Generational efforts create wonders
C Read the article about how Saihanba changed from a desert to a green land and complete the table.
Three generations, one green dream
Today, Saihanba is a green forest in the northern part of Hebei Province. This breathtaking forest stretches for miles. But it was not always like this. Without the efforts and strong will of three generations of hard-working people, this area would still be an empty and lifeless desert.
In 1962, the Saihanba Forest Farm was set up to help save this area from the dangers of sandstorms and extreme weather conditions. 127 young people from 18 provinces across China, together with 242 local people, formed the first generation of foresters. It was a difficult task. Their living conditions were very poor. They had little experience and simple equipment. Many of the young trees they planted did not survive, but this did not stop them. They continued to work and tried different ways to help new plants grow.
In the 1980s, Saihanba was no longer desert-like, but life was still a challenge for the people living there. The second generation of foresters stepped up to help the cause. In 1984, Liu Haiying arrived in Saihanba. Along with his team, he studied the soil and experimented with new tree-planting methods. His work helped greatly improve the survival rate of newly planted trees.
In 2005, Yu Shitao became a third-generation Saihanba forester. He, too, faced difficult conditions and almost gave up. But inspired by the earlier generations, he stayed. He worked very hard, recorded forest data and learnt new skills. Eventually, he and his team improved the survival rate of newly planted trees on rocky mountain slopes (山坡) to more than 95% over the years.

| Who | Challenges | What they did |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The 1st generation: (1) from 18 provinces and 242 local people | • (2) and extreme weather
• poor living conditions
• (3)
• simple equipment
• low survival rate of newly planted trees | • kept working
• (4) to help new plants grow |
| Liu Haiying | challenging living conditions | • studied (5)
• experimented with (6) |
| Yu Shitao | difficult conditions | • recorded (7)
• learnt (8) |