Spring is the season for new life. In China, the peak time for spring plowing and sowing is around the Qingming Festival, which falls on Wednesday this year, when people from all walks 【小题1】 life go out and plant trees 【小题2】 (make) the land greener.

From top leaders to ordinary citizens, planting trees has been a widespread practice for the Chinese, 【小题3】 voluntarily take part in the country’s massive greening efforts 【小题4】 (year) to show just how much the world’s second 【小题5】 (large) economy values greenness and ecological conservation.

Since 【小题6】 start of afforestation (植树造林) decades ago, China 【小题7】 (create) the world’s largest planted forests. Thick forests have also become a substantial source of income for 【小题8】 (local). Last year, the output value of China’s forestry and grassland industry reached about 1.22 trillion dollars, while the foreign trade volume of forest products was 191 billion dollars. Green 【小题9】 (develop) with both ecological and economic benefits is a highlight and distinctive feature of Chinese modernization.

Under a long-term plan, China expects to increase 【小题10】 (it) forest coverage rate to 26 percent by 2035. By then, China’s forest stock volume will rise to 21 billion cubic meters.

Sanjiangyuan, literally meaning the “source of three rivers”, is home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers. The pilot national park, with a total area of 123,100 square km 【小题1】 (locate) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and harbors more than 70,000 herdsmen. Therefore. 【小题2】 is very important to maintain the purity and cleanliness of this area, because it directly affects the water quality in most of China.

For a long time, there were too many local herdsmen and animals 【小题3】 (use) the grass in the area and consequently the local lakes were getting smaller. 【小题4】 the national park was established, the government has invested a significant amount of money in equipment and training for accurate monitoring of wildlife. For example, the population of snow leopards is an important indicator of ecological health in the area, and as long as 【小题5】 number of these animals stays stable, the area is safe and 【小题6】 (environmental) healthy. Much of the grassland has been returned to its natural state, and the herdsmen have been helped to move to the local towns and to find new jobs. 【小题7】 (encourage) by local government, more and more local people are supported to take part in environmental protection. They have been appointed as conservators in the area, responsible for collecting rubbish or for observing the wildlife. 【小题8】 more people working as conservators, the 【小题9】 (aware) of environmental protection has gradually become part of their lives. Local officials also have said that their jobs have become a lot 【小题10】 (easy) now that the training programmes and government support are in place. Now, in Sanjiangyuan National Park, the mountains have become greener, the water clearer and the sky bluer.

Wetlands are the link between the land and the water. They are transition zones where the flow of water, the cycling of nutrients and the energy of the sun meet to produce 【小题1】 unique and special ecosystem 【小题2】 (characterize) by hydrology, soils and vegetation—making these areas very important features of a watershed. The water is often groundwater, 【小题3】 (spill) up from an aquifer or spring. A wetland’s water can also come from a nearby river or lake. Seawater can also create wetlands, especially in coastal areas that experience strong tides. Here is one in China.

The National Nature Reserve of Guangdong Nanpeng Islands in Guangdong Province was established in 2003. It 【小题4】 (cover) a total area of 35,679 hectares. It became the fifth national-level marine nature reserve in Guangdong, as well as the first one in the eastern region of Guangdong, in 2012. In 2015, it 【小题5】 (recognize) and included in the International Important Wetlands Directory.

The main focus of the reserve is to protect the unique underwater natural landscapes, the ecosystems of the nearby 【小题6】 (coast) waters, the rare and endangered marine animals, the various fish species and their habitats, as well as the marine biodiversity.

Researchers have discovered 1,308 marine species in the area, including 772 【小题7】 (economic) significant fish, shrimp, crab, mollusk, and algae species. The reserve is home 【小题8】 more than 21 identified rare and endangered wildlife species in water, among 【小题9】 nine species such as the Chinese white dolphin and the nautilus are classified as first-class protected animals at the national level, while 【小题10】 (variety) of other 27 species, such as the common bottlenose dolphin is classified as second-class protected animals.