For generations, Babusha,     1     is on the southern edge of the Tengger Desert, was troubled by sandstorms that frequently buried farmland, often leaving nothing to harvest.

Today, the desert’s southward spread has been stopped thanks to a green belt ten kilometers in     2     (long) and eight kilometers in width,     3     (plant) by Guo Wangang and his colleagues.

Guo’s father was one of the six men who first began planting trees in Babusha     4     (prevent) their land from being buried in 1981. When he     5     (force) to stop in 1983 due to poor health, Guo quit his job in the city and followed in his father’s rootsteps because he didn’t want to see the trees die. A deadly sandstorm in 1993 which claimed 23 students’     6     (life) firmed his resolve, turning Guo into     7     stubborn soldier, unwilling to give up the fight. “I asked     8     (I) that if we couldn’t protect our farmland or our children, how were we supposed to keep going?” Guo recalled. “That’s when I made up my mind to devote my life to this fight.”

Year after year, Guo and his colleagues have continued to plant trees each spring and fall,     9     (watch) out for fire and pruning (修剪) them in the winter. The vegetation coverage rate in Babusha has increased     10     less than 3 percent to 70 percent and the desert no longer moves further south.

The conch (海螺) is       1     (wide) considered to be the national dish of the Bahamas. Queen conch is one of important food materials and can live for 30 years.

Conches can be very     2     (expense) in the U.S. and other places. But it is so common in the Bahamas     3     it can often be found in meals costing     4    (little) than two     5     (five) of the population in rural (农村的) parts of the Bahamas eats conches weekly. The country of about 400,000 is home     6     9,000 conch fishers-around two percent of the population. This number appears to be holding steady even as conches decrease (减少) in number. For many fishers here, fishing is both a family tradition     7     a path to middle class life. The meat of the conch     8     (be) worth millions of dollars per year, and it also helps increase tourism to     9     islands.

The conch is one example of the threat (威胁) overfishing presents to traditional foods around the world. Similar problems     10     (see) in Senegal now, where overfishing has taken away white grouper. The fish has long been the basis for the national dish of thieboudienne.

Imagine that you’re sleeping in the wild in a tent and are awakened by the sound of wolves howling(狼嚎叫). That’s     1    happened to me last summer when my family and I spent the night at the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) in South Salem, New York. The howling didn’t frighten me. Wolves howl to communicate     2    each other.

The WCC educates people about wolves,    3    (they) relationship to the environment, and how to ensure that they survive. Guests     4    (invite) to visit the wolves year­round. The center is home to twenty­five wolves and two    5    (serious) endangered species—the red wolf and the Mexican gray wolf. At one point, both species     6    (be) extinct in the wild. With help from the WCC, the wolves are making a comeback.

“Wolves help to keep all other animals in balance(平衡) and keep the environment really     7    (health) ,” said Mary Kate Kabbes, an educator at the WCC.

When wolves became extinct in Yellowstone National Park, the elk(麋鹿) population increased to five times its normal(正常的) size and destroyed areas where birds lived. As    8    result, several bird species were forced to leave the park.

Now that wolves are back at Yellowstone, the birds have returned. “Learning about wolves, reading books about them, and telling your family and friends is a simple way    9    (help) spread the word about the     10    (important) of wolves.” Kabbes said.

The Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, bordering Russia and the North Korea,     1    (cover) an area of 14,100 square kilometers. It is the major habitat of the country’s Siberian tigers and Amur leopards and is    2    model for cross-border wildlife conservation.

Located in the central zone of the mixed coniferous (针叶的) and broad-leaved forest ecosystems in the temperate (温带的) zone of Asia, the park possesses splendid and attractive scenery in different    3    (season) In addition, there are plentiful plant species well    4    (preserve) in the park, including thousands   of medical plants, eatable wild herbs, honev plants, wild fruit trees and bushes. Some of them are endangered plant species and    5    state protection.

The park is a perfect place for the reproduction and survival of birds. Every spring, various forest birds start returning from the. south to prepare    6    (lay) eggs. The rich soil of the park also provides a    7    (favor) living environment for cold-blooded animals. At present, a community of flesh-eating animals and a community of plant-eating animals make up a complete food chain in the national park,     8    is extremely rare to see in China. The national park will    9    (effective) protect Siberian tigers and Amur   leopards,     10    (help) them continue to reproduce and live in harmony with nature.

China will establish a new batch of national parks, including Huanghekou, Qianjiangyuan-Baishanzu and Kalamayli, in a steady and     1     (order) manner, Guan Zhiou, head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said on Saturday.

Speaking at the second National Park Forum held in Xining, capital of Qinghai province, Guan said China has adopted the strictest measures     2     (strengthen) the protection of the authenticity and integrity of the ecosystem, and promote the continuous improvement of ecological functions.

China’s national parks are specific land or sea areas     3     main purpose is to preserve the     4     (national) representative natural ecosystems of the country and realize the scientific protection and reasonable use of natural resources.

In 2021, China established the first batch of national parks, with     5     protected land area of 230,000 square km. These parks, including the Sanjiangyuan National Park, the Giant Panda National Park, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park and so on, are home to nearly 30 percent of the key terrestrial (陆生的) wildlife species     6     (find) in the country.

“The Sanjiangyuan park realized the full protection of the source of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang     7     (river) and the Tibetan antelope population has recovered to over 70,000. In the Giant Panda National Park, more than 70 percent of wild pandas are     8     good protection,” the official added.

“Efforts     9     (make) to promote high-level protection and facilitate the promulgation (颁布) of the National Park Law,” Guan said,     10     (add) that China will also increase the application of new technologies, build a world-class scientific research monitoring platform, and strengthen national park management capabilities.