I got laid off at 53 from a senior management position in a restaurant. And I knew it was going to be hard to find another job in the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (competition) working market. My age put me at {#blank#}2{#/blank#} disadvantage. But I also knew it was time for me{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(realize) my lifelong dream of owning a restaurant.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} was most difficult was that in order to make this happen, I needed to find an{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (exist) café that wasn't doing well. It couldn't be better if its owner was ready to quit his business. With great{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (lucky) I found just what I wanted eight blocks from home. Since I had never financially planned for this day, I had to borrow money from friends as well as {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (relative). I, together with my wife,{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (be) ready to start off. We changed the name to Black Dog Coffee, the menu, the recipes and the look of the cafe, and my wife did great job of designing. Eighteen years later, we're still here and doing{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (well) than ever. I'm grateful{#blank#}10{#/blank#}the layoff and the opportunity to pursue my dream.

    According to a study published in the journal Nature Sustainability in February, China and India are{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(main) responsible for making the Earth greener over the past two decades. Since 2000, the Earth's green leaf area{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (increase) by 5 percent, or over 5 million square kilometers. That's{#blank#}3{#/blank#}area equal to the total area of the Amazon rainforest. It is basically the result of many big tree-planting{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(project) in China and intensive agriculture(集约农业)in both countries.

    China and India contribute{#blank#}5{#/blank#}one third of the increasing greening, but contain only 9 percent of the planet's land area covered in vegetation(植被). China was the major contributor,{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (add) 25 percent to this increase, while India added 6.8 percent.

    Over the past few decades, China has made great efforts to green the land. In 1978, China {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(begin) a national-level forestation project-the Three North Shelterbelt Forest Program, also{#blank#}8{#/blank#}(know) as the “Great Green Wall”. The program has seen many trees planted in northern China to act as windbreaks (防风林). By the end of 2017, the forest coverage rate had reached 13.57 percent, compared to 5.05 percent 40 years ago.

    In the light of China's{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(succeed) in greening the desert, the UN believes the country is a good example for others{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(follow) and has lessons to share with the world.