When garden designer Jane Gates moved to the Sussex countryside in 2015, she fell in love with a traditional black barn conversion(改建的房屋), and set about creating a droughts-resistant garden around it.     1    she didn’t know was just how quickly her garden would become relevant to today’s changing climate.

Over the years, Gates       2    (experiment) with plants that suit this dry and hot place and made some interesting     3    (discover). Surprisingly, some plants, known for loving water, have proved    4    (adapt) to drought. Others have struggled. However, many plants specifically     5    (choose) for drought tolerance have enjoyed the heat.

Gates’ garden is a big gravel(砾石)one.       6    occasion she stands by the floor-to-ceiling windows and enjoys the scene. Gravel     7    (use)as a layer(层)for the plants to grow through, joining the paths with the planting. The feeling is of a relaxing, natural-looking space, with the light colour of the gravel    8    (compare) beautifully with the black of the barn. Gates recommends gravel as a cover on the top for    9    reason that it locks water in the soil below in summer, while keeping it away from plants in winter, which can damage them. This helps some plants do a bit    10    (well) in adapting to climate extremes.

2 . Europeans got more of their electricity from renewable sources than fossil fuels for the first time last year, according to an annual report from Ember and Agora Energiewende.

The report, which has been tracking European Union’s power sector since 2015, found that renewables delivered 38% of electricity last year, compared to 37% delivered by fossil fuels.

The shift comes as other sources, such as wind and solar power, have risen in the European Union. Both sources have nearly doubled since 2015, and as of last year accounted for one-fifth of electricity generation in EU countries, the report found. It’s also the reason why coal power declined 20% last year, making up only 13% of electricity generated in Europe.

“Rapid growth in wind and solar has forced coal into decline, but this is just the beginning,” said Dave Jones, senior electricity analyst for Ember and lead author on the report, in a statement. “Europe is relying on wind and solar to ensure not only coal is phased out by 2030, but also to phase out gas generation, replace closing nuclear power plants, and to meet rising electricity demand from electric cars and heat pumps.”

Last year’s COVID-19 lockdown measures resulted in less demand for electricity across the globe. European demand decreased by 4% in 2020, according to the report, which said COVID trends had no effect on the growth of renewable energy sources. Since 2015, Europe’s electricity emissions recorded a historic decline, becoming 29% cleaner, the report noted.

The milestone follows commitments from EU leaders last month to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030. In the United States, their counterparts (同身份的人) successfully developed renewable energy to overtake coal consumption in recent years. Last May, renewable energy sources were consumed more than coal for the first time since 1885.

“Post-pandemic economic recovery must not slow down climate action,” said Patrick Graichen, director of Agora Energiewende, in a statement. “We therefore need strong climate policies — such as in the Green Deal — to ensure steady progress.”

6 . All types of marine life are important. Seaweed (海藻) and corals both play vital roles in the health of the ocean and the health of our communities.

However in the same way that a mountain lion. Which provides a valuable service by hunting diseased or elderly deer, wouldn’t be helping anyone if it took up residence in an office building. Seaweed largely prevents corals from performing their key function in the ecosystem, just like the lion would prevent any of the terrified office workers from doing their work.

There is long-standing competition between seaweed and corals and this competition has been influenced heavily for over a century by overfishing climate change, and coral discases, which resulted in corals being now too weak to compete with seaweed.

Seaweed too often is blocking sunlight from reaching baby corals, while releasing chemicals that prevent corals from reproducing-as well as making them marc likely to be attacked by diseases.

The researchers from Florida International University supposed that if sufficiently distributed, the Caribbean king crab (蟹), lovingly called the “reef (礁)goat”, could make coral reefs free of seaweed fast, so they conducted a case-control study where they released the crabs on some reefs and let some others remain crab-less.

Eating seaweed at a rate higher than any other grazer (食草动物), the crabs were able to reduce seaweed cover by 80%, while a 3 to 5 fold increase of both baby corals and fish species added to the successful outcome.

On dry land, goats have been used as ground clearers for thousands of years, as they eat everything from clover and grasses to poison oak and invasive blackberry thorns. Hopefully, the results of this study can solidify Caribbean king crabs as their equivalent at the bottom of the sea.

7 . Portugal’s white storks (鹳) were once a migratory bird (候鸟), known to leave the area each winter to travel to Africa’s warmer climate, but recently they have been staying put.

Surprisingly, though, the storks’ number has actually been on the rise. There are now thought to be more than 14,000 birds in Portugal in winter — a ten-time increase over the last 20 years. Any unusual change of an animal’s natural behavior often has negative influences.

It has been thought that their increase has a close relationship with a growing number of landfill sites (垃圾填埋场) in the area, providing the birds with a supply of fatty and dirty rubbish to eat, including junk food. Was it the junk food that stopped them migrating, or is Europe’s warming climate to criticize? Researchers sought to figure out exactly why their natural behavior had changed in this way. To understand, a team kept an eye on 48 white storks by equipping them with small GPS computers, which recorded their movements five times a day, checking how often they traveled to landfill sites as well as how fast they flew.

The conclusions were shocking. The birds also established more homes next to landfill sites — the team said that 80% of white storks were spending most of their time by the rubbish all year round, according to the results. The storks eat almost anything. “Every time after a truck with rubbish came, they collected what they could,” says Aldina Franco of the University of East Anglia in the UK. The storks have even been known to eat plastic, including old computer parts. “Really what they are trying to get at is rubbish that we throw away... like hamburgers, burnt meat and fish,” said Franco.

This rich and colorful supply of food will soon become hard to find, though, as new laws from European Union (EU) order that waste food be recycled. Open-air landfills will also be replaced by covered equipment, which birds will not be able to eat.

The white storks therefore face an uncertain future. Will they migrate to Africa as they had done for hundreds of years before, or will they stay put? No one knows. “I wonder what the Portuguese storks will do once the landfill sites are all closed, and we are going to continue to watch these storks and see how they will respond to the changes,” said Aldina Franco.

The Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, bordering Russia and the North Korea,     1    (cover) an area of 14,100 square kilometers. It is the major habitat of the country’s Siberian tigers and Amur leopards and is    2    model for cross-border wildlife conservation.

Located in the central zone of the mixed coniferous (针叶的) and broad-leaved forest ecosystems in the temperate (温带的) zone of Asia, the park possesses splendid and attractive scenery in different    3    (season) In addition, there are plentiful plant species well    4    (preserve) in the park, including thousands   of medical plants, eatable wild herbs, honev plants, wild fruit trees and bushes. Some of them are endangered plant species and    5    state protection.

The park is a perfect place for the reproduction and survival of birds. Every spring, various forest birds start returning from the. south to prepare    6    (lay) eggs. The rich soil of the park also provides a    7    (favor) living environment for cold-blooded animals. At present, a community of flesh-eating animals and a community of plant-eating animals make up a complete food chain in the national park,     8    is extremely rare to see in China. The national park will    9    (effective) protect Siberian tigers and Amur   leopards,     10    (help) them continue to reproduce and live in harmony with nature.

9 . A 19-foot Burmese python-the longest snake ever recorded—was caught by local hunters in South Florida’s National Preserve this week. To put the catch into view, the snake is as long as an adult giraffe is tall.

It was caught on Monday by 22-year-old Jake Waleri, who brought the python to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida in his hometown of Naples. Officials there measured the snake at 19 feet and 125 pounds, and said it set a new world record for length.

A video of Waleri’s record-breaking catch shows the python attacked Waleri as he pulls the snake by its tail. Waleri and the snake fought on the ground until others joined in to help. Burmese pythons are one of the largest snakes on the planet. They’re also a species running uncontrollably through much of southern Florida. They’re threatening (威胁) the state’s native animal populations because they have no natural enemy, which is why Waleri spends his nights hunting them. “It’s surprising to be able to have an effect on South Florida’s environment,” he said. “We love this ecosystem and try to protect it as much as possible.”

The earlier record was set in 2020 by a python caught in the Everglades, 18 feet 9 inches long and 104 pounds heavy. The record for the heaviest python ever caught was set by one caught in 2022, at 215 pounds.

According to the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission, these pythons have such a big threat that hunters and local people don’t need a permit to kill them. The animals are, however, protected by anti-cruelty (反残暴) laws, which ask hunters to humanely kill the snakes. Burmese pythons feed on Florida wildlife big and small, from rabbits to foxes and white-tailed deer. And one video from 2022 shows Florida scientists removing a 5-foot-long crocodile from an 18-foot python.

The state hosts a yearly competition to keep the populations at bay. The competition attracts hunters, competing for prize money from $1,000 to $10,000.

10 . Wetlands, making up about 6% of Earth’s land surface, are found on every continent except for Antarctica.     1    .

Protecting against floods. Wetlands play a crucial role in protecting against floods. The plants and soil in wetlands act as natural sponges (海绵), storing excess water during heavy rainfall or storms.     2    .

Purifying (净化) water. Wetlands have exceptional abilities to purify water. Acting as natural filters, the plants, soil and micro creatures in wetlands remove sediments, excess nutrients and pollutants from water sources.     3    . And the water can be suitable for various uses such as drinking, irrigation and supporting aquatic life. Wetlands are particularly effective in removing harmful chemicals, heavy metals and excessive nitrogen and phosphorus (磷), which can otherwise cause water pollution.

    4    . Wetlands are incredibly productive ecosystems, providing habitats for a diverse range of plant and animal species. The complex and dynamic wetland environments support a lot of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates. Many of these species are dependent on wetlands for survival, using them as breeding grounds, feeding areas and nurseries. Wetlands also serve as important stopover sites for migratory birds, offering them crucial resting and feeding areas during their long journeys.

Fighting climate change. Aside from these vital functions, wetlands also play a significant role in fighting climate change.     5    . They act as carbon (碳) sinks, absorbing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thus mitigating the greenhouse effect and reducing the impacts of climate change. Moreover, wetlands help regulate local and regional climates by influencing the temperature, humidity and rainfall patterns. 1hey act as natural cooling systems, reducing heat island effects and moderating the local temperature.

However, the world’s wetlands are being lost at an alarming rate. Restoration and conservation projects offer hope that these ecosystems can be saved.