China’s research icebreaker Xuelong,     1     126 crew members aboard on the 35th Antarctic research mission, on Thursday local time left the Zhongshan Station on     2     (it) way back to China.

Snow Eagle 601, China’s first fixed­wing aircraft for polar flight, on Thursday night also departed from the Antarctic after     3     (complete)all assignments.

Xuelong,     4     arrived near Zhongshan on Feb. 9, supplied the station with fuel oil, and then picked up summer expedition   team members   at   the   Kunlun, Taishan and Zhongshan stations, as well as     5    (member)of the fixed­wing aircraft project.

Sixteen members of the Kunlun team     6    (previous)completed all scientific expeditions at Dome Argus (Dome A), the South Pole’s highest icecap. They，together with 21 members of the Taishan team,     7    (return)to Zhongshan on Feb. 8.

The Zhongshan team completed tasks including installation of and tests for LiDAR, drilling of ice bedrock, atmospheric sounding     8    (observe)，surveys of birds and aerial exploration carried out by the fixed­wing aircraft.

As the summer expedition team at Zhongshan left, 19 members would stay for winter expeditions.

Also     9    (know) as the Snow Dragon, the icebreaker carrying a research   team   set   sail   from Shanghai on Nov. 2   last year, beginning     10     country’s 35th Antarctic expedition. It is expected to arrive in Shanghai in mid­March.

3 . One evening, Catherine was at home as usual. As her____swung between what she was going to do with her life and their dinner plans for the evening, she was unexpectedly ___by an urgent call from her sister “Get over here! Turn on NBC and check these guys out. They are just like you…” One Facebook message and a phone interview later, Catherine____herself on a bus with 8 strangers in the middle of the sweltering desert heat of Utah, picking up trash and ___awareness about zero-waste and climate change.

With a deep____of the environment and a desire to make a __ , Catherine, Davey, and a group of self ___“environmental pick-up artists” went on a coast to coast road side trash pick-up. As they walked, sometimes only______0.9 miles in an entire day, they ____ and steadily made their way across the United States for three years, picking up a total of 201,678 pounds of trash.

Catherine and Davey____with us wonderful stories of hope and inspiration that fueled their___to continue their journey. After spending weeks silently______how she would have enough _____to fly home for their two-week spring break, Catherine found a blank, unidentified envelope____with $850 cash in the desert. Just enough to get her home and back. After their bus____outside of Denver, they unexpectedly got ____ and arrived in Yosemite National Park three weeks later, just in time for the “Yosemite Facelift” where____ from all over the state came together with a______of cleaning up trash all over the park.

Being at the right place at the right time became almost normal, and they realized that much of what they ____was more than just a coincidence. Together, their team learned to simply ____themselves to their task, and surrender to the journey.

4 . 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.