1 . The Palace Museum, a massive 720,000 square meter complex, has _________ an important mission to create zero waste. Since beginning this effort in January 2020, it has made big strides in ___________ waste and encouraging green habits.

One key change is the reduction of trash bins in public areas. There are now only 110 sets compared to 310 in early 2020. This change shows the museum’s ___________ to cutting waste while protecting its 600-year-old history.

Beyond waste reduction, the museum is also creative with ___________. For example, it has “Funiu ci jiu” sculptures made from 92% recycled waste. These sculptures, ___________ in the Cining Palace area, show how waste can become beautiful art. ___________, over 32,000 plastic bottles have been recycled to make unique cultural products since June 2021. This effort not only ___________ waste but also cuts carbon emissions by 931 kilograms, helping the environmental ___________.

The museum’s zero waste program is based on science and careful planning. Training staff, ___________ zero waste offices, and testing composting methods have helped the museum reach a 45% ____________ rate.

The success of this program is clear with the ____________ of 3,000 staff, 40,000 guides, and 21 million visitors. By leading the way in waste reduction and green practices, the Palace Museum inspires others to follow ____________ .

In short, the museum’s journey to zero waste ____________ heritage protection, environmental care, and ____________ ideas. Its strong commitment and leading efforts set an example for other cultural sites around the world, proving that ____________ and cultural preservation can work together.

3 . In the last 100 years, the global temperature has gone up by around 0.75℃. Such a small increase is causing sea levels to rise and ________ the habitat of many species of plants and animals. A(n) ________ of 2℃ in global temperatures could result in ________ of 30% of the world’s land species.

Sea levels in the UK have increased by around 10 cm in the last 100 years and experts ________ that global sea levels could rise by up to 59 cm in the near future. ________, areas which were land a few hundred years ago are now under water.

As a result of the changing ________, the world’s ecosystems are also changing faster than ever before. So what is ________ climate change? The main cause of climate change is the huge amount of greenhouse gases like CO₂ in the atmosphere, but the reason for this is the world’s population — you and me. As the ________ increases, more land is needed to provide food, and more energy is ________ too. Burning fossil fuels for heating, lighting, transport, or electricity ________ CO₂. Furthermore, humans breathe out CO₂ and trees “breathe in” CO₂ and produce oxygen — so by ________ trees, we are increasing the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere and reducing the amount of oxygen. As a result of these ________, CO₂ levels are now at their highest for 800,000 years.

The biggest ________ we all face is to prevent further environmental disasters. We need to ______________ burning fossil fuels and start using renewable energy. If we can get enough ________ from renewable fuels, we can stop using fossil fuels completely.

4 . In 2014, Xu Yitang, a student at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, saw corals at an aquarium for the first time.

Little did he know the chance ______ with the creature would spark a lifelong ______. He began to ______ the local market to learn about coral farming from merchants selling plants, fish and corals. He also searched for information on relevant forums online, and before long, started ______ a coral in a small fish tank at home.

“The coral organism is quite ______ and has extremely high ______ for water quality,” recalls Xu. “In the beginning, its state was not good.”

As he became better ______ of the creature, he learned that coral reefs are known as “tropical rainforests” and “underwater gardens” of the ocean, providing ______ for a quarter of all marine life. ______, rising sea temperatures have led to coral ______. Xu felt an increasing sense of urgency and ______ to protect them.

Fast-forward to today, he ______ a coral conservationist in a Sanya-based tropical biological research center.

Each day, he spends several hours diving deep under the waves to observe and ______ the growth and development of the creatures.

His story has been ______ in the recently premiered online program Burning Youth that aims to use documentary shorts and in-depth studio interviews to ______ the inspiring stories of young Chinese people from various walks of life.

7 . With a consulting room, an intensive care unit and a rehabilitation center, the Wucheng wildlife rescue center near Poyang Lake has become a place for sick and injured wintering birds to recover.

”We have _________76 birds over the past two years. People send sick and injured birds to us whenever they find one,” said Shu Guolei, director of the rescue center in Yongxiu county, Jiangxi province. The rescue center is part of the Wucheng station, under the administration of the Poyang Lake Wetland Nature Reserve. With a surface area of over 3,200 square kilometers, Poyang Lake _________up to 700,000 wintering birds every year. The lake is an important wetland ecosystem and the largest _________for wintering migratory birds in Asia.

Shu said meals are provided for the sick birds according to their species and _________habits. “For example, a corn and rice combo is given to ducks, geese and swans, and a fish and shrimp combo is for the oriental storks.” After a full _________, the birds are released into the wild, Shu added.

Nearly 98 percent of the world’s white cranes, over 80 percent of the oriental storks and more than 70 percent of the white-naped cranes spend their _________at the lake before flying to warmer regions. To explore a more effective mechanism to protect the flocks of birds, Jiangxi province coordinates the work of the nature reserve, local public security bureaus and health departments. More and more local residents are also joining in efforts to rescue injured birds as their awareness of _________protection grows.

Li Chunru, 75, has cared for injured birds for nearly four decades. _________a doctor at a hospital in Jiangxi’s Duchang county, Li founded a clinic for birds in 2013 that is capable of taking care of 200 at a time. The clinic is _________consulting rooms, an intensive care unit, inpatient wards, recovery rooms and outdoor sheds. Bird rescue centers across China also work together to ensure safe trips for migratory birds after their treatment and recovery.

On Jan 2, migratory bird protection centers in Jiangxi and Tianjin released nine recovered birds in Duchang, including oriental storks, gray cranes, swans and geese. Seven of the birds had been brought from Tianjin for treatment. The birds were released in Poyang Lake so they could more easily __________their flock, said LiZhenzhuo, director of a wildlife conservation center in Tianjin.

__________improving the habitat and beefing up rescue efforts, local governments in the province have also increased forage(饲料)supplies for the birds. Hu Wei, the Party secretary of Yugan county, Jiangxi, said since November nearly 3,000 white cranes had gathered in a paddy area covering 60 hectares to look for food. “Last summer, a major flood in the Yangtze River __________the natural food supply for the birds, so we urgently secured dozens of hectares of unharvested rice for the flocks,” he said.

Liu Xinxi, an official with the Poyang Lake Wetland Park, said the birds are becoming less __________. “They used to only forage in the remote lake area, but now they can be seen in the fields and pools that are __________to people,” he said.

Dai Nianhua, a researcher with the Institute of Bioresources at the Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, said the implementation of a 10-year fishing ban in Poyang Lake has better protected aquatic organisms and created __________conditions for birds to breed.

“With people’s increasing awareness of environmental protection, the ecological environment of Poyang Lake has been improving,” Dai said.

8 . Alpinist (登山家) Marion has cleaned up 8. 5 tons of waste on Mount Qomolangma in just 3 years with her team.

_________? We certainly think so. But that’s nothing compared to Marion’s future _________.

Marion has a tough and _________ goal: finish cleaning up Qomolangma and then _________ on to the entire Himalayan mountain range.

“Climbing Qomolangma should offer one of the best interactions between _________ and the natural world. But _________, I realized that the mountain had been _________in the past 30 years when I reached the top in 2013. Nearly 10 tonnes of waste had been _________ at the top alone! I was totally shocked when I _________ the rubbish problem on the mountain,” she told the Yves Rocher Foundation.

For Marion,__________ is an important part of her life that helps her feel alive. Therefore, she wants to do her __________ in helping others get the best possible experience. Her __________ to nature started when she was a child. She would __________ in the woods and learn the names of the plants and animals. As a __________, she’s been working as a mountain guide in India and Tibet for over 17 years. After founding the Clean Qomolangma project, she __________ to ask the local authorities to __________ her project. She was given 50 yaks (牦牛) to help get the waste down. We can only hope that Marion will keep on and that others will __________ her.

The __________ affecting the Himalayas has an effect on the drinking water used by around 2 billion people living there, so the __________ to clean up the mountains isn’t just about protecting nature. It’s also about our __________ of life.

10 . My childhood is closely associated with the Yellow River. My father ______ to take me with him on his trips to Longyangxia Reservoir. At Longyangxia, I was ______ by the beauty of nature and as a child, I wanted to stay there and ______ up with the Yellow River. Li Bai, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, praised the ______ water of the Yellow River. He saw it as coming down from heaven and ______ the people living on the banks of the river. However, in 1997, for about 330 days, not a single ______ of water from the Yellow River went into the sea. ______ are not the only punishments given by nature. A friend of my father, a university professor, is doing ______ on the Yellow River. According to him, since there is no longer enough water to ______ the mud, the river may soon change its course ______ we allow this situation to continue. This is the ______ of unbalanced growth. If we’d taken care of the vegetation in the upper and middle ______ of the river, we would still be able to ______ it as Li Bai described it.

In fact, people have begun to ______ the problem. I have seen farmers _______ trees on mountain slopes in Shanxi province. I have seen them ______ up the hillsides carrying heavy buckets of water collected several kilometers away down in the valley to ______ around the trees. These farmers are ______ helping our Yellow River, just as the river has helped them. These unsung heroes gave me the confidence that with hard work of us all, we and nature will grow together, and ______ in the future, we will be able to drink the ______ water from the Yellow River-our mother river.