The Baiheliang Underwater Museum,     1    (build) around the White Crane Ridge (白鹤梁) of Fuling District in Chongqing, is China’s first underwater museum. The museum is located on the Yangtze River near the Three Gorges Dam; it opened on May 18, 2009. The    2    (construct) of the museum began in 2002.

Baiheliang has been submerged (淹没) underwater since    3     building of the Three Gorges Dam. It consists     4    a stone ridge that is 1, 600 meters by 15 meters in size, which is now submerged under about 40 meters of water. Before the Three Gorges Dam was built, the ridge was only submerged during the summer and fall. The ridge and the carvings on it were only exposed and     5    (clear) visible when the water level of the Yangtze River dropped during the winter. The inscriptions (题刻)     6    (record) water data about the Yangtze River from the Tang Dynasty onward as well as    7    (poem) written calligraphically could     8    (view) by visitors.

The ridge has now been enclosed in an arch-shaped glass covering    9     is filled with water to ensure equal pressure on both sides. Two underwater passages with long moving stairways have been fixed from the riverbank, enabling museum visitors     10    (enter) and view the inscriptions and fish carvings.

The Beijing Central Axis(中轴线) has taken one more step ahead to become     1     UNESCO(联合国教科文组织) World Heritage Site,     2     will be part of China’s 2024 application project.

The Beijing Central Axis, seen as one of the most important     3     (represent) of Chinese civilization, refers to the core area of the ancient capital city that     4     (stretch) 7.8 kilometres from the Yongding Gate in the south         5     the Bell Tower and Drum Tower in the north. This area tells stories of emperors from the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)     6     records the lives of both popular figures and common people.

    7     (vary) methods to advance the application have been used, including digital technologies. For instance, visitors can travel through time and space     8     (free), moving between the past and the present, and learn about 14 cultural heritage sites along the Central Axis by using a newly-launched mobile application.

When talking about the decision, Li Zhou, vice president of the Chinese Commission for the International Council on Monuments and Sites, told Global Times that members     9     (join) in the application work felt pressed for time, as there were still many preparations waiting     10     (complete).

Chengdu, a city with a permanent population of more than 21 million and an area of more than 14, 300 square kilometers, is home     1     both captive (圈养的) and wild giant pandas. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding     2    (house) more than 230 pandas. Visitors can observe them from behind fences or glass windows.

When     3    (visit) Chengdu, one should not miss out on the local cuisine, either. Sichuan cuisine, listed as one of China’s eight major culinary styles,     4    (become) popular internationally in recent years. On the list of the UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Chengdu is     5     birthplace of classic Sichuan dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken and MapoTofu,     6     is famous for its spicy hotpot as well as its diverse street snacks. In this city.     7    (fill) with food, one can delight in a satisfying meal at any random roadside eatery.

The charm of Chengdu goes far beyond pandas and Sichuan cuisine. For visitors interested in experiencing the folk customs and scenes of old Chengdu, my     8    (recommend) is a visit to Kuanzhai Alleys. As a symbol of leisurely city life and local market culture, Kuanzhai Alleys is known as the”     9    (spirit) home of Chengdu people“. For those.     10     want to experience the hustle and bustle of Chengdu, Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li in the city center are the top choices.

Higher density (密度) neighborhoods can lead to benefits for the environment and public health, argues Dr. Tom Logan,     1    University of Canterbury lecturer.

Dr. Logan says the government should be aiming     2     (achieve) the “15-minute city” goal. This involves creating neighborhoods where residents can get to shops, restaurants, recreation areas and services within a 15-minute walk, bike ride,     3     by travelling on public transport. When more people can bike, walk or take public transport to their destinations,     4    (pollute) from cars is reduced and there are benefits for people’s physical and mental health.

Accessible cities are also safer and more     5    (attract) because there are more people around, Dr. Logan says. Residents are more likely to go out with friends when restaurants and bars are closer to where they live,     6    (bring) economic benefits for businesses.

However, Dr. Logan says many people are opposed to higher density housing.

“Density, when it’s done right,     7    we see in parts of Europe, the United States and Asia, is where it can lead to safer and     8    (healthy) residents and neighborhoods that     9    (be) full of life. ”

“Creating that is one of our big     10    (challenge). Not everyone has to live in this way but it’s about giving people the option, so they can live somewhere where they don’t have to drive all the time.”

Plastic has polluted the countryside and been     1     threat to wildlife for decades. In the last century or so, environmentalists have urged us     2     (cut) the amount of plastic we use or recycle the plastic bags. However, with only less than 14 percent of the total amount recycled, people are still struggling with plastic pollution globally.

There may be a solution. Recently scientists have made a biodegradable (可降解的) plastic,     3     means the billions of plastic bags, cups, straws, etc. that we throw away each day could be recycled.     4     (compare) with ordinary plastics, they could break down as     5     (natural) as organic waste. They could do it within a few weeks,     6     (use) just heat and water. The new, biodegradable plastic has polyester-eating enzymes (酶) inside it. When these enzymes are exposed     7     heat and water, they eat away at the plastic and turn it into “food” for the soil. Professor Ting Xu said up to 98 per cent of the plastic her team made reduced into tiny pieces. She said: “The study gives us a     8     (believe) that this continuing problem of single-use plastics can     9     (solve) in the near future.” She added: “Look at all the wasted stuff we throw away—clothing, shoes, electronics....We are taking things from the earth at a     10     (fast) rate than we can return them.”