My parents always tell me that travelling is not just a fun hobby, but also a way to learn new things. Have you ever ________ to Russia? It is really a good place to spend the summer holiday. The temperature in summer isn’t too ________. Last summer, I travelled to this country with my parents. It took us about eight and a half hours to fly to Moscow. This ________ taught me a lot about the country’s history and culture.

Of all the places of interest we visited during our trip, the Grand Kremlin Palace impressed (给……留下印象) me the ________. The palace was quite beautiful. The white marble (大理石) was smooth and shiny, making the palace look like a red diamond (钻石) ________ under the sun. If you walk through the palace, you can see your own shadow on the wall.

The palace is important to Russia, as it is the centre of national ________, in charge of (掌管) politics, foreign affairs (事务) and other things. The President works and lives here. Can you imagine (想象) ________ he can see through his office window? He is ________ to see the Red Square and the St. Vasily Cathedral.

Besides the beautiful views, the delicious food in Russia also won my heart. The soup known as borscht (罗宋汤) ________ sweet and sour, kind of like strawberry juice. People cook it with radishes and potatoes, which are two popular foods in Russia. I like this soup very much.

I think I will ________ forget this trip to Russia for the rest of my life. How exciting!

Arriving in New York    

There are three airports in New York. When you arrive at one of them. you can take a bus or a taxi to any place in New York.

Public transport

In New York there is a good bus and subway(地铁) service. If you are planning to use the subway a lot, you should buy a subway ticket for ten journeys because it’s cheaper. But you don’t have to use public transport—there are lots of places you can go to on foot, like the Empire State Building(帝国大厦), 5th Avenue(大街) and Central Park. The New York taxis are a part of the city experience, so you should take at least one taxi during your visit.

Hotels     

There are lots of good hotels in New York. The best is the Plaza on 5th Avenue but you don’t have to pay a lot to stay in the city, there are lots of smaller hotels and the YMCA near Central Park is great for young people.

Eating out

There are many kinds of food in New York and you shouldn’t eat at McDonald’s every day. There are good restaurants in little Italy and Chinatown, for example.

Shopping   

Shopping in New York is fun. There are big shops on 5th Avenue. They are open seven days a week. But be careful when you look at the prices, you have to pay a special 8% tax(税) on everything you buy in New York.

Places to see   

Finally, there are a lot of places to see in New York—Times Square, the Statue of Liberty. And you shouldn’t go home without climbing the Statue of Liberty to enjoy the scenery of the city.

A

Chaka Salt Lake lies (位于) in Qinghai Province, China. It sits at an altitude (海拔) of about 3,100 meters and covers an area of about 105 square kilometers. It is rich in salt with a heavy salt bed close to the lake surface (表面). That makes the lake a main source (来源) of salt in our country. When the weather is clear, the lake offers beautiful reflections (影像) of the blue sky.

That is why people call it “sky mirror (镜子)”.

Because of its wonderful views, people see the lake as one of the “must-go” places in China.

The beautiful sunrise and sunset views are the most attractive (迷人的). Every July, large numbers of visitors begin to crowd to (涌入) Chaka Salt Lake. And the situation usually lasts until the end of August. Because they just don’t want to miss the best time to go there. It is believed that with the summer breeze (微风), breathing in the salty air is especially good for lungs (肺). If you want to go on a trip to the lake, the following tips may be helpful.

Travelling to such a beautiful world of salt with snowy mountains and green grass around, you will feel like you are in a fairyland.