Seeing a place by bike is one of the most exciting ways of     1     (get) to know a new destination (目的地). Cycling to be green, to get fit or just for new challenge in life, combining sport and travel could be a completely life-changing experience.

The route around the vast Qinghai Lake will take 4 to 7 days of cycling. The total     2     (distant) is over 220 miles. The beautiful lake,     3     is said to change color depending on the season or time of day,     4     (lie) in the culturally Tibetan area. It has been sacred (神圣的) lake to the Tibetan people for many     5     (century).

At a steady and comfortable pace, this route can be completed     6     (easy). Because of the Qinghai Lake International Cycling Race, which has taken place every July     7     2002, the roads are well protected and very easy to ride     8    . The asphalt (柏油) road makes an excellent smooth surface, so you won’t be up against rough road.

For the best weather and the clearest views of the     9     (peace) lake, visit during summer. The best months for cycling are July and August, but remember     10     (travel) with thick clothes as the temperatures drop dramatically in the evenings.

Culture conflicts can occur anytime you travel, but every once in a while they happen in some truly unexpected ways. From shopping with many coins to     1     (light) up a cigarette outdoors, these are strange and embarrassing travel mistakes     2     (travel) would do their best to avoid. For example,           3     is illegal to feed pigeons on the streets of San Francisco. The city     4     (know) for the Golden Gate Bridge blames the common birds for spreading disease and damaging property. Anyone           5     is caught providing food to San Francisco's pigeons could face a heavy fine. Moreover, citizens           6     (encourage) to report pigeon feeders to the city's police department. For another example, you'd better think twice before you smoke in Singapore. Singapore has     7     (serious) smoking penalty（处罚）in the world. Smoking in public will earn a tough fine. More     8     (surprise), if you' re shopping in Canada, don't expect cashiers     9     (accept) many coins as your sole method of payment. According to Canada's Currency Act, stores can legally refuse excessive amounts     10     coins. With pennies, for example, customers' payments may be rejected if they try to use more than 25 one-cent coins at a time.

Yueyang Tower is     1     ancient Chinese tower on the shore of Lake Dongting. It is one of the Three Great Towers of Jiangnan. Yueyang Tower became famous for Memorial to Yueyang Tower (《岳阳楼记》)     2     (write) by Fan Zhongyan, who was an excellent minister of the northern Song Dynasty (960-1127)in China.

    3     (lie) on the city wall of the west gate of the ancient city in Yueyang City, Hunan province, China, Yueyang Tower faces Junshan Island and overlooks Dongting Lake, being extremely beautiful and     4     (impress). Since ancient times, it     5     (enjoy) the good reputation that Dongting Lake is the     6     (good)among lakes, and Yueyang Tower is incomparable among towers. Yueyang Tower’s roof covered with yellow glazed tiles (黄色琉璃瓦)looks like a general’s helmet in ancient China. It is the only ancient     7     (build) with a helmet roof structure (构造) in China.

Before the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Yueyang Tower was mainly used     8     the military purpose. After the Tang Dynasty, it     9     (gradual) became a famous scenic spot in     10     men of letters chanted poetry and wrote fu.

The Dragon Boat Festival is a     1     (tradition) holiday that commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar Qu Yuan.

It is a day when many people eat zongzi and race dragon boats.   In   ancient   China,   the   festival     2     (celebrate) as “Poets’ Day” in honor of Qu Yuan,       3     was known as China’s first poet.

    4     is commonly believed that the local people began     5     tradition of throwing sacrificial cooked rice into the river for Qu Yuan, while others hoped that the rice would prevent Qu Yuan’s body from being eaten by the fishes in the river. At first, the locals decided     6     (make) zongzi in hopes that it would sink into the river and reach Qu Yuan’s body. However, the tradition of wrapping the rice in bamboo     7     (leaf) to make zongzi began the following year.

A dragon boat, usually made of wood to various designs and sizes, is a human-powered boat. They often have brightly decorated designs that range anywhere from 40 feet in length     8     100 feet, with the front end shaped like open-mouthed dragons, and the back end with a scaly tail. The boat can have up to 80 rowers to power the boat,       9    depend) on the length. A sacred ceremony is performed before any competition in order to “bring the boat to life” by painting the eyes. The first team       10     (gain) a flag at the end of the course wins the race.

It's common to see food delivery workers riding electric bikes in a hurry through big cities in China. Some of them even risk     1     (run) red lights to deliver their meals in time. However, such careless behavior often causes serious problems.

The reason for the rise of such a careless behavior is that there is     2     large demand for food delivery workers, and many companies offer high salaries     3    (attract) new workers.

In fact, food delivery workers are often under high     4    (press) from their employers. They face company fines for delivering food late. Moreover, the more orders they take, the more money they can earn,     5     leads to some workers checking     6    (they) mobile phones for new orders while they are riding their bikes

While most companies require delivery workers to follow traffic rules, it remains a problem whether these requirements and rules are     7    (strict) obeyed

To solve the problem, some cities     8    (take) action since last year. Shanghai required the delivery workers should    9    (train) on traffic rules and safety. Now in Shenzhen, if a delivery worker gets caught breaking traffic rules more than twice, he or she will be banned     10     driving food delivery vehicles for a whole year.

Do you like trying different things? Are you afraid     1     things that you think you’re bad at?

Last year I started to learn Tai Chi (太极)in order to improve my health and reduce my stress. It was something new for me, and I found it to be quite difficult, very     2    (difference) from anything I’d ever learned before. Small     3    (move) are important in Tai Chi. I was used to being fast and active ,     4     to learn Tai Chi I had to learn patience. Now I’ve found that I’m a much more patient person than before, and Tai Chi isn’t nearly as difficult as it     5    (be ) before.

We tend     6    (like) things we are good at —— that’s normal. For example, I’m naturally very good at badminton and tennis, but I’m very bad at anything     7     involves keeping balance, such as skating, skiing and gymnastics. Tai Chi has     8    (great) improved my balance which has been a very good thing for me.

My point is that you can keep     9    (do) the things you know you’re good at and live in your comfort zone, or you can try something new. If you don’t try new things, you’ll never know what it would be like to try something new to challenge     10    (you). It will definitely pay off in the end.

Chengdu has dozens of new millionaires, Asia’s biggest building, and fancy new hotels. But for tourists like me, pandas are its top     1    (attract).

So it was a great honour to be invited backstage at the not-for-profit Panda Base, where ticket money helps pay for research. I     2    (allow) to get up close to these cute animals at the 600-acre centre. From tomorrow, I will be their UK ambassador. The title will be     3    (official) given to me at a ceremony in London. But my connection with pandas goes back     4     my days on a TV show in the mid-1980s,     5     I was the first Western TV reporter     6    (permit) to film a special unit caring for pandas rescued from starvation in the wild. My ambassadorial duties will include     7    (introduce) British visitors to the 120-plus pandas at Chengdu and others at a research centre in the misty mountains of Bifengxia.

On my recent visit, I held a lively three-month-old twin that had been rejected by     8    (it) mother. The nursery team switches him every few     9    (day) with his sister so that while one is being bottle-fed,     10     other is with mum—she never suspects.