1 . Nuclear pollution is a serious global   ___________, brought to the forefront by major accidents at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima. These events have demonstrated the significant health and environmental risks _________by nuclear disasters. Not only have they caused immediate health problems, such as radiation sickness and increased cancer rates, but they have also _________lasting environmental damage and genetic changes in affected communities. As a result, nuclear pollution remains a pressing concern for governments, scholars, and individuals worldwide.

When nuclear accidents occur in coastal areas, the _________environment becomes a critical concern due to the crucial role that oceans play in _________the climate, ensuring food security, and supporting the livelihoods of billions of people globally. In recent years, the increasing threats to marine ecosystems from ocean pollution have _________public awareness of the need to protect the marine environment. Studies have shown that human activities pose a _________threat to marine environments, emphasizing the importance of improving environmental management and taking measures to mitigate environmental risks.

Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, efforts to cool the reactors by pumping in seawater resulted in the _________of a significant amount of nuclear waste in the water storage tank at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. _________attempts to manage this waste, the Japanese government’s decision to release nearly 1.26 million tons of nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean over the next 40 years has faced opposition __________neighboring countries, local ____________, and international environmental organizations.

This __________poses serious risks to marine life, fisheries, and human health. Radioactive isotopes present in the wastewater, such as tritium, carbon-14, cobalt-60, and strontium-90, can accumulate in marine organisms and ultimately affect human populations through the food ____________. Therefore, there is an/a ____________need for further research and mitigation measures to __________the widespread impacts of nuclear pollution on the environment and human health.

2 . This past summer I set out on a journey to Canada’s Arctic. When I left I was wrapped in a blanket of uncertainty and ______.

But when I first met the group members, I knew I didn’t have anything to ______. The group was amazingly ______ and I was soon part of a big family boarding on an amazing ______!

Approaching the Arctic, I was repeatedly ______ with its unusual largeness and its beauty. There I flew over vast glaciers (冰河) and stood on the frozen Arctic Ocean, ______   polar bears walk in search of seal holes, and _______ wait for a meal.

However, I also learned the pollutants carried by ocean from far away have a negative ______ on all Arctic inhabitants. And global warming has put polar bears at ______ because a warmer climate means that they have a shorter time to ______ seals on the ice.

During the journey, I talked with some ______ scientists about the ruins of homes once ______ by the ancient Thule people. I made good friends with people from different parts of world.

The Arctic is a land of incredible beauty which ______ to be preserved. I’ve learned why it is so important to ______ it. This journey has made me more determined to try to ______ that I do not leave negative or harmful footprints on either Earth or its people.

4 . Joseph Dituri hasn’t seen the sun for days. The biomedical engineer has been underwater, with the goal of spending 100 days there in the name of ________. Dituri is living in Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Florida. The100-square-foot hotel is his intended home until the mission finishes, where he’ll ________ his research.

The submerged stay, if ________, will also break the previous record of 73 days set by two Tennessee educators in 2014.

During the project, Dituri is attempting to ________ the effects of living in a high-pressure environment for a(n)________ period. The human body has-never been underwater that long, so he will be ________ closely. For example, he’ll be ________ to electrocardiograms, which measure the heart’s function. “I ________ there will be improvements to my health,” Dituri said. His assumption is not made ________—a previous study indicated potential ________ of pressure exposure to cell growth. Dituri hopes this journey could ________ the treatment for age-related diseases.

Beyond research, the project is also a chance to promote ocean ________ “The ocean is in a bit of trouble,” Dituri said in a video. “We also want to use the attention that the 100-day mission would draw to________ young people’s curiosity and passion.” Dituri will invite about 40 children to stay with him for 24 hours at a time.

“________ I only stayed 60 days, I eventually would turn a whole bunch of kids on to the exploration of the sea. That would be a ________,” he said in an interview.

5 . Climate experts have warned about the many ways a warming planet can negatively affect human health. ________ global temperatures are predicted to increase by 1.5℃ by the 2030s, that risk is becoming increasingly real.

One long-held prediction that appears to be coming true — according to the results of a study recently published in Nature Scientific Reports — is how climate change might enhance ________ of bacteria that thrive and spread through warm sea waters and cause an infection with a particularly high ________ rate.

Vibrio vulnificus (创伤弧菌) flourishes in salty or brackish waters above 68℉. Infections are currently rare in the U.S., but that’s likely to change. Using 30 years of data on infections, scientists at the University of East Anglia in the U.K. found that Vibrio vulnificusis ________ from its historic Gulf Coast range, with more Northern states reporting infections as waters become warmer.

“We’re seeing the core ________ of infections extending to areas that traditionally have very few and very rare cases,” says Elizabeth Archer, a Ph.D. researcher and ________ author of the study. “But these areas are now coming into the main area of infections.”

Based on the latest data on how much the world’s water and air temperatures will rise, the scientists predict that by 2081, Vibrio vulnificus infections could reach every state along the U.S. East Coast. Currently, only about 80 cases are reported in the U.S. each year; by 2081, that could go up to over three-fold, the authors say.

Such a proliferation could have serious health consequences. Vibrio vulnificus kills approximately 20% of the healthy people it infects, and 50% of those with weakened immune systems. There is little evidence that antibiotics can ________ the infection, but doctors may prescribe them in some cases. People can get infected either by eating raw shellfish like oysters or by exposing small ________ to waters where the bacteria live, which can lead to serious skin infections.

Warming sea temperatures aren’t the only reasons behind the rise of Vibrio vulnificus. Hotter air also draws more people to the coasts and bays, bringing them into closer contact with the bacteria.

“The bacteria are part of the natural marine environment, so I don’t think we can ________ it from the environment,” says Archer. “It’s more about mitigating infections by increasing ________ of the risk.”

To alert people to the growing threat, ________ systems are needed to track when concentrations of bacteria start to rise, similar to currently available pollen and pollution alarm.

Vbrio vulnificus is so ________ to temperature changes that concentrations could bloom after even a day of warmer water, so consistent monitoring and alerts are critical, says Iain Lake, professor of environmental epidemiology at University of East Anglia and senior author of the paper.

Lake says the expansion of Vibrio vulnificus is concerning for public health since the bacteria are now invading waters closer to heavily ________ areas, such as New York and Philadelphia. “Everyone can get a Vibrio vulnificus infection,” he says. “But the more ________ there is between warmer waters and people, the more the bacteria can move into populations ________ the elderly and those with other health conditions, who are more vulnerable to infections.”

6 . My 5-year-old daughter Kai walked around a bus stop, picking up candy wrappers and plastic bottles and throwing them in the waste bin. We were a visiting family here, but she was cleaning the sidewalk, which didn’t shock me, nor was I _________ when strangers looked at us.

Our cleanup project began when we drove past an empty field one day and Kai _________ the field was covered by _________ balloons. We had read about how animals could _________ balloons for food. “Stop,” Kai said, and I _________. Surprisingly, we found the field was full of much trash _________ the balloons. “Can we come back and clean it?” Kai asked. Then each Friday, we returned to have a(n) _________ cleaning.

However, it seems we can never _________ the trash completely. I feel something close to _________! Why are we making kids clean up our __________? It has everything to do with the planet we adults are leaving for kids. Plastic pollution is globally distributed and microplastics have even been discovered in human blood. It is not a __________ story that we have created trash but our next generation cleans up them.

Now Kai hopes to become a marine biologist to protect sharks one day. She still has many years to __________, if adults get serious about solving plastic pollution. We shouldn’t leave our next generation a __________ planet and expect them to save it.

The last time our family was at the beach, we still picked up plastic bottles. Most __________, though, we saw an octopus (章鱼) playing around our feet, a __________ of a harmonious habitat worth protecting.

8 . The part of the environmental movement that draws my firm’s attention is the design of buildings. Today, thousands of people come to ________ building conferences, and the idea that buildings can be good for people and the environment will be increasingly ________ in years to come. Back in 1984 we discovered that most manufactured products for decoration weren’t designed for ________ use. The “energy-efficient” sealed commercial buildings constructed after the 1970s energy crisis ________ indoor air quality problems caused by materials such as paint, wall covering and carpet. So for 20 years, we’ve been looking for ways to make these materials ________   for people and the planet.

Home builders can now use materials, such as green paints, that release significantly ________   amounts of chemical compounds, which people believe don’t ________ the quality of the air.   ________, our basic design strategy is focused not simply on being “less bad” but on creating ________ healthful materials that can be either safely returned to the soil or ________ by industry again and again. For example, the world’s largest carpet manufacturer has already ________ a carpet that is fully and safely recyclable.

Look at it this way: no one ________ to create a building that destroy the planet. But our current industrial systems are basically causing these conditions, whether we like it or not. So   ________ of simply trying to reduce the damage, we are ________ a positive approach. We’re giving people high-quality, healthful products and an opportunity to make choices that have a ________   effect on the world. It is not just the building industry, either. Entire cities are taking these environmentally positive approaches to design, planning and building.

9 . 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.