address climate threats to coral reefs and they can carry on protecting our communities.

9 . March 3 is World Wildlife Day, an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful diversity of plants and animals on earth. This day also marks the 50th anniversary of an international agreement between governments to ensure the trading of wild animals and plants—which is estimated to be worth billions of US dollars globally—doesn’t threaten species’ survival.

The voluntary deal, called the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES), provides varying degrees of protection to more than 37,000 species globally. The text of the convention was agreed at a meeting on March 3,1973 and it came into force in 1975. It provides a framework for 184 participants to ensure sustain-able trading of wild species for products such as food, fur and medicines.

“Without CITES, we’d lack a vital mechanism to turn off the ever-flowing and sorrowful deal of species driven by market demand,” said Abigail Entwistle at conservation charity in a press release.

The mountain gorilla is one species benefiting from a total trade ban under CITES in partner ship with this charity. Since this began, the population size has risen fourfold to more than 1,000 individuals. The pygmy hippos(侏儒河马)are also protected by CITES. They are found in the forests and swamps of West Africa, with most living in Liberia. Recently, conservationists have confirmed that pygmy hippos have a wider distribution than previously thought.

Grenadines pink rhino iguana(犀牛鬣蜥)is a striking species, which is threatened by hunting, because it still lacks CITES protection. Since 2016, the charity has been working with local and international partners to protect this species. The important point is that it works. The charity says“a CITES listing would be the logical next step”to better protect its survival.

When Zhou Longshan started filming birds 10 years ago at Baiyangdian Lake,     1     major wetland in northern China, he just wanted to record his favorite species—egrets (白鹭).

Then things snowballed. In the following years, the teacher became a bird watcher, a volunteer ranger at the lake, a photographer     2    (document) over 110 bird species, and an     3     (education) popularizing bird-related knowledge among students.

“Sharing bird-protection knowledge with children can make them feel the     4    (beautiful) of their hometown and the importance of birds, and help them cultivate the habit of protecting birds from an early age,” he said.

Growing up in a local village, Zhou,60, has fond childhood memories     5    (associate) with the wetland.

“When I was a child, the water in Baiyangdian was limpid. The fish and aquatic plants in the water could be seen clearly,” he said. “I often caught fish with my friends, rowed boats and drank the lake water     6     I was thirsty.”

Between the 1960s and 1980s,     7    , Baiyangdian suffered severely from industrial pollution. Chemicals poisoned the water and lake beds, decimating the aquatic life. In the 1990s, the lake     8    (near) dried up due to climate change.

When Zhou became a teacher in the 1990s, the stink from the lake could sometimes be smelled from his village. “The lake became stinking, the population and species of fish and birds decreased, and the locals were unwilling to go near the lake,” he recalled.

Since the Xiong’an New Area was established in 2017, Baiyangdian’s rehabilitation and protection activities     9    (improve) greatly. The water quality has improved from Level Ⅴ-the     10    (low) in China’s five-tier water assessment system-to Level Ⅲ.

Zhou will retire in June. “I will continue patrolling the lake and photographing the birds, to contribute to the protection of birds in my hometown,” he said.