Most bats (蝙蝠) hunt from dusk until dawn. They listen and then dive, seizing the insects with     1    (they) feet. They can hunt in complete darkness     2     (use) echo-location calls. These echoes produce a sound picture of their immediate surroundings. Young children can often hear bats calling, as their ears are sensitive     3     such sound levels.

Bats need our help as some species are now endangered. The mouse-eared bat was even thought to have died out     4     one was recently discovered hanging upside down in     5    old railway tunnel. A mother bat produces only one baby bat each year, and this is not enough to keep a normal bat population. To encourage bats, sweet night plants,     6     attract insects, can be planted. Trees are useful sources of food and shelters, and ponds are other possible ways of encouraging insects for bat food. Bat boxes can be made from wood and     7     (fix) on trees, walls or even in city gardens.

Bats are now protected by law. Protection groups now watch bat     8     (behave) and habitats, and bat sightings are reported     9     (help) store up information by volunteers. These protection groups produce handouts about bat boxes and bat care. They     10     (design) to promote public awareness, and there are even night-time bat walks and bat watches.

Winters can be harsh in Heilongjiang, China’s northeastern province     1     (border) Russia.

The residents of Harbin, Heilongjiang’s capital, brighten the winter     2     (month) by carving fantastic frozen sculptures for the International Ice and Snow Festival that takes place in January and February every year. Once a     3     (region) affair, the festival has grown to be a major international event.

“It’s quite surreal (梦幻般的), due to both the scale (规模)     4     all the beautiful lighting—like being     5     a fantasy movie,” says Christian Stanley of the China Travel Company. “It’s so big that you can’t help wondering     6     they managed to build all of this so quickly.”

It’s also a good choice to take a break from Harbin’s winter wonderland with a visit to the Siberian Tiger Park.     7     (locate) a few miles northwest of the city on the Songhua River, the park     8     (establish) in 1996 to help protect these animals, the largest felines (猫科动物) in the world. Hundreds of Siberian tigers—accustomed (适应) to the winter cold—     9     (free) walk around the nature reserve, along with leopards and black puma. Visitors must ride in special buses to get protected from the tigers as the animals gather around out of     10     (curious).

Guilin is my favorite city in China because of its    1     (beautiful), its waterways, its cafes, and most of all because I met my wife there. It is    2     (she) hometown and we will both retire there in a few years.

Not only is Guilin a fascinating city, but there are many    3     (interest) places to visit within a short drive from there. The Lingqu Canal is one of the     4     (old) canals in the world. It was built about 2,200 years ago and connects two major river systems, the Yangtze River and the Pearl River.

It’s very comfortable in Guilin during the winter and spring,     5     it gets pretty hot in the summertime. That’s OK because I grew up in the Midwest of the US    6    it gets very hot and humid during the summer months because of the rain. It rarely    7    (freeze) in the winter and the spring and autumn are pleasant.

Being from California I’m used to    8    (have) a car to get around. In fact, it’s practically     9    necessity in California. But in Guilin almost everything is within walking distance. If you need to go further, public buses are available every five minutes on the busy streets. It’s a really perfect place     10    (retire).

Venice is an attractive city between the sea and the sky. The city     1    (consist) of over 100 islands and there aren’t any cars or buses. All the islands     2    (link) by canals and bridges, making it     3    (convenience) for people to travel around the city. The best­known of the canals, the Grand Canal, serves     4     the main street in the part of the city.

Venice has a lot of world­famous tourist     5    (attraction), including Saint Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace and Saint Mark’s Basilica,     6     is the city’s most famous church. Every year thousands     7     tourists visit this beautiful city. They always find themselves     8    (impress) by the city’s cultural treasures.

Sadly, the Italian city has been regularly flooded by rising sea water over the years. From November to February, sea level rises up to one and a half meters,     9    (cover) many of Venice’s famous areas. But people in Venice still love their city. They are unwilling     10    (leave). Instead, they want to stay there to save Venice from the sea.