Natalie and Callie, both 13 years old, started raising monarch butterflies for fun in 2020.

But after realizing the monarchs were an endangered species, their _______ soon turned into a serious mission.

They learned that the population of monarch butterflies had _______ since the early 1990s, due to habitat _______ and widespread use of chemicals, which made the milkweeds (马利筋草) the monarchs _______ for their main diet dangerous to eat.

So the girls teamed up with a national nonprofit group to plant a native garden _______ for the monarchs. The garden grew organic milkweeds that _______ and kept the butterflies. To help _______ the locals to sustain the monarch population, they created an exhibition about the monarchs in the local library. They also wanted to put up an educational sign in town, but it _______ a lot. To cover the expense, they set up a stand at the Farmers Market to sell their _______ milkweeds for people to plant. Although the fundraising days were ________, they finally succeeded in earning enough money with their hard work and people’s support.

The team has won the Silver Award for their ________ of taking care of butterflies, but they are not ________ with their work. “Our next step is to cut down on the use of ________ to guarantee a safe environment for the monarchs,” said Natalie. In the award ceremony, their teacher Brian ________, “I am so proud of them for their constant ________.”

Growing up in Mauritius, I love nature. Behind my house, there is a mountain named Le Pouce, where I spent much time _________the forest as a kid. However, my instinct (天性) for exploration _________at the water’s edge. Even though Mauritius is an island country _________ by the Indian Ocean, the thought of entering the ocean made me scared.

When I was about 10, this started to _________. I began learning about the _________ climate change presented to island countries, and I started_________ an interest in protecting the environment. I watched nature documentaries,_________ the steps I could take to change the world,_________ I still didn’t know how to effectively achieve it. Later, I took the National Geographic Society’s Exploring Conservation courses, which set me on a path to helping start and_________, The Oceanic Project, an organization dedicated to helping people understand the ocean and enhancing people’s__________ of protecting the ocean.

Gradually, I realized how much humans __________ the ocean for its natural resources and that it was not as __________ as I had imagined. My fear was rooted in a(n) __________ of falling into a river in my childhood. Determined to__________ it, I became a certified diver last year.

Diving plays a big part in my life now, and I work to__________ the protection of the underwater environment. I helped run a summer camp for young divers. During that time, I led a beach cleanup to help the participants understand how human litter could end up in the ocean. I got encouraged by the__________ of the activity when a parent told me her son insisted on __________ plastic items in their home with bamboo alternatives after returning home.

Protecting the ocean is very__________ and I’ll keep dedicating myself to it. And I__________ hope more people will join me. Only with everyone’s effort can we make the world a(n)__________ place for human beings.

My hero Paul grew up in Utah. As a boy, he lived near an old copper smelter(炼铜厂). The gas and smoke from it had turned what used to be a _________ into a wasteland. He felt upset and made a decision that someday he would_________ it.

He realized he needed to be more_________ to make it, so he planned to further receive _________. Then he went to college to study botany, where he met an expert in ecology._________, he told Paul that the land he wanted to bring back was beyond hope. Despite the_________,he stuck to his purpose and continued his life.

Then he got a job operating heavy equipment, got married, and had some kids. But his _________ would not die. He kept_________ the land. One night, he found proper trees to change it. So he got up and_________ immediately. That was an important__________ point. Under the cover of__________, he slipped into the wasteland with a backpack full of seedlings(树苗)，and started __________ them.

Later on, Paul made his __________ journey every week into the wasteland and planted trees and grass. Though most of them__________, he didn’t give up. When a whole valley of his first seedlings burned to the ground, he broke down and__________, but he wiped his tears and __________ working.

Year after year, he tried to grow plants, and kept at it against common sense. Slowly, creatures began to__________. Now, the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and __________ in birds and other animals. It has become a forest full of ______________again, and Paul has received Utah’s__________ award.