Babusha, or “eight-step sands”, got its name because the desert was always just eight steps away from the farmers’ doors. Today, the desert’s southward movement has been stopped thanks to a green belt planted in the last 40 years by Guo Wangang and his colleagues. As a result, Guo was named a National Moral Model in 2020.

Guo is only part of the second generation of “soldiers” to fight against the desert. His father was one of the six men who first began planting trees in Babusha. When Guo’s father fell ill in 1983, he hoped that his son would follow in his footsteps.

Guo remembers being reluctant to give up his stable government job. “My father repeatedly stressed that we had to make sure our farms weren’t eaten by the desert,” Guo said, adding that he eventually agreed to work at the farm because he didn’t want to see the trees die.

However, it was the deadly sandstorm in 1993 that turned Guo into a determined “soldier”. The fast moving brown wall of dust reached high into the sky and turned day into night. Guo was working in the desert with his colleagues when it hit. They only managed to get home after trekking for six hours in darkness. Later, he learned that 23 students were found dead in a river as they tried to get home from school during the sandstorm.

Since then, Guo and his colleagues have continued planting trees every spring and fall, pruning (修剪) them in winter and watching out for fire. Their struggle continues. Today more and more young people have joined with scientific and innovative methods. For example, the farm now is subsidized (资助) by Ant Forest, a public welfare project launched by the e-commerce giant, Alibaba. It rewards users with virtual energy in exchange for low-carbon activities, which can then be used to do things, like having trees planted.

“We need more such young people to help us find other advanced and engineering methods for desertification control,” said Guo Wangang.

【小题1】What was Guo Wangang’s first reaction to his father’s request?

A．He advised his father to stop planting trees.

B．He was unwilling to give up his stable job.

C．He immediately agreed to work at the farm.

D．He was determined to fight against the desert.

【小题2】Which marks the turning point in Guo Wangang’s desert-fighting career?

A．Finishing the green belt.

B．Winning National Moral Model title.

C．Seeing his father’s falling ill.

D．Experiencing a deadly sandstorm.

【小题3】Why does the author mention Ant Forest?

A．To show young people’s creative methods.

B．To advocate the low-carbon way of living.

C．To praise Ant Forest’s unique contribution.

D．To indicate Guo and his team’s difficulties.

【小题4】What does the author try to express with Guo’s story?

A．Well begun is half done.

B．One tree doesn’t make a forest.

C．Opportunity favours only the prepared mind.

D．Nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it.