Tianshui lies in the southeast of Gansu Province. Spicy Hot Pot     1     (become) popular all of the network recently. It’s a historic city in the northwest China and one of the most important birthplaces of Chinese civilization (中华文明). We     2     (take) you here through a historical journey of all the ages.

It is known as the “Hometown of Emperor of Fuxi”. Emperor Fuxi     3     (say) to be one of the three emperors in ancient Chinese legend. He created the Eight Trigrams (八卦) on     4     (he) own and opened a new age of human civilization.

According to the legend, Fuxi noticed all things in heaven and earth     5     (change), invented fishing nets and made people’s lives more convenient. He led humans     6     (keep) wild animals. Entering the Fuxi Temple, I feel as I’m     7     (complete) lost in an ancient legend. On the wall of the temple, there are excellent murals (壁画),     8     (describe) Fuxi’s achievements and legends vividly (逼真地).

I feel a strong power of history and culture here. Everything here tells a story from ancient times. The more you learn about Fuxi Temple, the     9     (deep) understanding of Chinese culture you will get. I’m proud of our such Chinese     10     (wealthy). It made us know about how wise and creative our Chinese in ancient times were.

Do you know Tianshui, a big city along the ancient Siłk Road? It is one of the     1     (最古老的) cities in Gansu Province. So people     2     (通常地) visit Tianshui for its history and culture. Things have     3     (改变) these days, however. More and more people are traveling there for its spicy hot pot (麻辣烫). According to Trip.com, bookings for hotels and attractions in Tianshui have risen     4     (四十) percent from a year ago.

In early February, a student posted a video of the spicy hot pot on social media. So far, the video has quickly deceived 1,000,000 likes. Many people said that they wanted to taste the food     5     (他们自己).

What makes the food special in Tianshui? That’s all thanks to the seasonings (佐料).     6     (蔬菜) and meat are cooked with a mix of peppercorns and red pepper oil. The red pepper is grown in Tianshui’s Gangu County (甘谷县). The     7     (气候) there makes the pepper look bright red and taste great. This gives the hot pot an unusual look and flavor.

The city’s increasing popularity has excited the     8     (本地的) government. They hope to follow the examples of Zibo and Harbin and     9     (发展) the city. Since March 11, they have offered two new bus services to take tourists from train stations to dining places. Also, a food festival was     10     (举办) to show the delicious food. They hope to make tourists feel at home.

I came to Shanxi University as an international student from Bangladesh in October 2018. I found myself falling in love     1     Shanxi. And I became more interested in local life and knew more about the city.

    2     I first came here, I found it might be hard to start a new life in a new place. But with the help of my teachers and friends, I could adapt (适应) to the life here. I think their warm-hearted help     3     a main reason for my growing love of China. My experience in Shanxi is a chance to help open my     4     and I find life here is full of surprise. I love visiting different parts of Shanxi by cycling because it can help me have a better understanding of the city and make friends with local people.

With a recorded history of more than 3,000 years, Shanxi is one of the cradles (发源地) of ancient Chinese culture. The province     5     is called “a museum of ancient Chinese culture” has lots of treasures. Having lived in Shanxi for many years, I have been impressed by the Chinese people’s strong sense of pride in their traditional culture. Maybe you will enjoy this place like me.

Puyang is a charming city located in the northeastern part of Henan Province, China. It is known     1     its rich history, cultural heritage (遗产), and beautiful natural scenery.

In 1987, at Xishuipo, Puyang City, a dragon pattern made of clamshells (蛤壳) dating back to 6400 years ago was excavated (挖掘). It is named as the “First Dragon of China”.

Famous historical people from Puyang, such as Cang Jie, Shang Yang, Wu Qi and so on left us lots of encouraging stories. The Chinese surnames (姓氏), including Zhang, Fan and Yao were all originated in Puyang, which attracted many overseas Chinese     2     seek their roots (寻根).

In addition to its history and culture,     3     are many famous attractions in Puyang. The beautiful rivers run through the city, offering wonderful views and opportunities for boat rides. The city     4     also surrounded (环绕) by parks, and gardens, making it a peaceful and beautiful place to explore.

Overall, Puyang is a city     5     offers a perfect blend (交融) of history, culture, and natural beauty, making it a must-visit destination for travelers.

How’s it going? Now I’d like to tell you about a day in my smart city.

After breakfast, I usually go to school by bike. But on     1     (rain) days, I take a self-driving taxi (自动驾驶出租车) to school. It also helps me get to school     2     (easy) and quickly. The taxi always arrives at my home     3     time. On my way to school, many cars run on the streets. But at every     4     (cross), the traffic lights (交通信号灯) are smart. My taxi ride to school only     5     (take) about ten minutes.

After school, I usually spend some time     6     (run) at the park in my neighborhood. You know what? The running lane (跑道) in the park is smart,     7    ! How far do I run? How much time do I spend? The smart lane helps     8     (I) to “remember” these things.

Then, the day turns into the night and I walk home. There     9     (be) another interesting thing. When I go past the street lights, they turn on all by themselves! When no one is around, they dim (变暗淡). It’s a smart way to save energy (能源), right?

All in all, I live in such a smart city and I really enjoy     10     (live) here.

Yours,

Zhou Lin

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province. I like it so much that I have     1     (be) there over ten times so far.

Chengdu is     2     (冠词) ancient city. In the city, there are lots of famous historical sites (历史遗址). In the past ten years, I have visited many of them and learned a lot     3     (介词) the history of the wonderful city.

Chengdu is a city of Gastronomy (美食学), and the food there is famous all over the world. People often say, “Eat in Sichuan and Taste in Chengdu. ”There are many kinds of food in Chengdu. And they are     4     (difference) in flavors (风味). In February, 2010, Chengdu became the first city in Asia and the     5     (two) city in the world to be     6     (name) as the City of Gastronomy by UNESCO. Every year a large number of tourists come to Chengdu to try the food. I also enjoy     7     (eat) Chengdu food.

Chengdu is the home town of the giant panda. It is one of the rarest (最稀有的) animals in the world. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) chose the giant panda to be     8     (it) symbol. The giant panda is a bridge of friendship (友谊) between Chengdu     9     (连词) the other parts of the world.

In a word, with its rich culture, delicious food and     10     (love) animals, Chengdu is a must-visit place for everyone.

Have you ever     1     to Dali? It’s a beautiful place to have fun for all kinds of people. It’s in the west of Yunnan Province. It’s famous     2     its winds, flowers, snow and moon. Three Pagodas Temple has been the symbol of Dali. The three pagodas have a history of more than 1,000 years. Cangshan Mountain is covered with snow all year round. It’s unbelievable that Erhai Lake is really like an ear. It’s     3     of the biggest freshwater lakes in Yunnan. There are many delicious food. Thousands of people come to visit it every year. If you want a trip, then Dali is     4     good choice. If you come here, don’t forget to take your camera. Then you can take lots of photos. You can enjoy     5    .

8 . As part of Yangzhou culture, Yangzhou cuisine (美食) is the best known for its long history. Since the a    1     times, Yangzhou has been the center of Huaiyang cuisine. The earliest known r    2     can be found in The Book of History (尚书). Huaiyang cuisine appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period, d    3     in the Han and Tang Dynasties, and flourished (繁盛) in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

For many years, Yangzhou snacks have been well known for their great variety with different fillings and beautiful s    4    . Some of them are like balls, stars and so on. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yangzhou city was praised as “a place whose pastry shops were the finest under heaven”. Yangzhou snacks won high praise from visitors b    5     at home and abroad.

Among the famous masters during the middle of the Qing Dynasty, Beauty Shaw in Yizheng was the b    6     at making Yangzhou snacks. The snacks she made were said to be as v    7     as gold because they are all small, cute and as white as snow and they are hard to buy. Beauty Shaw is also c    8     as one of the top ten masters of ancient China.

Fuchun Teahouse was built in Yangzhou in 1885. It has b    9     a famous Chinese restaurant for its long history and high quality. It is also famous for i    10     self-made tea Kuilongzhu.

If you come to Yangzhou, don’t miss Yangzhou cuisine!

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!

    1     are you in Guangzhou? Emily and I are fine     2     London. It is winter now, and the weather here is not very nice. It’s snowing heavily. London is a beautiful     3     modern city. There     4     many famous buildings in London, such as the Big Ben and the British Museum. We have much fun and learn a lot in the museum.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve (圣诞前夕), and there are many people at Harrods. They are buying Christmas presents there. In the park, children are playing with snow. Everyone is happy. By the way, the tea here is great. And Emily is going to buy some black tea for you.

We are going back     5     Shanghai soon and we miss you very much.

Love,

Steve