The rail network forms the backbone of the Chinese transport system and serves most of the cities     1    (visit) can explore much of China by train and many find it an efficient and inexpensive means of travel. The cost is around 25 percent     2    (little) than comparable air services.

In 2015, there was a total of 121,000 km of railway track in China,     3    (make) Chinese rail rank first in Asia. Double track railways covered 68,076 km, while electrified lines covered about 80,352 km. Now, The railway travels through     4     whole country. Beijing is the hub（枢纽）of the north-south lines     5     the west-east line centre is at Zhengzhou.

Chinese trains differ from those in other countries. In China, the accommodation on the trains     6    (divide) into four categories, namely, soft-sleeper, soft-seat, hard-sleeper and hard-seat.

There     7    (be) washrooms on the trains. The toilets, regardless of class, are not usually very clean and     8     is a good idea to bring your own toilet paper.     9    (boil) water is available on trains and dining cars on long distance routes only.

Reservations should be made in advance, especially during the holidays and travel season. Tickets may be purchased     10    (direct) from rail stations or booked a few days in advance from your travel agencies, hotels, or ticket office.

The sheepskin raft, the oldest ferry tool along the Yellow River, has a history of nearly 2.000 years. The airbag of the raft is made of a whole sheepskin and experiences processes that include    1    (heat), soaking, sewing, drying and blowing. Afterwards, the airbags are attached     2     a wooden stand, enabling its use for transporting people and goods across the water.

It is said that the    3     (large) sheepskin raft in old times consisted of more than 600 sheepskin airbags, with an impressive length of 22 meters and a     4     (wide) of 7 meters.

    5     railways were not yet in operation and road traffic was inconvenient in the early 20th century, the sheepskin raft     6    (serve) as the most important means of transportation for residents nearby.

However, with the rapid development of society, the sheepskin raft has finished     7     (it) historical task in transporting people and goods. Nowadays, it can only be found in several cities. It has become a tool for people     8     (go) sightseeing along the river.

Today only some of the older generation of rafters still operate the traditional sheepskin rafts,    9     are struggling to make a living.     10    (surprising), the younger generations prefer to pursue other business opportunities on the riverbank rather than continue the operation.

【推荐1】Over the years, I have met some interesting people. Two of         1       most interesting people were two elderly sisters, Joan and Bernice,         2         way of talking about people inspired me.

It was always a       3       (pleasant) to visit these two sisters. Just being greeted at the door was a joy. They couldn’t be     4       (happy) when seeing me. I always heard about the people who were there before me. Every person         5         (talk) about in a positive way. The conversation would go something like this, “Oh, Kay, so and so was here yesterday, she       6     (be) just the ‘salt of the earth’, isn't she?” The other sister would reply, “Oh yes! You just can't believe         7     wonderful she is.” I never heard they said a negative word about anyone. NEVER!

I understood why these two had so much company when other people complained that no one cared about           8    (they). It was their attitude       9     people. There was no doubt that when the next person came to visit, they were going to hear how I was the “salt of the earth”.

What a wonderful example these two elderly sisters were to me! I will always be     10       (thank)that I had the opportunity to know them.

Two weeks ago, I helped my dear Joan, one of my close friends     1     just graduated, move out of her apartment. We decided     2     (have)a nice dinner before she moved back to her hometown 400 miles away, but being the caring person she is, she had offered her time to help her friends move during dinner, even though she     3     (her)needed to pack and donate things.

She isn’t usually one to ask     4     help, so I knew that I had to offer my time and energy with     5     (determine) if I was going to be     6     (use). I bought her something to eat because I knew she hadn’t eaten and then     7     (rent) a carshare (拼车) for her to ship her things. It was a whole disaster-    8     first carshare we rented wouldn’t open, so we had to carry the things to another car a few     9     (block) away.

This car then had no gas, so we had to gas this car, which pushed back our timeline by 40 minutes. Despite it all, it was a fun lasting memory with her, and I’m glad I     10     (be) able to show her my love through these small acts of service.