题目内容：

For thousands of years, the Yangtze River Basin has nurtured (哺育) countless generations of people in China. With towering mountains, dense (茂密的) forests and beautiful wetlands, the basin is also home to many kinds of wild animals and plants.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, it boasts about 350 types of fish, 762 kinds of bird, 280 mammals and over 14,000 different plants.

One of the most famous creatures is the baiji, or Yangtze River dolphin, which is described as the “Goddess of the Yangtze” in the Erya (《尔雅》), a Chinese dictionary dating back to 200 BC.

The light grey, long-nosed river dolphin first lived in the oceans before settling in the Yangtze River around 20 million years ago. Despite having eyes, it relies on its sonar (声呐) abilities to navigate (导航) through water, according to China Daily.

It’s also a shy creature. That’s why Wang Ding, an expert from the Institute of Hydrobiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, compared it to the “girl next door”. “The baiji is very beautiful but difficult to get close to,” Wang told the Guardian.

However, the baiji’s cousin, the Yangtze finless porpoise (江豚), seems to have a more lively character. Known for its “mischievous” (淘气的) smile and friendliness with humans, the finless porpoise is nicknamed the “water elf (精灵)”.

Compared to the friendly porpoise, the snow leopard (雪豹), known as the “king of the snowy mountains”, couldn’t be more different. With sharp teeth, the white-coated big cat has strong limbs (四肢), which help the animal to cover about 10 meters in a single leap.

Despite the biodiversity in the Yangtze River Basin, however, its creatures are under threat. For example, the baiji was declared “functionally extinct” in 2006. This means that even if there are some of a species still alive, it still may not survive. The finless porpoise was categorized as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2013, while the snow leopard was listed as “vulnerable (易危的)” in 2017.

A major reason for the drop in the number of these creatures is human activity, such as hunting and pollution, according to China Daily.

“In the past, many people relied on fish farming to make a living,” Huang Zehua, an official from Jingzhou, Hubei, told Beijing Review. “Fish farming then was mostly chaotic and disorderly.”

Luckily, measures have been taken to protect the Yangtze River Basin. In 2016, China announced the creation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, involving nine provinces and two municipalities (直辖市). Environmental protection and green development are considered first in the development of the economic belt, according to China Daily.

“The Yangtze River is China’s mother river, and it’s our duty to protect it,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping during an inspection tour of Hubei in April, 2017.

Saving 1. wildlife
China’s mother river	With rich natural 2., the Yangtze River Basin is home to 3. of wild animals and plants.
The animals living in or along the river	Baiji came from the oceans 20 million years ago, using its sonar to 4. the directions through water. It is shy and beautiful. It is now very 5. to extinction.
The Yangtze finless porpoise might have the same 6. with baiji but is more friendly to humans. It is under great threat now.
The snow leopard is 7. at racing with strong limbs, which was listed as “vulnerable” in 2017.
A major factor 8. to the drop in the number of these creatures	The 9. human activity, such as hunting and pollution, has caused great harm to the living chances of these animals.
Measures taken to protect the Yangtze River Basin.	Nine provinces and two municipalities have joined the Yangtze River Economic Belt and agreed that environmental protection and green development are a 10. in the development of the economic belt.