【小题1】 (construct) from the 5th century BC, the Grand Canal was a means of communication for the Empire for the first time in the Sui Dynasty.

Before foundation of Sui Dynasty, China had 【小题2】 (continuous) evacuated several canals, 【小题3】 had been suspended due to natural environment. Some needed to be repaired but were still navigable, but were too separated from each other to form large-scale water transport nationwide.

The establishment of Sui Dynasty 【小题4】 (declare) the end of long-lasting split situation. In 605 AD, Emperor Yang Guang, the 【小题5】 (two) emperor of Sui Dynasty, ordered excavation of the Grand Canal to meet the political, 【小题6】 (economy) and military needs of unified nation.

The Grand Canal reached a new peak in the Yuan Dynasty (13th century), providing a unified inland navigation network consisting 【小题7】 more than 2,000 km of artificial waterways, linking five of the most important river basins in China, 【小题8】 (include) the Yellow River and the Yangtze.

As 【小题9】 major means of internal communication today, it has played an important role in ensuring the prosperity and 【小题10】 (stable) of China over the ages.

China has scaled up policy to protect and restore the environment around the Yangtze River, putting in place measures to treat industrial and agricultural pollutants and【小题1】 (protect) grasslands and wetlands.

A policy document 【小题2】 (joint) released by 17 central government departments promises to prioritize effort and adopt a 【小题3】 (comprehension) way of conserving the Yangtze River Basin area. The policy document follows a 10-year fishing ban in the Yangtze enacted by the government in 2020 in response to 【小题4】 (decline) biodiversity.

Despite improvements to the Yangtze’s water quality, the rise of non-point source pollution 【小题5】 (emerge) as a major problem in recent years. The document stresses the need for a systemic approach, 【小题6】 will require the establishment of long-term mechanisms to prevent the return of polluted water bodies.

The treatment of pollution is another priority, as the government looks to install tighter controls over pollutants discharged by chemical factories and promote 【小题7】 (high) efficiency in the use of fertilizers and pesticides.

【小题8】 (restore) the diversity of aquatic life in the Yangtze, the document says that the country will establish a monitoring system for endangered animals and make 【小题9】 action plan to save them and that more work 【小题10】 (do) to enhance the connectivity of rivers.