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　　We recently read a report on China’s environmental problems, based on reports from Singapore’s Straits Times．There was one statistic that shocked us．Environmental experts claim that without some great change, pollution might, within five years, make the Yangtze River just about unsuitable for all forms of life to live in．The baiji, or the Yangtze River dolphin, was only the latest victim．According to the first report, in the 1980s there were 126 forms of life in the river, and by 2002, that figure was already down to 52．

　　Just how bad is the situation? The Yangtze River flows by 186 cities on its way from Qinghai to Shanghai, and in the process picks up 40％ of China’s polluted waste water．According to another report, in 2006, China produced a total of 53．7 billion tons of waste water．But that’s not the worst news．By 2030, China might possibly use up between 89-100％ of its sources of drinking water．

　　All of this begs a deeper question：What kind of water are they using when they pump 10 kilos of water into pigs headed for the slaughterhouse(屠宰场)? This is an important question because if its waste water is not fit for human to drink, there’s a chance that some of whatever was in that water was in the pork you had for lunch today．And if the water is safe to drink, that’s a waste of perfectly good water．

　　Another report we read, related to the Taihu algae(水藻)blooming that has left 3 million people in the Wuxi area without drinking water, claims(quite believably)that Taihu’s environmental problems will never end until all the factories along the lake close down．The algae bloom is so bad there that lots of people have to take the algae out of the lake all day long instead of fishing．

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　　Chinese swimmer Xiong Guoming made a record at the 1993 Asian Games in Japan, but was punished for taking banned medicine．His record was 　　1　　 and he was not 　　2　　 to take part in any other competitions for two years．

　　It was a great 　　3　　 and 　　4　　 for Xiong, one of the best-known swimmers in the world．This bad news harmed the fame of the Chinese swimming team, and resulted 　　5　　 in all Chinese records in swimming．However, the so-called banned medicine was, in fact, 　　6　　 traditional Chinese health food．

　　It may have been 　　7　　 to Xiong, as he had no 　　8　　 of some of the banned chemical elements in the health food．The failure was a sudden blow to him．He became very disappointed．　　9　　 only 20 years old, he 　　10　　 the life style of a retired man, passing his time in doing such things as keeping pets and growing flowers．Day after day, he was worried and displeased．

　　Back to the training pool was all the more difficult to him．To other people, it was just a 　　11　　 of getting prepared for a competition, but to him, it was to rebuild self-confidence first．He did not lose heart, after all．　　12　　 advice and help of his coach and leaders of the swimming team, Xiong decided to 　　13　　 swimming again as his career．

　　　　14　　 expected, Xiong took first place again．In the recent Eighth National Games, he took a number of titles, and broke an Asian record．Tears ran down his cheeks as he was receiving the gold medals．In the thundering applauses(鼓掌欢迎)Xiong felt as if he had been given a new birth．“I want to 　　15　　 the world that I am a good swimmer, and that I do not cheat anyone 　　16　　．My 　　17　　 depends upon my sweat,”Xiong said．He also 　　18　　 thankful to those who had helped and cared for him when he was 　　19　　．

　　Xiong, the young swimmer with a brighter future, is well 　　20　　 his way to the coming Olympic Games．

For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D．Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context．

　　Life is full of decisions．You may not realize the vast number of choices you face each day．Some choices are simple, like what to wear．But others are more 　　1　　：deciding which friend to go out with or whether to go out at all．Life’s most difficult decisions 　　2　　 choosing a university, a career and a husband or wife．

　　For some people, decision-making comes pretty easily．　　3　　 others, indecision is a serious problem that can stop them dead．

　　Think about the last time you went to a coffee shop．Ordering your coffee should have been a simple task, but it probably 　　4　　 at least four decisions．Your 　　5　　 today has more opportunities, more choices and more options than ever before! Thirty-one ice cream flavors, 30-screen movie theaters, 300 cable channels and 3,000 songs on an ipod all 　　6　　 one thing---a more complicated life．The more choices you have, the harder it is to decide．

　　Indecisiveness leads to negative 　　7　　．Hesitation in buying sale items results in paying more later．Indecision can 　　8　　 result in missed opportunities．Boss may notice 　　9　　 and give an important project to someone more eager．Family, friends and coworkers may get tired of waiting for your decisions．

　　Not making a decision means you allow 　　10　　 to be made for you---choices that you yourself might not like．Increased stress can result．

　　There are many reasons why people struggle with decisions．Some people fear others’ opinions, and they worry that someone may be 　　11　　 by their decision．Others fear the consequences of a wrong choice．This prevents them from making any choice at all．Still others 　　12　　 about finding the perfect choice．　　13　　 ,there’s no perfect choice．Every option has its pros and cons．

　　The good news is that with each decision you make, the 　　14　　 does get easier．And best of all…You’ll soon learn to trust yourself and your 　　15　　．