1 . Heavy traffic doesn’t stop big mammals like bears from crossing highways — nor does it keep smaller creatures from being squished (压扁) by cars. In just two years along one highway in Utah, more than 100 animals were killed in traffic accidents. In the United States, there are 21 endangered species whose survival is threatened by traffic accidents.

However, there’s one way to reduce crashes between cars and animals crossing the road: wildlife under and overpasses. Looking much like a regular overpass for cars, but decorated with native plants, they aren’t particularly noticeable unless you know what you’re looking for. The drivers may not be able to see the under crossings. But they’re helping countless species to pass the highways, from gold monkeys in Brazil to water voles in London.

Washington State is one of the latest to join in. Building its first wildlife bridge began in 2015 over Interstate 90(1-90), which runs from Seattle to Boston. Though it’s just a bare set of arches now, with native plants to be planted next year, deer and wolves are already using it. Along with six underpasses built since 2013, these crossings are the first in a set of 20 along a 15-mile stretch of highway on I-90. These passes will allow black bears and mountain lions to pass through what was once an impenetrable road.

These wildlife crossings aren’t just about saving individual animals —they’re about species survival, too. I-90 is an economically important east-west lifeline in the state. But many of the animals mostly want to move from north to south. Those animals on the south of the highway got trapped in an island. Inbreeding (近亲繁殖) became a potential problem. Localized extinction happens if they don’t have genetic variability (变化). The Snoqualmie overpass helps reconnect these isolated (隔绝的) populations. I-90’s underpasses are important in connecting waterways and species.

6 . The African elephant, the largest land animal remaining on Earth, is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统). Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment.As a big plant-eater,it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(稀树草原) surroundings in which it lives, therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat. 

It is the elephant’s great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and underbrushes, and pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.

Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants make open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.

What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.

8 . It’s important to learn how we can protect the environment.Here are 5R rules for us.

Reduce.If you want to reduce waste, you should use things more wisely.    1    .If everyone uses paper carelessly, soon we would not have any trees left. Other things are also being wasted, and people don’t know what to do with the waste in big cities. So it is necessary to reduce the amount of waste we produce.

Reuse.You should always think of reusing things before throwing them away. For example,     2    . In a family, you may pass on such clothes to younger brothers or sisters.

Recycle. Bottles, cans and paper can easily be recycled. By doing so we can save lots of time and money. For example,     3    . The metal can be used to make new coke cans.

Recover.     4    .You have two choices: one is to throw the apples away, the second is to throw the rotten ones and keep the good ones. In this way, you are recovering the eatable parts of food.

Repair.If one of the legs of your table is broken, you should repair it. If you want to buy something newer and better, it is better for you to sell the old table, or     5    .

Learn the rules to protect our environment. Let’s try our best to make the earth cleaner and more beautiful.

9 . Located in the Indian Ocean,the Maldives(马尔代夫) are among the most beautiful islands in the world,with white sandy beaches,clear water,and amazing coral reefs(珊瑚礁).The country depends on tourism,fishing,and shipping.But the rising sea level and the carbon pollution causing warming oceans are threatening(威胁) their existence.

The Maldives have asked for international help.They are a tiny country.The World Bank,the United States,the European Union,and many other groups have offered money to develop safeguards against climate change.

To protect the islands,the Maldives have built sea walls and increased the elevation(海拔) of important buildings and services such as the two international airports,which lie just 165 feet from the coastline.

They’re also building up islands such as the Hulhumale.The new island is surrounded by 9-foot sea walls.More than 40,000 people live there.The plan is to house 240,000,providing new opportunities for jobs.The goal is an excellent planned community with sustainable housing and buildings sensitive to the environment and needs of the people.

The government will move people living on smaller,lower-lying islands to the new built-up islands.The new islands offer free houses,new schools,health hospitals,fresh water,and waste treatment.Depending on tourism,the country hopes to build 50 more tourist islands.

“Climate change is happening,but we are not leaving the Maldives to the sea,” said Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim.The Maldives will protect their islands,people and tourism with new islands and ongoing island development against the rising sea level.

10 . Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not bring so much material home in the first place.

The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.

Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of it for carrying this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.

But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to associate packaging with quality. We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But it also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.

There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realize just how much unnecessary material we are collecting. We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb.