Earth Day Birthday

April’s parents are environmentalists. And because April happened to be born on Earth Day, all her birthday_________had an Earth Day theme.

On her eighth birthday, there was a “Throw-Out Blowout”. She and her friends had a garage sale and_________the money to charity. When she turned nine, it was a “Tree Spree”—they planted trees.

“This year I want a_________birthday party,” April told her friend Bailey as they walked home from school. Then after dinner, April told her parents she would like to_________her own party this year. They suggested a “Print Sprint” and collecting newspapers to recycle. But April insisted on going to Maze Craze(疯狂迷宫)instead. Her parents agreed finally.

April couldn’t_________for her birthday! She and her friends would have great fun. No shovels(铁锹). No collecting recyclables. They wouldn’t have to think one bit about the_________.

On that day, April and her friends gathered in the parking lot outside Maze Craze. They_________plastic bottles, snack boxes and waste paper everywhere on the ground. “Even though I want a non-Earth Day birthday, I couldn’t have_________knowing this mess out here.” April frowned(皱眉).

Her parents fetched some trash bags from their car. The kids started to work. Before long, they had collected three bags with bottles, cans, and paper to_________. April looked at the bags and smiled. It felt good to do something for the earth. And with everyone giving a____________, it didn’t take long.

“Happy Earth Day, everyone,” said April. “Now I’m ready for Maze Graze.”

“Happy birthday. April!” shouted her friends.

Molai grew up in a tiny village in India. The village was near some wetlands (湿地) which became his second_________. He learned the value and beauty of _________ there from a very young age.

When he was 16, Molai began to notice something _________ happening around his home. A flood had hit the area earlier that year and the _________ it caused had driven away a number of birds. _________, the number of snakes had declined (减少) as well. He _________ that it was because there weren’t enough trees to protect them from the _________. The solution, of course, was to plant trees, so the animals could seek _________ during the daytime. He turned to the _________ department for help but was told that nothing would grow there. However, Molai went looking on his own and __________ a nearby island where he began to plant trees.

__________ young plants in the dry season was __________ for a lone boy. Molai built at the __________ of each sapling (幼树) a bamboo platform, where he placed earthen pots with small holes to__________ rainwater. The water would then drip (滴落) on the plants below.

Molai __________ to plant trees for the next 37 years. His efforts have resulted in 1,360 acres of naturally grown land that has become home to many plants and animals.

I think I lived rather sustainably last year. I composted (堆肥) fruit and vegetable scraps, ________ my own clothes and even grew food on my balcony. I grasped every chance to make ________ in my lifestyle.

I became accustomed to getting up early, which I think came with various ________. I devoted the morning hours to breathing in the flesh air. I kept my evenings ________ to meet friends, read, or connect with family, and slowly get myself ________ to rest as dusk approaches.

The biggest ________ for me was to take a walk wholeheartedly. Having spent much time staying indoors, I wanted to take a ________ kind of exercise where I could enjoy the natural scenery, rather than an intense one. Walking not only ________ me to the beautiful creatures that lived among us, but helped me to ________ my own life.

I found out how much organic waste even a small household could ________. It is reported that U. S. households waste approximately one-third of food they buy, ________ $ 240 billion per year. Although I got my composting into place, I needed to find a ________ for the plastic waste from deliveries and takeaways. ________, I was offered a door-to-door recycling service that visited every two weeks and ________ the waste.

While I’ve always been getting clothes made by the family ________, this stopped during the pandemic. Last year, as the traveling exhibitions which ________ artisans and help them sell their products came back to the city, I bought some ________ which was made into fashionable sets and dresses. I also ________ an old block-printed dress into a jumpsuit.

Thanks to my ________, I found my life was eased back into a healthy one. I’ll stick to my ________ lifestyle from now on.