We live in a world of plastic. Shopping bags, drink bottles, your toothbrush and even your clothes are among the everyday items     1     (make) from plastic. But plastic isn’t fantastic, and neither is the current state of our environment.

Humans     2     (produce) plastic on a large scale (大规模地) since the 1950s. We produce hundreds of millions of tons of plastic every year and production is only increasing.     3     (fortunately), most of it is used only once and then thrown away. Only a small part of plastic     4     (recycle). The majority ends up in our oceans.

A Plastic Ocean is a documentary film directed by the Australian journalist Craig Leeson. It investigates the serious harm plastic has done     5     our oceans. What starts off as an adventure to film the blue whale, the     6     (large) animal on the planet, leads to the shocking discovery of a thick layer (层) of plastic     7     (float) in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The film sends the message that our actions and choices can severely influence the planet.

Plastic is so widely used because it is durable (耐用的) and cheap. However, this durability is the same quality that makes it so     8     (harm) to the environment. Most plastics do not break down chemically. Instead, they break into smaller pieces     9     can remain in the environment for     10     long time.

We are all aware of the threats our planet is facing. Experts agree that it’s mainly humans     1     are responsible for the destruction of the environment. Activities such as mass farming and burning       2     (harm) our climate now-and we are suffering too through natural     3       (disaster) such as flooding and droughts.

One of the most destructive activities we are carrying out is deforestation (砍伐森林). This has been most noticeable in Brazil, which is home to the world’s     4     (large) rainforest. Deforestation there     5     (hit) its highest rate in the past decade, according to official data. The result of widespread deforestation has threatened     6     centuries-old way of life. The future of the rainforest could be     7     danger of being damaged.

The amount of deforestation in the Amazon has     8     (actual) seen a decline but the figures are still large. Brazil has taken some steps to try and decrease deforestation by     9    (introduce) government policies including fines for breaking land use regulations. While humans are largely     10     (blame) for the destruction of the rainforest, it seems only humans will tackle this problem and save planet Earth.

South Koreans consume 2.4 billion plastic straws (吸管) annually. And like in many other countries, the government is stepping up to reduce the amount of single-use plastics.

The idea of Rice Straws came to Kim Kwang-pil when he first saw     1     eatable cup. He thought to himself, “If they can make a cup you can eat, why not a straw?”

That was the beginning of Kim’s company, Yeonjigonji,     2     produces eco-friendly straws     3     (make) of rice. Kim settled on rice mainly     4     it is familiar to consumers in his country. The rice straws come in various shapes and sizes and can     5     (complete) break down within 100 days.

“I met people who wouldn’t believe I could eat the straws. So, when I did, they     6    (convince),” said Kim.

So far the company     7     (sign) deals with companies in dozens of countries throughout Asia, North America and South America.

As they are eatable, the rice straws need to pass food safety laws in each country. But Kim believes that his straws are     8     (good) than paper or other straws. “After all, you still need to cut down trees     9     (produce) paper straws,” said Kim, whose next goal is to create environmentally-friendly, single-use cutlery (餐具), like forks,     10     (knife) and spoons.

We as individuals can also reduce our “carbon footprint” by     1     (restrict) the amount of carbon dioxide our lifestyles produce. It is our     2     (responsible) to seize every opportunity to educate everyone about     3     (globe) warming.

The number of chinstrap penguins in some colonies in western Antarctica     1     (fall) by as much as 77 percent since they were last surveyed in the 1970s, say scientists studying the impact of climate change on the remote region. The chinstrap penguin,     2     (name) after the narrow black band under its head, inhabits the islands and shores of Antarctic oceans and feeds on krill( 磷虾). It is the dramatic declines     3     catch the attention worldwide.

A study, published by the United Nations meteorological agency, states that heat-trapping greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide - have reached an unprecedented level in the atmosphere,     4     contributes to global warming. Researchers discovered that between 1979 and 1990, Antarctica shed     5     average of 40 billion tons of ice mass annually. Climate changes are turning into a severe situation,     6     (impact) marine and land ecosystems.

China, as a big country, plays an important role in environmental protection. It aims not only to get rid of the environmental challenges domestically but also to help other parts of the world achieve     7     (they) climate goals. Investment in China on renewable energy accounts     8     45% of total global investment. Since 2014, China has invested     9     (heavy) in the wind and solar PV projects in the regions along the Belt and Road. Faced with this situation, every country should raise the     10     (aware)of environmental protection.

The way we cook is important. In many countries, the two choices are    1    (nature) gas or electric­powered stoves.

The World Health Organization warns that millions of people    2    (suffer) from indoor air pollution at present time, which results from the use of    3    (danger) fuels and cook­stoves in the home. WHO officials say nearly three billion people are    4    (able) to use clean fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting. As a result, more than seven million people die from exposure to indoor or outdoor air pollution each year. Most of the deaths are in    5    (develop) countries, such as India, China and Latin American countries.

WHO officials say opening a window or door    6    (let) out the harmful air will not correct the situation.     7    will only pollute the outdoors. Nigel Bruce,    8    is a professor of Public Health at the University of Liverpool, says researchers are developing good cook­stoves and other equipment to burn fuels    9    a more efficient way. But, this is just a start. It is urging developing countries to use    10    (clean) fuels and increase access to cleaner and more modern cooking and heating appliances (用具).

Rainbow-coloured rubbish

This is the colourful waste     1     (create) by a Swedish city with a unique recycling system. Like many cities in Sweden, Eskilstuna has an impressive recycling record. It met the EU’s 2020 target of recycling 50％of waste many years ago.

But almost everyone who lives here follows a strict recycling policy at home. People         2    (expect) to sort their household waste into seven separate    3     (category), including food, textiles, cartons and metal. But     4     really makes the system stand out is the bright colour code. The bags arrive all mixed up because they’re collected     5     (frequent). But thanks to those bright colours, scanners can select the bags and separate them efficiently. The food waste in green bags     6     (be) processed on site into pieces to make biogas,     7     powers the city’s buses. One of the benefits of this method of recycling is that there is less cross-contamination (交叉污染), so     8     (much) of the recycled waste can actually be used to make new things.

As countries around the world try to improve their recycling rates, some may look to Eskilstuna as     9     example to follow-as long as they think they can persuade their citizens to get busy     10     (sort) at home.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. A half-century ago, activists       1    (walk) to the street to speak out for the protection of the planet in       2    (respond) to one of the worst oil spills (原油泄漏) in history. These activists inspired important changes in how our society views the environment,     3    (lead) to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. But protecting the earth is also a social justice issue. People of color and poor people are often the first       4     (suffer) from the climate change, because they live near highways, factories, or garbage dumps,       5     there are more pollutants, for example, and they may not be able to afford fresh green foods.

But you don’t have to be an activist to make       6    difference—in fact there are many tiny everyday       7    (effort) you can make to help the planet. The environmental movement didn’t start with Earth Day and indigenous people (原住民) protecting the earth as     8    (they) way of life were the pioneers. I wish that everyone would see the   climate crisis this way and take it       9     (serious) as well. It isn’t just polar bears and plastic bags     10    an issue that will determine the future of life. So, actually, every day is Earth Day.

Environment means all the     1     (nature) surroundings such as land, air, water, plants, and other things. Healthy environment not only keeps the nature's balance but     2     (help) in growing and developing all the living things on the earth. Besides natural environment, a man-made environment also exists,     3     deals with the technology, transportation, housing, urbanization, etc. However, nowadays, some man-made technological advancements are spoiling the environment in many ways, finally     4    (disturb) the balance of nature. We are keeping our lives in danger as well as     5     (exist) of life in future on this planet.

If we do anything in a wrong way out of the discipline of nature,     6     disturbs the whole environment. Due to some bad and selfish activities of the human beings, our environment is getting     7     (affect). Man-made environment affects the natural environment     8     such a great degree that we all must be together to save it.

The components of the natural environment are used as a resource by the human being     9     (basic) to fulfill some physical needs. We should not challenge our natural     10     (resource) and should value them and use them by staying under the natural discipline. We all must take efforts to protect our natural environment to keep it safe as usual forever.