World Environment Day (WED) is a day we all need to put in our     1     (diary). It happens on June 5 every year and should be one of the most important days of the holiday calendar. WED     2     (create) in 1972 by the United Nations General Assembly. The environment wasn’t such a big issue back then. But it is one of the hottest topics in the world today. WED helps raise worldwide awareness of the threats to our environment.     3     people can do that day is to start changing lifestyles to reduce their carbon footprint. Many environmental agencies organize events based on different themes each year. These events encourage both governments and local communities to work together     4     (handle) environmental problems.

Traditionally, livestreamers(主播)sell delicious snacks or local goodies. But a recent livestream event in Tibet autonomous region did something different. Waste plastic bottles,       1     are regarded as a great damage to the local environment, were sold for 0.5 yuan each, with the     2     (intend)of raising people's awareness of Tibet's pollution issue.

According to the Sohu website, in 2019, about 40 million tourists visited Tibet, which     3     consequence left about 360 million plastic bottles     4     (abandon)in branches, on cliffs and in rivers. The white pollution causes serious threat to the delicate ecosystem     5     the death of local animals, such as yaks.

Over the past few years, more than 5,000 volunteers of different ages and from all walks of life     6     (participate)in the anti-white pollution campaign. They carry out over 2,000 clean-ups to collect 200, 000 bottles left by tourists each year. Then the bottles     7     (sort)by color and shipped inland     8     (make)raw materials. Roughly, each bottle costs about 0.5 yuan.

The livestream has successfully involved more people in the anti-white pollution campaign. People can scan QR code and donate money to encourage more people to collect bottles. It's really a meaningful event and helps to make     9     possible for us human beings to coexist with nature     10     (harmonious).

Chinese scientists have developed a kind of plastic that degrades in sea water and could help slow down the     1    (increase) serious plastic pollution in the ocean.

The new plastic can degrade in sea water over a period ranging from a few days to several hundred days,     2    (leave) small parts that cause no pollution, said Wang Gexia,     3     is a senior engineer. 

For a long time, people focused     4     white pollution on land. Plastic pollution in the sea only caught people’s attention when more and more     5    (report) about marine animals dying from it appeared in recent years.

Scientists combined water dissolution and biodegradation processes     6    (design) and invent     7     new plastic.

The research     8    (select) as one of the winning projects at a contest. The contest encouraged young Chinese scientists to develop groundbreaking technologies and was intended to inspire creativity. 

China has given top attention to     9    (environment) protection, contributing Chinese wisdom to     10    (resolve) global pollution problems.

6 . There are hundreds of great national nature reserves in China. Now feast your eyes on the following amazing ones.

Qinghai Lake, China’s largest saltwater lake in Qinghai Province, is a key body of water for lots of animals and birds. As an important stopover, migratory birds (候鸟) would rest in this area during their movement trip every year. The reserve became a national nature reserve in the year of 1997.

The only Bayanbulak Wetland, in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is at the foot of Tianshan Mountains, which makes itself suitable for migratory birds. Bayanbulak means “rich spring water” in Mongolian, meaning that the area is rich in water. Every year, swans (天鹅) from different places fly here for nesting, which became a national swan reserve in 1986.

As one of the largest wintering places for swans in China, this reserve in Shandong Province mainly protects whooper swans (大天鹅), which make it different from other nature reserves. In 2007, it was changed into a national nature reserve. Now every year, thousands of whooper swans arrive here to spend the winter, making it an important resting and wintering place for themselves.

This reserve focuses on protecting coral reefs and their living environment in Sanya City, Hainan Province. In 1990, it became a national nature reserve. This reserve is on the coast, so the area of the reserve has good water quality and many kinds of creatures,

7 . Around the world, people are realizing the significant problems caused by plastic waste. In the last 65 years, we have become increasingly dependent on plastic. It’s easy to understand why: it’s cheap to produce, light — therefore easy and cheap to transport — and incredibly strong and durable.     1    

One popular solution to the problem is to prohibit single use plastics. In the British supermarkets, shoppers are encouraged to make more environmentally-friendly choices in packing and transporting their food.     2     Some governments have even promised to ban the use of single-use plastic altogether by the not-too-distant future.

However, such plans may not be beneficial to eliminate (消除) the use of single-use plastic altogether.     3     This is not just because of its low cost. It’s also because infection and cross-contamination (交叉感染) are minimized. Plastic packaging is also crucial in the food industry. It ensures that food is safe for consumers.

Another issue is that alternative materials to plastic are often more environmentally harmful than plastic. Take paper bags, for example.     4     The process requires cutting trees, the emission of greenhouse gases and the production of poisonous chemical waste. Even more pollution is created when paper bags break down.

Clearly there is a need to reduce plastic waste and its impact on the environment.     5     Industries that rely on single-use plastics for people’s health and safety must be considered. Moreover, alternative materials must be evaluated strictly regarding their own environmental impact.

8 . More than 45，000 years ago，by the shore of present-day Tasmania，a local person picked up a large piece of thick，dark brown seaweed．And he realized that this giant piece of seaweed could be used to make a watertight bag．And 45，000 years later on mainland Australia，people are again turning to seaweed to solve pressing problems．Today，it is used to address the world's climate crisis．

Winberg，a marine ecologist at the University of Wollongong，has spent decades studying seaweed．She believes seaweed's fast growth rate and ability to absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide can help fight climate change，de-acidify（降低酸度）the oceans，and change the way we farm，not just in the oceans but also on land．

“If we used the infrastructure we have in the ocean and created seaweed islands，we would actually get rid of many climate change issues we have today，” says Winberg．Realizing seaweed's potential as a climate solution，Winberg opened Australia's first land-based，commercial seaweed farm in 2013．On her farm in New Wales，Winberg produces seaweed extracts（提取物）that are used in food，cosmetics and medicines

Like plants on land，seaweed absorbs CO₂ and grows biomass（生物量）．Coastal marine systems can absorb carbon at rates up to 50 times greater than forests on land，according to Emily Pidgeon，senior director of strategic marine initiatives at Conservation International．Globally，seaweeds are thought to absorb nearly 200 million tons of CO₂ every year - as much as New York State's annual emissions．And when the seaweed dies，much of the carbon locked up in its tissues is transported to deep oceans．

By raising pH levels in the ocean，seaweeds also improve growing conditions for shellfish such as oysters and mussels，whose shells become more fragile（脆弱的）in acidic environments．

The potential for seaweed cultivation doesn't stop in the oceans．Winberg has found there are benefits to doing it on land too．She believes that seaweed farming offers “huge potential” to not only address the climate crisis，but also feed a growing population in a sustainable way．According to Winberg，one hectare（公顷）of a seaweed farm can produce more protein than the same amount of land used for cattle．“We're sitting on undiscovered，renewable，sustainable resources，” she says．

Nick was riding his bike along the Arching River when he noticed something     1     (usual) in the water. He took a closer look and saw a pair of fin-like things circling above the river’s surface.     2     (confuse) by what he had seen, Nick took a video and posted it on the Internet. Days later, some researchers confirmed that he     3     (spot) two dolphins— the first cetacean (鲸目动物) sighted in this river since 2017—and this suggested the efforts to restore the health of the river were paying off.