In 1991, Beijing musician Wang Wei went on a tour, when he become fascinated by the shakuhachi, a kind of Japanese bamboo flute (笛子).     1     (late), he found out that the shakuhachi     2     was called chi ba in Chinese, was introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

    3     (astonish) and ashamed of how he was ignorant of the country’s rich musical tradition     4     a professional musician, Wang started learning and researching on Chinese musical instruments made of bamboo. He has found that among the 90 wind instruments identified by the Chinese Music Dictionary, 47 are made of bamboo.

During the past three     5     (decade), the talented musician traveled around the country to find     6     finest materials for making bamboo instruments. The small balcony in Beijing has become his studio for instrument making.

He also gathered a group of musicians to form the country’s     7     (one) bamboo orchestra. While realizing his     8     (expect), Wang is also proud that the orchestra’s birth and development are also an effort of     9     (protect) the environment Bamboo is among the fastest growing plants on earth, gaining 1.2 meters every day under appropriate conditions. Since 2002, the State Forestry Administration     10     (try) to replace the use of wood with bamboo to protect the environment.

The Great Wall of China is a symbol of ancient Chinese civilization. It is one of the world’s     1     (old) and most impressive man- made scenes. It enjoys the same reputation with two other landmarks of China — the Forbidden City and Terracotta Army. Given     2     (it) outstanding architectural achievement and remarkable historical influence, the Great Wall was listed as     3     UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage site in 1987.

The Great Wall,     4     served as a functional military defense, was originally built during the West Zhou Dynasty, since when it     5     (play) a crucial role in wars in ancient Chinese history. Therefore, the walls were continually to be extended in the next 2,000 years     6     the end of the Ming Dynasty. As a result, the Great Wall was expanded to 15 provinces and municipalities (自治区) in China, and formed     7     a beautiful shape of “Long”(Chinese style dragon). With its original thousands of miles in length (Northern Great Wall), it was widely named “Wan Li Chang Cheng”.

Through thousands of years and the replacement of the dynasties, many parts of the Great Wall have been damaged     8     (severe) from erosion (侵蚀), and some are even endangered and have disappeared. The present preserved Great Wall was mainly built in the 14th century, hence     9     (call) the Ming Great Wall, which starts in Hushan and ends in Jiayuguan. Today, Chengde, Yulin and Jiayuguan are the top     10     (destination) for Great Wall sightseeing or hiking.