Stanton is a very busy town nowadays.     1     is good to see that we have a wonderful city bus service. There are lots of things     2     do here. For example, we have a very modern cinema and a large theatre. And of course, we’ve got lots of shops and restaurants in the town.

There is a big chemical factory that a lot of people work here. But it is     3     pity that the river is a little dirty now. People are doing something to solve the problem.

And look,     4     is Paul Carr, our famous artist. As you can see, Stanton is such a nice place     5     people to live and also a good place to visit.

Shenyang is the capital city of Liaoning and it is one of the biggest cities in the northeast of China. With a     1     (wealth) culture and history, Shenyang is a great place to visit, work in, and live in.

Shenyang is the city where the traditional meets the modern. It is famous for     2     (place) of interest, including the Mukden Palace or Shenyang Imperial Palace. The palace     3     (list) as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

Shenyang used to be called “the eldest son” of the     4     (People) Republic of China because of great contributions to the     5     (develop) of our country. Now more and more people would prefer to work here to realize their dreams.

Shenyang is also known for     6     (it) delicious food, such as chicken with ginger, stewed pork ribs and pickled cabbage.

In a word, Shenyang is an exciting city and it is well worth a visit. Whether you are interested in history, culture, business, or just want     7     (lead) a city life, Shenyang has something for everyone.

Visit Istanbul (伊斯坦布尔)

Have you given any thought to your next holiday? Istanbul should be at the t    1     of your list of cities to visit next! Istanbul, Turkey, is the world’s 20th largest city and Europe’s largest city. It’s on a piece of land in the shape of a horn(喇叭), known as the Golden Horn.

Istanbul is one of the world’s most interesting cities. In human history, Istanbul is important because the city l    2     in both Europe and in Asia. It was the easiest road for people to go from Europe to Asia. Like Xi’an, it was one of the m    3     cities on the Silk Road. Since 1461, Asians have taken their silk, tea and spices to Istanbul to sell to Europeans. They had a famous market at the Grand Bazaar, which is the most visited p    4     in the world today.

Imagine waking up in the middle of Istanbul. You’ll find many of the world’s most famous sights. You can walk to the Hagia Sofia, a church that was the world’s largest for over 1,000 years b    5     it was turned into a mosque (清真寺). Across the street is the Blue Mosque. Underground, you’ll find Roman-made “cisterns” (tanks to store water). These are part of the city’s freshwater system. Walk over to the Kumkapi district and have delicious fish that is s    6     in 50 seafood restaurants.

Istanbul is only 9 hours from Shanghai and Beijing. That’s h    7     a long journey! Flights leave daily, so don’t waste time—plan your trip to Istanbul soon!

The Melbourne Star in Australia, is the biggest Ferris wheel in the     1     (南部) hemisphere. It looks like a star.

All the time, I’ve     2     (期待) to be there. So years ago, I went on the Melbourne Star after reaching Australia. I saw Melbourne by viewing it from the sky.     3     (确切) at that moment, I fell in love with the city.

Recently, I went there with my mom in the evening. There was a long line and we waited for more than     4     (四十) minutes to get on. But once we took off, the     5     (了不起) view of Melbourne below our feet surprised us.

On one side, we could see Westgate Bridge, which is often crowded with     6     (交通). In the bright light, the bridge looked like a rainbow     7     (横过) the Yarra River. We were lucky to watch the sunset from a special     8     (地方) .The sun     9     (慢) dropped and the skyline was orange. It almost felt like we were in one of Monet’s paintings.

The ride was about thirty minutes and it was over so quickly. Though the ride     10     (花费) nothing, the view and the feeling I had will stay in my heart for a long time.

In Search of Good English Food

How come it is so difficult to find English food in England? In England, it is     1     (easy) to find Indian and Chinese restaurants than English ones. In London, you can eat dishes almost around the world, but where are the English restaurants?

It is not only in restaurants that foreign dishes are taking the place of     2     (tradition) British food. In every supermarket, spaghetti and pizza are more popular. Why has this happened? What is wrong with the cooks of Britain that they prefer cooking spaghetti to     3     (potato)? Why do the British now like cooking in wine and olive oil? That’s     4     they can get ingredients (食材) from all over the world in just a few hours. Anyway, was’t English food always terrible and tasteless? The answer to this question is “No”, but     5     (understand) this, you have to go back to before World War I.

    6     fact, the British have always imported(口) food from abroad. From ancient times, foreign trade was     7     main influence on British cooking. English kitchens got ingredients from all over the world. All of them     8     (use) in British dishes successfully. Another important influence on British cooking was     9     (certain) the weather. For the British, the good old rain gives     10     (they) rich soil and green grass. That means they are able to produce some of the finest meat, fruit and vegetables, which don’t need many sauces (调料) to cover their taste.

Travel Alone

I am so excited. Also a little nervous! I am off on a trip on my own. Yes! Alone! I am feeling so brave and can’t wait to get going. I am heading off to Europe to see some cities I really want to visit. I am also going to have so much fun. It is great b    1     I can choose what I want to do in each city. I am going to travel by train on the Euro-rail. I can buy one train ticket that l    2     two weeks, and use it all over Europe.

The train trip across Italy was fast and the v    3     of the countryside were beautiful. Now I am in Salzburg, Austria. The quiet hills of Austria are a great place to visit. The movie The Sound of Music was filmed around this area. It is truly beautiful. I enjoy the n    4     scenery of the mountains and the Danube River from my hotel window. There are also many castles and cathedrals to visit. Mozart, the famous musician, was from here. I listened to some of his classical music. I could really r    5     myself when I sipped on a hot cup of coffee.

Amsterdam is a fun city, f    6     of friendly locals and tourists. The train ride to Amsterdam was a long one. It gave me time to write some postcards to send back home. I spent the whole day exploring the art museums here. I took a boat ride a    7     the many water canals(运河) and saw people wearing their wooden clogs(木屐). I even got to taste some delicious Dutch cheese.