Starbucks will eliminate plastic    1    (straw) from its stores worldwide in 2021 to reduce pollution    2    (cause) by plastic, the company says. The coffee retailer (零售商) will gradually reduce using single-use straws    3    its more than 28, 000 locations, cutting out    4    estimated 1 billion straws each year. Customers will instead be given plastic lids designed for use without a straw or with non-plastic straws. “Not using a straw is the     5    (effective) thing we have ever done for the environment,” said Colleen Chapman, vice-president of Starbucks’ global social impact, in a statement. The announcement came just one week after Seattle, Washington — home to Starbucks’ headquarters — became the first major US city    6    (ban) single-use plastic straws in bars and restaurants.

Starbucks’ pushback against plastic has drawn a mixed    7    (react). M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International, issued a statement saying “500m plastic straws    8    (throw) away every day in the US” and praised Starbucks for its “meaningful action to protect our oceans” . But many consumers    9    (voice) concern for disabled people. “What about those    10    rely on straws due to disability? I often can’t drink or eat without them.” a customer tweeted.

Scientists have exposed that around two-fifths of the world’s plants are at risk of extinction. A top botanist, Professor Alexandre Antonelli, said, “We are living in    1    age of extinction.”

It's a very    2     (worry) picture of risk and urgent need for action. We’re losing the race against time as species are disappearing faster    3    we can find and name them. Many of them could hold important clues for solving some of the most pressing    4     (challenge) of medicine and even perhaps of the emerging and current pandemics we are seeing today.”

There    5     (be) positive signs in the past few years. More than 4, 000 species of plants and fungi (菌类)     6     (discover) in 2019, among which are potential future foods that could be a lifeline to millions of people on Earth suffering from    7     (poor) and food insecurity. Professor Antonelli stressed    8     (firm) the importance of protecting these and all plant life on Earth. He said, “We would not be able    9     (survive) without plants and fungi — all life depends on them. Every time we lose a species, we lose an opportunity     10    humankind.” Leading scientists will demand that the world leaders act against biodiversity loss.

When     1     (ask) by a TV reporter to talk about air and water quality in his hometown, Qi Mu noted, “The air is great now and we can take more walks and enjoy     2     (be) outdoors again.” He felt quite pleased because the villagers were living     3     (harmonious) with nature once more. However, he could not forget about an earlier time     4     his village had been struggling with a serious air quality problem.

In the 1990s, usually, garbage from a nearby city     5     (bring) to the village. “How can we make use of this?” the villagers wondered. Soon they found that garbage could be used     6     (feed) pigs. “Over the next few years, dozens of pig farms were set up,” Qi recalled.But then nobody in the village wanted to open their windows. “The smell from the garbage and pig waste was making us sick,” Qi said. The numbers of mosquitoes and     7     (fly) were also horrifying. “    8     such circumstances, no single women wanted to marry anyone in our village and movehere,” Qi sighed.

The villagers could no longer tolerate the situation. So an initiative was launched and     9     “clean-up” campaign was added to the government agenda, including restricting large vehicles from passing through the village. Garbage from the city was no longer disposed of in the village, and more trees were planted. “We can all     10     (breath) more freely now that the natural beauty of our village has been restored,” said Qi.

Millions of migratory(有迁居习惯的) birds start arriving at the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve in Dongying, Shandong province, in mid-October. They rest in the wetlands, feeding on a rich variety of food such as fish, shrimps and grain to build their     1     (strong). Some birds even make the wetlands     2     (they) home all year.

Zhao Yajie, 34, is a member of the team patrolling the wetlands every day     3     (ensure) a safe environment for the birds. Zhao started work at the reserve in 2014. Her main jobs are conducting scientific research on ecological restoration and protection,     4     monitoring the birds’ conditions, such as their numbers and the different types of species at the reserve, along with the birds’ environment.

Information gathered on the birds’ habits helps Zhao and her colleagues create a better environment for them. To ensure these     5     (arrival) have sufficient food, the team has created     6     it calls “small dining tables” for the birds.

Over the past seven years, Zhao     7     (visit) all the reserve’s main areas. “Every year, I welcome migratory birds at the reserve and see them depart. I have seen some species several times, but     8     each occasion, I am just as excited as the first time,” she said.

In her spare time, Zhao gives speeches to students     9     (conduct) field studies at the reserve. “The students are very interested in the birds, plants and landscape at the reserve. They will learn a lot, such as why Oriental storks communicate by clattering their bills and why some grass tastes     10     (salt). Students can also try their hand at making nests,” she said.

Ecotourism is the opposite of mass tourism. People travel to remote areas and visit faraway places without destroying the environment.Ecotourism is intended     1     small groups of tourists who want to learn more about nature in a certain area and help people who live there. Eco-tourists travel to places     2     plants and animals are the main attractions. They want to know more about how people live side by side in     3     natural habitat.

Ecotourism makes people recognize how beautiful the land and the countryside are. Local tour guides show     4     (visit) how important our environment is. They know how the region has developed over time. Tourists stay in small local houses,as opposed to big hotels in mass tourism regions.

Ecotourism started out in the 1980s as an alternative to mass tourism. Today it is one of the     5     (fast) growing sectors of the tourism industry because more and more people are     6     (gradual) realizing the importance of the environment. As a result,some countries are using ecotourism     7     (gain) profits. In some areas,it     8     (operate)by foreign investors who are only interested in     9     （they) own profits. However，     10     (bring) too many people to the remote place could damage local culture.