China has seen significant achievements in improving the environment and green development over the past 70 years, especially in fighting against desertification (沙漠化).
Desertification was a serious problem in the 1990s. It caused deadly sandstorms, which arrived like big black walls reaching up into the sky. As President Xi Jinping has said, clear waters and lush (繁茂的) mountains are invaluable assets (资产). Efforts to create “green” areas have played a crucial role in the country’s fight against desertification.
A series of campaigns have been conducted by the central government to improve the environment. For example, in 1998, China launched the Natural Forest Protection Program. Thanks to the program, forest coverage in China increased greatly from 12 percent in the 1980s to nearly 23 percent last year.
Another example of the campaign is the Elion Resources Group, which has been recognized by the UN for the development of a desert eco-industry that has slowed desertification.
In Kubuqi, a desert in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Elion has greened 600,000 hectares of land and helped lift more than 102,000 people out of poverty through the development of solar energy and tourism, as well as planting herbs for traditional Chinese medicine.
In addition, the group’s techniques have also been used in many important ecological programs, including Yangtze River Ecological Park and Qilian Mountain National Park.
“We will develop new ways to improve our ability to control the sand with the help of modern technologies, such as drones (无人机), AI, big data and the internet of things,” said Ao Baoping, chief executive officer of Elion Green Land Technology.
【小题1】What is the key measure to fight against desertification?| A．Building walls to block sands. | B．Increasing green plants. |
| C．Turning to the UN for help. | D．Keeping mountains natural. |
| A．The environment in China has become satisfactory. |
| B．Similar new campaigns will be carried out by China. |
| C．No more trees need to be planted in our country. |
| D．More areas in China are covered with forest. |
| A．Its main aim was to lift local people out of poverty. |
| B．It made Kubuqi become a center for planting herbs. |
| C．It got inspiration from many ecological programs. |
| D．It will apply modern technologies to fight desertification. |
| A．Desert Clothed With Green Through China’s Efforts |
| B．Environmental Problems Solved by Planting More Trees |
| C．Great Contributions Made by Elion to The Environment |
| D．Advanced Science And Technology Applied in China |
