1 . The first time ever I realized that plastic was a serious matter for our planet was during a road trip in Western Australia, almost 12 years ago.

We________at a supermarket along the Coral Bay coast to buy some groceries and the lady at the counter told us they didn’t sell any shopping bags in order to prevent plastic in the________and to help preserving the endangered turtles living in that area. After a first reaction of surprise, we________all our shopping in our arms and left.

This was just one of the many experiences I’ve lived that made me more________about my impact and pushed me to adopt different habits to live and________more sustainably.

Our trip to Borneo was another life-changing________that has strengthened my resolution to a zero-waste lifestyle. While traveling in some Asian countries, we came to know that________drinkable water was always a challenge. So we had to travel with our water bottle, and we________to avoid using plastic during our trip.

Besides, we were also________impressed by our stay on Libaran Island. A sustainable turtle conservation________and the community had made big efforts to________ the beaches and creatively re-use plastic for ten years. Despite that, the shore is________daily with tons of plastic coming from the tides.

Facing this global issue________, raised in me a feeling of sadness and anger that soon turned into________: to do as much as possible to reduce plastic in our life. Small changes can________a difference!

3 . Many of us might not give a second thought to dropping a small piece of litter. After all, if it is so small, it cannot possibly be that harmful, can it?     1     With the growing use of plastic bags and the rising number of smokers, there is more litter being produced than ever before.

Although cigarette ends are small, they are bad for the environment. Worldwide, about 4.3 trillion cigarette ends are littered every year. As well as ruining the beauty of the environment, they contain poisonous chemicals.     2     In this way, they affect water quality and endanger plants and animals in the water. Cigarette ends can take up to 25 years to break down, and the poisonous chemicals add up to a large amount with so many littered. So, if people want to smoke, they should clear up the ends properly in a rubbish can.

    3     They are easily blown by wind and float in water, so they can travel long distances. They find their way to rivers, parks, beaches, and oceans, killing many birds, mammals, fish, and sea animals each year worldwide. They can last for hundreds of years in the environment. We should not let plastic bags become litter. We should use fewer plastic bags, and reuse and recycle what we have already used. One way to reduce the use of plastic bags is to charge for them. Shops used to give plastic bags for free.     4     Some shops also have a “bag-for-life” plan. They sell stronger bags that can be reused, and they replace them for free if the bags ever break.

Waste is a big problem for the environment, so we need to do something. Not littering at all or cleaning up “small waste” saves money spent on clearing off litter properly.     5    

Air pollution is no doubt a major concern in many big cities across the world. More than 80% of people living in cities are often exposed (接触) to unsafe air, according to a report     1     (give) by the World Health Organization.

“Air pollution in cities continues     2     (rise) at a high speed, and in fact, it     3     (be) bad for human health,” said Dr Maria Neira, director of Public Health and Environmental Policy at the WHO. “At     4     same time, more cities are watching over     5     (they) air quality.”

In the past few years, the number of cities watching over air pollution     6     (increase), covering about 3,000 cities in 103 countries. The WHO warned that the poor air,     7     could raise the risk of heart disease, cancer and many other diseases, had a bad effect on the health of city people.

The report also showed that poorer countries     8     (general) have poorer air quality. About 98% of cities with 100,000 or more people in low income     9     middle-income countries do not meet WHO air quality guidelines, while only 56% in high-income    10     (country) fail to meet the standard. The report also encouraged local government to take stronger and more measures (措施) to fight against air pollution.