In summarising the state of the planet—rising population, widespread conflict, one-sixth of the planet suffering extreme poverty and hunger, global warming—Jeffrey Sachs, author of “The Common Wealth, can paint a terrible picture. However, he’s an_________ and believes that all of these problems can be overcome in relatively straightforward ways and at relatively little cost. That’s because the root causes are interconnected and _________ man-made.

Take child mortality (死亡). Perhaps surprisingly, the higher the child mortality rate is, the higher the birth rate. This leads to a _________ population which puts a greater stress on already scarce resources, so farmers have to work harder to produce enough food for all, which means children are often put to work in the fields or at home. This, _________ , stops children getting the education which will allow them to learn, among other things, about better farming techniques to increase crop yields and provide more food to eat and sell. Sachs argues that the_________ of providing every child in poverty with an anti-mosquito bed net is a major first step. Malaria(疟疾)is a huge cause of death in children and the bed nets massively _________ infections. The fewer children that die of malaria, the more secure parents feel about their children surviving. The more secure parents feel, the fewer children they have, and so on, revising the _________ trend just described.

However, it is _________ a combination of measures at the same time that truly makes a difference: free school meals improve school attendance and health; supplying fertilisers to improve soil and better seeds provides even better harvests; basic health care and clean water supplies_________ more fatal diseases.

These ideas are already being __________ implemented in over 100 African villages in underdeveloped regions. The cost of the project is just $10 per person per year, of which 50% comes from donors and the rest from a mixture of local and national governments and the villagers themselves.

So if it’s so __________ , why hasn’t it been done before? What about all the aid that has been given to Africa and the underdeveloped countries of the world? Has it been lost to corruption (腐败)? Sachs argues that the real problem is not corruption, but the fact that rich governments have __________ such a lot, but actually given so little. They agreed to give 0.7% of national income in aid, but only five countries have met that __________. He suggests current aid is $24 billion per year, which translates as just ten dollars per person—not nearly enough to implement the __________ measures.

So while Sachs sees an opportunity to end poverty forever, he also raises an __________ that this could be the last chance we have, ‘The longer we wait, the greater is the suffering and the larger the long-term costs?

Masks that helped save lives during the Covid-19 are proving a deadly_________ for wildlife, with birds and marine creatures captured in the _________ number of abandoned facial coverings littering animal habitats.

_________ surgical masks have been found scattered around pavements, waterways and beaches worldwide since countries began _________their use in public places.

Worn once, the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to_________.

Monkeys have been _________chewing the masks in Malaysia. And in an incident that captured headlines in Britain, a gull was rescued by the RSPCA (英国防止虐待动物协会) after its legs became _________in the straps (带子) of a disposable mask for up to a week.

The biggest impact may be in the water. More than 1.5 billion masks _________ into the world's oceans last year, according to environmental group Oceans Asia. (亚洲海洋组织)

Already there are _________ that masks are worsening threats to marine life. Conservationists in Brazil found one inside the__________ of a penguin after its body was__________on a beach, while French campaigners Operation Mer Proper found a dead crab caught in a mask in a saltwater lake near the Mediterranean.

Masks and gloves are ''particularly problematic” for sea creatures, says George Leonard, chief scientist from Ocean Conservancy. “When those__________ break down in the environment, they form smaller and smaller particles (颗粒), ” he told AFP. “Those particles then enter the food __________and impact entire ecosystems, ” he added.

__________, campaigners have urged us to dispose single-use masks properly __________ we cut the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming captured. OceanAsia has also called on governments to encourage the use of washable masks.

A couple weeks ago, I tried to buy my teen a new bike. One local bike store told me their shipment was _______; I could return weeks later. A sporting goods chain said they had nothing proper, and I should try calling every week to _______ their latest goods — and rush there if they_______ to have it. Eventually I did _______ a bike.

The next thing I should buy is a fitted helmet (头盔). But that was still a _______ task. Given that most of teens I saw riding around were helmet-less, I guessed we were not _______ in the careless helmet use, and this thing was _______. But Zayden’s story alarmed me, whose life was changed by a bicycle-related accident. A week before that, his parents bought him a new _______ that he actually liked. Sadly, Zayden had _______ it at a friend’s home so he was riding without his helmet when hit by a motorcycle. Zayden was rushed to a hospital, with severe ________ injuries.

Statistics show over 240,000 teens were given ________ for bicycle-related injuries and suitable helmets can ________ the situation greatly. Zayden’s parents are ________ up with the hospital to spread the importance of bike helmets. When asked if there’s any ________ she would share, Zayden’s mom says, “No helmet, no riding, no ________.” And I knew I should get one immediately.