The researchers published their study in the journal Nature. They looked at data from recent bleaching (变白) events in the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia. Bleaching causes corals to lose their colour and, often, to die. Several causes contribute【小题1】bleaching: warm water temperatures,【小题2】(pollute), and overfishing. The bleaching events in the study were caused 【小题3】(main) by rising water temperature. The researchers found that local efforts 【小题4】(improve) water quality and stop overfishing did not increase the reefs’ chances of survival.

Researchers say the results of the study highlight the importance of 【小题5】(fight) global climate change. Reefs could become extinct if temperatures continue to rise at the current rate.

Corals look like rocks, but they are tiny animals. The creatures can exist alone or in large colonies. They form a hard outer shell. When they die, their skeleton (骨架) 【小题6】(leave) behind and more coral builds on it. Colonies form reefs. They are home to one in four species in the sea. Reefs also serve as barriers 【小题7】protect the coastlines from【小题8】(power) storms.

Fortunately, a group of scientists unconnected to the study 【小题9】 (take) action at the moment. Their project focuses on protecting 【小题10】great many reefs that have not been harmed by climate change.

China on October 12 【小题1】 (official) announced the first group of national parks. Home to nearly 30 percent of the key wildlife species found in China, they cover 【小题2】 protected land area of 230,000 square kilometers.

The 【小题3】 (establish) of the first group of national parks is a practical move by China 【小题4】 (strengthen) its effort to promote natural ecological protection.

The Three-River-Source National Park 【小题5】 (locate) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau — known as the world’s “third pole”. The Giant Panda National Park protects the major habitats of 70 percent of the country’s wild giant pandas. The Hainan Rainforest National Park is home to China’s largest rainforest and the Hainan gibbon. The Wuyi Mountain National Park experimental area is the only park in China 【小题6】 is listed as a UNESCO cultural and 【小题7】 (nature) heritage site. It emphasizes sustainable development between 【小题8】 (human) and nature, 【小题9】 (reflect) China’s environmental protection principle.

Commercial activities are banned in the national parks and are all put 【小题10】 the control of the national rules for ecological protection.

Every year the world unites together on World Animal Day on October 4 for the improved treatment and well-being of animals everywhere. It started in 1931 in Florence, Italy when ecologists got together 【小题1】(promote)awareness of endangered species. Since then, the yearly event has been 【小题2】 (use)as a way to connect animal welfare (福利)organizations, businesses and community groups to raise awareness for their work and fundraise.

In the past decades, China has done much to improve【小题3】 welfare of domestic and wild animals. The biggest symbol of China’s official protection of animals can be found in the Wildlife Protection Law. First signed in 1988 and revised several times over the years, the law forces people to obey the protection of endangered species as well as ensuring a balance between the needs of wild animals and people.

This balance can be most 【小题4】 (easy)examined in the case of Asian elephants. Asian elephants, although greatly treasured across different Asian 【小题5】 (culture), have become endangered due 【小题6】 hunting for their tusks (象牙). Asian elephants in China are mostly found in Yunnan province. Difficulties have arisen as the government has worked to strike a balance between protecting the endangered elephants and making up for farmers 【小题7】 crops are eaten by these wild animals.

Through changes to the Wildlife Protection Law, the government has improved 【小题8】 (harmonious)between local people and wildlife through policies (政策)and guidelines for the construction of separation facilities to prevent damage by wild animals.

In the spirit of World Animal Day, we can think more of ways to better protect both the animals around us and 【小题9】 in the wild. We believe living conditions of wild animals are 【小题10】 (get)better and better.