In August 1996, Peter Hessler, a young American teacher of English,     1    ( arrive) In the town of Fuling on the Yangtze River. He and a colleague were to spend two years there    2    ( teach) English at a teacher training college. At the end of January they had four weeks     3    for the Spring Festival. They decided     4    (take) a boat downstream. They bought tickets for the Jiangyou boat. The sun was shining     5    (bright )as they sailed downstream through a hilly region. They slept through the first gorge,     6    is called the Qutang Gorge. The gorge narrows to 350 feet as the river rushes through the two-mile-high mountains. At Wushan they made    7    detour up the Daning River. As they came out of the Xiling Gorge, they sailed into the     8    (construct) site of the dam. All the passengers came on deck, took pictures and pointed at the site, but they     9     (not allow) to get off the boat. On a distant mountain was a sign in 20-foot     10    (character)."Build the Three Gorges Dam, Exploit the Yangtze River, "it said.

Against a backdrop of misty green forests and     1     its buildings on stilts (桩), which are above the River Tuo, Fenghuang is a picturesque place to spend a day or two. Its winding allays, lined with traditional shops and temples, lead to narrow wooden bridges and stepping-stones that cross the river.

Although the town can get extremely busy with continual tour groups,     2     has managed to preserve much of its traditional     3     (architect). Wandering off the main streets allows you to get a sense of     4     it would have been like before the tourists began to visit and taste the local delicacies including bamboo rat, frog and snake.

Fenghuang itself does have a section of rebuilt Ming city walls     5     (run) along its riverbank, but it’s the Miaojiang Great Wall     6     is the main draw here. Built in 1554 during the Ming dynasty defence against the Miao, the wall     7     (destroy) partly by Miao ethnic group and then rebuilt under the Qing rulers, who also     8     (seek) to strengthen their power through the control of China’s southern minorities. Nowadays only a section is     9     (access), but it’s still     10     impressive sight, offering great views of the surrounding countryside.