Are you crazy about the 2022 World Cup? If so, let me tell you something about it.

The World Cup is the most watched sporting events in the world. 32 teams from different countries compete in the World Cup every     1     years. The 22nd World Cup is     2     in Qatar (卡塔尔). Qatar is close to most countries and therefore a large     3     of visitors come here. This is the first ever World Cup to be played in the Middle East in November and in December instead     4     summer.     5     the summer time temperatures in Qatar can reach close to 50℃. It’s too     6     to play.

Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world. They create 8 stadiums (体育场). For the first time ever the World Cup has fully air conditioned stadiums. It is estimated (据估计) Qatar     7     about 200 billion dollars on the event, one of the     8     expensive World Cup in history.

Many Chinese people hope Chinese football team will take     9     in the Word Cup one day. They hope their dream can come     10    .

Shaoshan is a famous city in China. It is the hometown of Chairman Mao Zedong. He once lived, studied and     1     here. Shaoshan is a comfortable place     2     flowers blooming (开花) and birds singing all year round. Shaoshan is almost in the middle of Hunan, it is about 40 kilometers from Xiangtan City and also 100 kilometers from Changsha     3    .

As the high-speed trains are available (可获取的), more and more people come here     4     train. For example, it only     5     less than half     6     hour from Changsha City to Shaoshan. Others still want to drive here with families or friends. If people come here on December 26th, it will be the best time. On that day there are a lot of celebrations, because it’s Chairman Mao’s birthday.

Every year many people     7     here to show their respect. Most of them are students and the others are officials. They also look forward to watching The Most Memorable Shaoshan (《最忆韶山冲》). It can help them better understand Chairman Mao. They will be deeply moved and encouraged.

Besides, it is not only a good place for students to have school trips but also an education base for them to learn about the     8     of the Communist Party of China.

Can you imagine life without smartphones and Wi-Fi? Most of us probably think it is     1    . However, in Green Bank, a small town in the U.S.A., people are living such a life.

Green Bank is home to a large radio telescope (射电望远镜). It is used to study the universe. Radio waves (无线电波) from the ground will     2     the work of the telescope. For this reason, residents (居民) there are not     3     to have smartphones, Wi-Fi, microwave ovens (微波炉), etc. They can only use a pay phone (公用付费电话) or a landline (固定电话)     4     they need to make phone calls.

Today, Green Bank has about 180 residents. Many of     5     actually don’t find life inconvenient. A boy said he liked going to his his friends’ houses to talk to them or share delicious food     6     them. Even if people are not at home, they can     7     find each other somewhere in this small town.

Another resident said she was happy to talk to people face-to-face. This gives her the     8     to shake their hands or give them a hug. She really enjoys living without smartphones and Wi-Fi.

Most people have heard the story of the lost city of Atlantis. But is any part of the story t    1    ?

Over two thousand years ago, the Greek writer Plato wrote about Atlantis, an island in the Atlantic Ocean (大西洋). The island’s people were very rich. They b    2     a big city with many great buildings. But the people became greedy (贪婪的)—they had many things, but they still wanted m    3    . So the gods became angry. Earthquakes and large waves began to hit the island. Finally, Atlantis went down i    4     the sea.

Many explorers (探险家) have l    5     for Atlantis. In 2004, explorer Robert Sarmast reported finding the remains of a city under the sea near Cyprus. However, Sarmast and other scientists later realized the structures he found under the sea were n    6     man-made. Mark Adams, writer of the 2016 book Meet Me in Atlantis, b    7       the city was in Morocco. Plato wrote about red and black stone circles around the city. Adams found s    8       red and black stones in the desert there, very near the Atlantic Ocean.

Most people, however, think Atlantis is simply a story. The p    9     of the story may be to teach people not to be greedy. Richard Ellis also wrote a book about Atlantis in 1999. He says “there is not a piece of solid evidence (证据) for a real Atlantis.”

So was the island real or not? We o    10     know one thing: The mystery (谜) of Atlantis will be with us for a long time.

During this year’s National Day vacation, Yemeni （也门） student Mohammed Saleh Ahmed and his Chinese friends visited Pingyao ancient city in Shanxi Province. They even experienced the ancient way of getting money in the     1     (early) bank of China.

“The historical relics （遗迹） in China’s ancient     2     (city) have made me want to learn more about the country’s past,” Mohammed said. In     3     /'ri:s(ə)nt/ years, tourism industries have developed     4     (rapid) and these relics have become new favorites of tourists.

Xinzhou ancient city in Shanxi,     5     a history of more than 1,800 years, has had over 500 stores and restaurants. During     6     five-day vacation, Xinzhou ancient city received more than 400,000 visitors.

“My restaurant is always busy. During the peak （高峰） season, the yard is     7     (crowd) with tourists waiting for dinner,” said Wang Guodong, a businessman who     8     (own) a restaurant in Xinzhou ancient city.

Geng Yeqiang, an expert from Shanxi University, said that historical relics can form a cultural tourism circle during their protection and     9     (develop). The process can increase local economic （经济的） growth. He also said, “At the same time, relics protection organizations and the tourism organizations should work together to make this economic model better.”

When a modern city meets its old past, not only can the tourism be developed better,     10     the local culture and history can also be known by more people.

8 . I have lived in this beach city for more than sixteen years. Over the past sixteen years, great changes     1     (take) place.

First of all, the city has become much     2     (clean) than before. There used to be rubbish nearly everywhere in the city. The rivers that run through the city used to be dirty and smelly. There     3     (be) nothing but rubbish in the black water. Thanks to the “civilized city” campaign(运动), the quality(素质) of the residents(居民) has improved, so has the sense of protecting the environment. Now, you     4     (can) see people litter about. From morning till night, you can see cleaners are busy working     5     (keep) the city clean.

Secondly, the whole city has taken on a new look. The city government set up the Shell Theater in the year of 2016     6     now it has become a symbol of this city. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was open to traffic     7     Oct. 25th of 2018 and it connected with three cities. It is much easier for the local residents and tourists to travel by land instead of by sea. All the roads in this city have been rebuilt and widened. Besides,     8     old town has been repainted and decorated so that it doesn’t look shabby(破旧的) any more.

Last but not least, the economy (经济) of this city has increased     9     (quick). With the help of the high-speed trains, this beach city has greatly improved     10     (it) ability to attract more investment (投资). Without doubt, the future of this city will be brighter.

In 2022, Beijing will be the first city in the world to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

Let’s turn the calendar back to August of 2008. From 8th to 24th, the 29th Summer Olympic Games took place in Beijing. It was very successful. In 2015, the Chinese people were glad     1     get the news that the 24th Winter Olympic Games would take place in Beijing in February 2022.

To get ready     2     the 24th Winter Olympics, China has decided to build many new facilities（设施）, although some for the 2008 Summer Olympics are still available. Now     3     large number of people are working on the new facilities. They work not only on weekdays but also on weekends. They say they’ll keep working hard     4     they finish all the new facilities.

The opening ceremony of the 24th Winter Olympic Games will take place     5     February 4th, 2022. We’re looking forward to the games.