The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, is the second-largest art museum in the world after the Louvre, France, both of which     1     (visit) by millions of people     2     (annual). Hermitage holds not only artistic treasures but also     3     collection of living history as well.

The Hermitage was built as part of the royal Russian family’s Winter Palace. Empress Elizabeth had cats brought in     4     (rid) the several palace buildings of mice. The cats     5     (do) their job well and were given homes in the basements of the buildings and the title of Hermitage cats.

The 74 Hermitage cats live at the museum     6     they now lead an extremely     7     (comfort) life. A press secretary is in charge of the cats, with three full-time caretakers     8     (attend) to their every need. There are even kitchens for preparing meals for the cats     9     every cat has its own preference. This may all seem over the top, but Russian and foreign visitors alike love seeing the Hermitage cats while admiring some of the world’s     10     (great) artistic treasures.

There are also structures     1    (build) with the objective of bringing wildlife into the city. The Beijing Olympic Forest Park is a good example. The park used native plants and created open, natural spaces for wildlife. The result is a zone in Beijing     2     over 160 species of birds. In many ways, the park is the opposite of a zoo. Instead of     3    (keep) in cages, wildlife can move about freely.

In many countries, it is not unusual for families of       1    (difference) backgrounds to live together in the shared space.     2    , in the United States, this idea may still be considered odd.

But this type of housing,     3    (call) co-housing, is gaining popularity in the United States, too. Co-housing complexes are popping up across the country. For many people, this way of life is a     4    (relieve) to the busy modern lifestyle. A co-housing community has     5    (private) owned houses and shared land. There is often a “common house” with a kitchen and dining room, meeting room, and maybe a workshop of library or music room. About 25 co-housing communities     6    (build) in recent years, and 150 more are planned.

A co-housing complex is a place     7     residents shop, cook, and eat together. Residents of a co-housing complex like its sense of shared community. Children have other kids     8    (play) with, which many families like. Other residents like the feeling of living in 64.     9     “village”. Residents also say that they can live in co-housing for     10    (little) money than they would pay for nearby apartment.

Richard is studying in China.     1     the October holiday, he and his parents are planning to go to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Army. Richard can’t wait     2     (go) there because to him, the story of the Terracotta Army is almost     3     (believe). Apart from the Terracotta Army, Richard and his father are both looking forward to     4     (go) to the Shaanxi History Museum, because his father     5     (love) history and he has heard that this museum     6     (know) as a “Chinese treasure house”! They are also going to     7     Xi’an City Wall and a few other famous     8     (sight). They’re taking the train, leaving the day     9     the October holiday begins. They’re arriving at 9:30 a.m. and     10     (start) sightseeing right away.

How are you? Colin together with me     1     (plan) to take several weeks to travel.After taking a     2     (fly) to Morocco, we’re to ride camels through the Sahara Desert.It is the biggest desert in the world,     3     it will be hot, dry and dusty.Then, we’re going to travel down     4    River Nile.Going white-water rafting must be     5    (excite).But to wear a helmet and a lifejacket for protection is a must.Next, we’re leaving for Kenya.Living with the local people and eating with them will be awesome! I’ll need to buy a large backpack     6    advance for my supplies of food and water.We’ll try to get close to the wild animals    7     (take) nice photos.After that, we are moving on to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, which, I am afraid, can be more than tiring and     8     (comfort).Afterwards, we’re going to the Himalayas.

Love,

Toby