[Q]: Xi province started sustainable agriculture and permaculture 40 years ago, while Huan province still uses conventional methods of cultivation. Animals grazing the fields extensively lead to desertification, the loss of carbon and nitrogen in the soil, and other problems. Permaculture was beneficial in Xi province, they re-built 10 inches of top soil in 10 years which is 6 times faster than the natural rate, which lead to a more diverse ecosystem and more biodiversity. Which province experienced less dust storms? Hint: Besides anthropogenic productivity of the land, the biodiversity of degraded land also declines, as previously mentioned.[12] With less biodiversity, this ecosystem is less adaptable to when disasters strike it[11][8] It has a smaller available food supply, in terms of plants, for animals, who then may die out or more likely may relocate. Proof of this decline is that presently 15-20% of Tibetan Plateau species are now considered endangered; and now because of this animal and plant absence, the soil quality of these degraded lands is very poor.[1] It does not hold the necessary nutrients, such as water, nitrogen, and carbon, essential to either supporting life or inviting life back to that land.[6] As a result of such carbon and nitrogen loss in the Tibetan Plateau, $8,033/ha and $13,315/ha were respectively lost in economic terms. Soils are further weakened by dust storms whose frequency increases because of degradation.[11][4] Erosion of soil becomes a bigger problem, since no longer are there as many plants to anchor in the soil. In the northern Chinese province alone, 400 million are affected every year with an associated 54 billion yuan of annual economic loss due to grassland degradation.
****
[A]: Xi

[Q]: Two neighbors attended the same school. Mike learned about biology while Dan learned more about the weather. They both were among the best in the school. Which person read less about humidity? Hint: Weather conditions include air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and precipitation. Weather is temporary. People in many states have the joke, "if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change." One way to change the weather is to have a different air mass move over the region. Interactions between air masses bring about a lot of weather. For example, thunderstorms and tornadoes form along a front. A front is where air masses meet. Fronts can bring about blizzards, thunderstorms, tornadoes and other types of weather. Weather prediction is much better than it was in past years. This is due in part to information from satellites. Climate is the long-term average of weather. The climate of a location depends on its latitude, position relative to the atmospheric circulation cells, position on a continent, altitude, and position relative to mountains. Areas with roughly the same climate make up a climate zone. The organisms that live within a climate zone create a unique biome. Earth's climate has changed throughout the planet's history. Earth was frigid at the end of the Pleistocene ice age, but has been warming since then. Since the Industrial Revolution the pace of warming has increased. In the past few decades the rate has really intensified. This is related to greenhouse gas emissions, primary from fossil fuel burning. The destruction of forests also increasing warming. The effects of global warming are already being seen. Treaties and voluntary actions are needed to reduce emissions to lessen the amount of global warming that will take place in the future.
****
[A]: Mike

[Q]: Birch town was located 20 miles away from Free town. Birch town's population was affected by viral respiratory diseases, while Free town's population caught bacterial respiratory diseases. Which town has fewer people that caught tuberculosis? Hint: Many respiratory diseases are caused by pathogens. A pathogen is an organism that causes disease in another organism. Certain bacteria, viruses, and fungi are pathogens of the respiratory system. The common cold and flu are caused by viruses. The influenza virus that causes the flu is pictured below ( Figure below ). Tuberculosis, whooping cough, and acute bronchitis are caused by bacteria. The pathogens that cause colds, flu, and TB can be passed from person to person by coughing, sneezing, and spitting. Illnesses caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics. Those caused by viruses cannot.
****
[A]: Birch

[Q]: Two soccer players had a friendly match one on one after work. Paul had plenty of time to do his warm up properly, but John got there late and didn't warm up. Paul won the match. Which player was more likely to get injured? Hint: Sometimes muscles and tendons get injured when a person starts doing an activity before they have warmed up properly. A warm up is a slow increase in the intensity of a physical activity that prepares muscles for an activity. Warming up increases the blood flow to the muscles and increases the heart rate. Warmed-up muscles and tendons are less likely to get injured. For example, before running or playing soccer, a person might jog slowly to warm muscles and increase their heart rate. Even elite athletes need to warm up ( Figure below ).
****
[A]:
John