Switzerland (瑞士) is famous for its beautiful views. Many people dream of living there. Thanks to the local policy, their dream has come true in Albinen (阿尔比嫩).

Albinen is in Valais, a state in the c    1     of the Swiss Alps. It is a beautiful mountain village and it is c    2     as one of Valais’ most beautiful villages. In the peaceful and quiet village, it’s a    3     to breathe in the fresh mountain air while enjoying the view. It is a perfect place for people to spend their holiday.

B    4     roads were built, only footpaths allowed people to reach Albinen. In 1902, there was no hotel or shop. At that time, the population there was only 301, the l    5     population ever. Since the 1940s, people have been leaving the village and most of them were young because there were not enough jobs. Although cars reached Albinen in the 1960s and the roads brought in tourists, Albinen’s population c    6     to fall. In 2017, there were about 240 people living there. The village school was closed so the village’s 7 children had to go to a    7     town by bus every day.

To attract people under 45 years old to buy or build new homes in the village, the mayor (镇长) of Albinen, Beat Jost, carried out a policy in 2017. Each adult would be g    8     $25. 000 and each child would be paid $10, 000. But they had to live in the village for ten years.

People around the world knew the news q    9     “The policy fully worked. We had 12, 000 requests by e-mail or phone, ” said the mayor. “At last we accepted 38 people, i    10     twelve children.” And at the end of 2019, the village had four births. It had been a new record for 20 years!