1    the beginning of their rail journey, Li Daiyu and her cousin Liu Qian spent a couple of days in Vancouver, doing see-sighting. During the first day, as is typical of Vancouver, it rained.     2    , they were able to take a boat ride out into the bay.     3    , they visited an island that had wonderful shops selling crafts and antiques. The next day being clear and mild, they were pleased to see the beautiful mountains looking out over the city.     4    , they took a pleasing hike in a forest just a short distance away.

The next morning, the two girls arose early for the train to Lake Louise, passing through the Canadian Rockies. Through the train window, the mountains and forests of Canada looked massive.     5     arriving at the station, they took a taxi to Lake Louise with the exceptional beauty of blue water literally taking their breath away.     6     spending the night there, they took a coach bound north through the Canadian Rockies to Jasper, where the beautiful scenery made them both agree that it was the most awesome journey they had ever taken.     7     the sight of spectacular mountain peaks and forests, one highlight of their trip was being able to see many different creatures, deer and mountain goats included.

Of all the t    1     festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every c    2    . This important agricultural festival t    3     place after all the crops have been gathered in. People celebrate to show that they are g    4     for the year’s s    5     of food. In ancient Egypt, the harvest festival was celebrated during the springtime- the Egyptian harvest s    6    . It featured a p    7     and a great feast with music, dancing, and s    8    . Today, in some European countries, people decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit, and get together to celebrate over a m    9    . During the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, f    10     gather to admire the shining moon and enjoy delicious mooncakes.

The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England — many people are confused by what these different names mean. So what is the difference between them, if any?     1     to know a little bit about British history will help you solve this puzzle.

In the 16th century, the     2     country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, in the 18th century, the country Scotland was joined to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.     3    , in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland broke away from the UK, which     4     in the full name we have today: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most people just use the shortened name: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”, which means the UK is also often     5     to as Britain or Great Britain.

The four countries that     6     to the United Kingdom work together in some areas. They use the same flag, known as the Union Jack, as well as share the same currency and    7         8    . However, they also have some differences. For example, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have different education systems and    9     systems. They also have their own     10    , like their own national days and national dishes. And they even have their own football teams for competitions like the World Cup!

The Internet has done much more for people than simply make l    1    more convenient.

People’s lives have been changed by online c    2     and social networks. Jan Tchamani, an English teacher, suddenly d    3     serious illness and had to quit her job. At age 50, she found herself out of work and stay at home with only her computer to keep her c    4    , After a while, she discovered that s    5     Internet could help her feel less lonely and bored. She was so inspired by the p    6     she met online that she decided to start an IT c    7    . Jan has started taking online c    8     to learn more about ho to use the Internet to make s    9     better. Her next goal is to start a charity w    10     to raise money for children in poor countries.

Yuan Longping, known     1     the “father of hybrid rice”, is one of China’s most famous scientists. Yet, he     2     himself a farmer because he continually works the     3     in his research. Indeed, his slim but    4     body is just like that of millions of Chinese farmers, to whom he has     5     his life.

Yuan Longping was born in 1930 in Beijing. His parents wanted him to pursue a career in science or medicine. However,     6     concerned him most was that farmers often had poor     7     and sometimes even had a serious     8     of food to eat. To     9     this crisis, he chose to study agriculture and received an     10     at Southwest Agricultural College in Chongqing.

China is w    1     known for its ancient c    2     which has continued all the way through into modern t    3    , despite the many ups and downs in its history. There are many reasons why this has been possible, but one of the main f    4     has been, the Chinese w    5     system.

At the b    6    , written Chinese was a picture-based l    7     . It d    8     back several thousand years to the use of longgu-animal bones and shells on which s    9     were c    10     by ancient Chinese people. Some of the ancient symbols can still be seen in today’s hanzi.