2 . The human population of Sri Lanka is now believed to be over 20 million. As a result, large areas of trees are being turned into farmland, highways are being built, and elephants are being driven out of their habitats. This change causes turmoil, resulting in an increased number of uncontrollable events between elephants and humans.

The good news is that there is one place called the Elephant Transit Home (ETH) in Udawalawe National Park, the main purpose of which is to protect and care for baby elephants. A day at the ETH begins early in the morning when the baby elephants are given their first feeding of milk. During the course of the day, each baby will drink an average of 13 gallons of milk. Older elephants are fed mostly coconut leaves as well as other native plants. Then the elephants are set free to wander in the park.

The ETH spends almost $ 125 ,000 each year on powdered milk for these baby animals. To help pay for food and medical supplies, the ETH has a foster (领养) parent programme. Anyone, even schoolchildren, can help a lot by giving money to care for a baby elephant. Foster parents can name their elephants, take photographs of them, and even help send them back into the wild.

Now visitors are not encouraged to get close to the elephants. The goal of the ETH is for the elephants to return to the wild in the end. It usually takes three years for a baby elephant to be sent back into its natural habitat. This programme helps them return to the wild as members of a herd that will communicate with each other and take care of each other.

3 . Help Hermit Crabs

Hermit crabs are nature’s recyclers. They eat waste and help keep oceans and shores clean. Unlike other crabs, the hermit crab has a thin outer shell over its soft tail. This makes the hermit crab easy prey for hungry predators. Hermit crabs stay safe by living in old seashells. A hermit crab is picky; it tries on many shells until it finds one that fits just right. In recent years, however, many hermit crabs have had trouble finding their perfect homes. What is the problems There are not enough shells to go around!

One reason for the seashell shortage is that ocean water is not as clean as it once was. This has caused chemical changes to sea water. Some sea animals, like snails, are affected by these changes. Now there are fewer snails making shells. People visiting the beach often take shells home as souvenirs. This is another problem. Other people even take shells for their own pet hermit crabs! They do not realize that hermit crabs in the wild need those shells too.

Now people are working to solve this hermit crab housing shortage. They are teaching beach-Boers to leave seashells where they belong — at the seashore! Some people even make fake seashells that they hope the hermit crabs will like. For example, a group called Project Shelter invited people who visited their website to create different designs for hermit crab shells.

These designers had a lot to consider. What kind of material should be used to build a seashells. The material must be light enough for the hermit crab to carry, but strong enough to protect the crab from predators. The man-made shells could not contain glue or any other substance that might harm a hermit crab. Another challenge with building a hermit crab home was the opening to the shell. Too big would mean the crab would not feel safe. Too small would be uncomfortable, and the crab would not want to move in.

The Project Shelter shells are placed in the wild for hermit crabs to find. Lucky hermit crabs can move into these new dream homes.

4 . Waste can be seen everywhere in the school. Some students ask for more food than they can eat and others often forget to turn off the lights when they leave the classroom. They say they can afford these things. But I don’t agree with them.

Waste can bring a lot of problems. Although China is rich in some resources, we are short of others, for example, fresh water. It is reported that we will have no coal or oil to use in 100 years. So if we go on wasting our resources, what can we use in the future and where can we move? Think about it. I think we should say no to the students who waste things every day. Everybody should stop wasting as soon as possible.

In our everyday life, we can do many things to prevent waste from happening, for example, turn off the water taps when we finish washing, turn off the lights when we leave the classroom, try not to order more food than we need, and so on. Little by little, everything will be changed. Waste can be stopped one day if we do our best.

6 . Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.

Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses (球场) in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.

There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep better and have better weight control.

Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.

7 . In 1994, The Brazilian photographer Salgado went back to his homeland in Minas Gerais, Brazil. He was__________ to see the land run by his family. The thick forest there was once a paradise   ( 乐园 ) for him and his friends, bringing them___ memories.

To his horror, he saw a totally different____. Only 0.5% of the land was covered with trees. “The land was as sick as a serious patient — everything was______ due to deforestation (砍伐森林),” Salgado said___ during a meeting on climate change in Paris.

Salgado ______that he should do something about it. Then he ______the bold idea of replanting trees on the land, which beyond his expectations, received___ from his wife and relatives. Soon the whole family _______   and the results are remarkable. _______, the land is changing: It is carpeted with green trees again and some of the insects, birds and animals living in the land before____. The land has been brought back to life. The___ family’s hard work also impressed people around them. They___ cutting down trees and began to protect the environment.

“The work over the years is quite difficult but well worth the_____ and I think every   little bit of work_____,” said Salgado. Therefore, everyone should play a part in protecting   the environment.

Like all big cities, Paris has a traffic problem: lots of cars, traffic jams and pollution from exhaust fumes (废气). So since 2007, the city     1     (begin) a plan to improve the situation.

Under the Velib scheme (公共自行车计划), people can take a bicycle, use it as long as they want, and then leave it at the same or another bicycle station. The first half hour is free,     2     if you don’t return it after 30 minutes, you have to pay. It is only 1 a day or 29 a year. The bicycles are as heavy as 25 kilograms, and they’re all grey and have    3    (basket). There are a large number of them in the city, and the bicycle stations are more than the subway stations!

Paris isn’t the first city     4     (operate)a scheme like this. Not everybody thinks it’s a great idea. One Parisian (巴黎人) said, “These bicycles are only suitable     5     short journeys. If people want to travel across the city, they won’t use a bicycle-they’ll still use their cars.”

A city spokesman said, “The bicycle scheme won’t solve all our traffic problems, but it might work in    6    (reduce) air pollution. Traffic, together with factory fumes,           7     (be) a big problem. Global warming and dramatic climate changes are becoming more and more serious,     8    is partly because rain-forests are    9    (gradual) disappearing. And it’s also because there’s so much pollution. There aren’t any simple answers to traffic problems and pollution in cities, but the bicycles might help people lead a healthier life. Unless we do something now, there will be more traffic jams and temperatures will continue to rise, so the problems in our environment will get even       10     (bad).”

Earth Day is an event    1    (annual) celebrated on April 22.     2    (found) by Senator Gaylord Nelson, an American politician and environmentalist, it was originally aimed at helping the public to know the current situation of air and water pollution and    3     (get) people to care about the earth.

In1962, Rachel Carson’s bestselling book “Silent Spring” created an    4    (aware) of the dangerous effects of pesticides (农药) . Then, a fire,     5     broke out in 1969 on Cleveland’s Guyahoga River, shed light on the problem of chemical pollution in water. Senator Gaylord Nelson dreamed of    6    similar large event that would get people to take environmental issues seriously. In 1969, he was inspired by protests against the Vietnam War and came up with the idea for Earth Day.

In the fall of 1969, Nelson announced it and appealed to the entire country to get involved. Consequently, telegrams, letters and telephone calls    7    all over the country poured in. Since 1970, Earth Day celebration have grown. Later, Nelson    8    (award) the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his work.

Today, Earth Day is celebrated around the world every April 22. Sometimes numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of    9    (activity) focused on the Environmental issues. In 2017, the March for Science    10    (occur) on Earth Day(April 22, 2017) and was followed by the People’s Climate Mobilization (April 29, 2017).

10 . The goal of the “clean ＆ Green” home recycling initiative (倡议) is to assist households in reducing their environmental footprint by providing step-by-step instructions on effective recycling practices.

Understanding Recycling Types

Plastics: These include bottles, containers and other packaging materials. Always clean plastics before recycling to avoid pollution.

paper: Newspapers, magazines, and cardboard are recyclable. However, soiled or wet paper should be discarded as regular waste.

Glass: Bottles and jars of all colors can be recycled. Ensure they are free of food waste.

Metals: Common recyclables are aluminum cans and tin foil (锡纸). Remove any food waste before disposal.

Steps for Effective Home Recycling

Collection: Use separate bins for each type. Mark containers to avoid confusion.

Preparation: As mentioned above, clean the items. This prevents waste and increases the recyclability of the materials.

Storage: Avoid overfilling recycling bins. Overpacked bins might lead to improper sorting at recycling facilities.

Drop-off: If your city doesn’t offer roadside pickup locate your nearest recycling drop-off point.

Stay Informed: Recycling guidelines can change. Regularly check city websites for “clean ＆ Green” updates.

Recycling DOs and DON’Ts

DO: encourage neighbors and friends to adopt recycling habits;

invest in composting (堆肥) if possible; it’s another great way to reduce waste;

DON’T: mix different types in one bin;

recycle dangerous or electronic waste with regular recyclables;

Benefits of Recycling:

Reduces landfill (垃圾填埋) waste.

Conserves natural resources and energy.

Prevents pollution by reducing the need for raw materials.

Supports public health by minimizing exposure to harmful things.

Join the “clean ＆ Green” initiative today and play your part in creating a bright future for the next generations!