1 . Mexico has more than just beaches. Several Mexican cities have been recognized as forming part of the heritage of humanity and are considered to be of outstanding universal value.

Oaxaca

Oaxaca and the nearby archaeological site Monte Alban have both been recognized by UNESCO. Oaxaca, the capital city of the state of the same name, was founded in 1529 and offers a good example of previous Spanish town planning. Oaxaca is considered one of Mexico’s best foodie destinations. Learn what foods and drinks you should try in Oaxaca.

Guanajuato

As a silver mining town in the past, Guanajuato seems special. The winding streets and small squares give it a more friendly feel than some of the other cities. This is a student town with a vibrant culture and an important cultural festival — the International Cervantino Festival which is held every October.

Puebla

Puebla is one of Mexico’s large cities, but its historical center can easily be explored on foot. It has some special historical structures such as the 16th-century cathedral and some other fine buildings with walls covered in tiles.

Morelia

Morelia, the capital of the state of Michoacán, was originally called Valladolid, but its name was changed in honor of independence hero José María Morelos y Pavón. The Museo del Dulce is a stop you shouldn’t miss in Morelia. Visits to nearby Patzcuaro or the reserves are also recommended on a trip to Morelia.

Mountains are important sources of water supply to humans. Among the ecosystem services     1     (provide) by mountains, water supply is     2     most important because of the large quantity of free-flowing water. Mountain water resources are affected by glacier melt, snowmelt run-off or rainfall run-off.

Sustainable (可持续的) use of mountain water resources is important for both humans and global mountain biodiversity in the economic and     3     (society) context of human progress. Particular attention should be given in the water resources     4     (come) from the mountain areas. Sustainability has been     5     (previous) used as a term to describe a concern related to preservation of natural resources for future. The relation between human development and the need     6     (manage) resources forms a principle to design a dialogue regarding environmental needs. So far, a limited number of studies     7     (publish) on mountain water uses and sustainability. Most studies are focused     8     examining prevention, diversions, and mountain water storage during floods or droughts.

However, insights into water use, as well as employing state-of-the-art technologies, are very important from both a technological standpoint and as elements of practical sustainable     9     (solution) . The interplay between academics, policy makers, and decision makers is important in expanding the scientific knowledge of mountain regions and the ways in     10     water resources could be used in a more sustainable way.

Taklimkan Desert,    1    (locate) in the middle of Tarim Basin in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is China’s largest desert. It is also known as the world’s second largest shifting-sand desert    2     (cover) an area of over 337,000 square kilometers.

Sand dunes (沙丘) in    3    large desert are usually over 100 meters in height and some are even    4    (high). Because of the wind, the sand dunes are always moving forward, enveloping farms and villages, which    5    (serious) threatens the existence of oases (绿洲)    6    the survival of the local people. Over the past few decades, efforts    7    (make) to fight against desertification. Windbreaks and sand fixation forest belts have been built to improve the ecological environment. Local people have planted poplars and rose willows with the help of experts. There are some places    8    people can even grow corn now. A cross-desert highway has also been constructed to link Luntai and Minfeng counties. Thanks to these efforts, the place has witnessed a(n)    9    (improve) in the living conditions of the local people. Now it’s home to many species of birds, and    10    (it) rainfall is increasing as well.

In Dali, Yunnan Province, there is a beautiful lake, which is situated at 1,972 meters above sea level. It covers an area of about 250 square kilometers, making it the second     1    (large) freshwater lake in Yunnan. Its shape looks like an ear or a moon, so people give     2     a special name—the Erhai Lake.

The temperature of the lake’s surface is 12 °C-21 °C all year round, so the water never freezes. The natural conditions make the lake a suitable place for fish     3    (grow) in. The clear water and     4    (variety) of fishes have become the main food sources for the local people,     5     are very good at fishing. They fish in a special way-training cormorants, a kind of seabird, to catch fish for them.

The Erhai Lake is a hot scenic spot in our country and is famous     6     its wonderful scenery. It     7    (surround) by green mountains. Going boating on the lake is enjoyable,     8    (especial) at night. The moon is reflected on the lake and the soft warm wind     9    (touch) your face. You can see the reflections of lights and the moon sparkle as the water ripples. What a romantic experience!

There are some other places of interest around the lake, such as Erhai Park and Butterfly Spring. Many of them are worth     10    (visit).

Those who haven’t been to the Mu Us may not have an opportunity to do so. The desert is disappearing from    1     map as it has been turned into an oasis(绿洲)!

The Mu Us     2     (stretch) over 42,200 square km between Shaan Xi and inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, lying north of the Great Wall. In Mongolian, “Mu Us” means barren land     3     nothing can grow.

However, the area was no desert in ancient times. It used to be grazing land     4     (sufficient) supplying grass and water for sheep and cattle. Since the Tang Dynasty, it began to degrade because of excessive farming and overgrazing and     5     (year) of war.

In modern times, the Mu Us, the fourth     6     (large) desert in China, began to move southward and passed the Great Wall,     7     (attack) Yulin (Shaan Xi province). Local pastures(牧场) faced serious desertification, salinization and degradation, and the villagers had to move as the desert advanced. By the time People’s Republic of China     8     (found), Yulin had only 0.9 percent of forest cover. It became an urgent task     9     (block) the sands.

Thanks to greening, the desert is poised to disappear. The feat(丰绩) wouldn’t have been achieved     10     national anti-desertification policies and the efforts of generations of eco-warriors.

6 . When you swim on the beach and sea, have you ever accidentally drunk the seawater? How did it feel? It must have tasted salty. So, why is the seawater salty?

Seawater is water that comes from the ocean. Seawater can be salty because it contains an average salt content of 3.5%. This is also a place for the salt farmers to produce cooking salt and other salt.

Some theories explain that seawater comes from rainwater that falls and flows through rivers and estuaries (河口) where the seawater will be fully filled and again formed clouds because the steam uses the help of the sun. When we talk about this, we talk about the rainwater cycle. But when the rainwater cycle occurs, the water that passes through the river carries mineral salts. These mineral salts are obtained from various places of the land starting from rocks and soils that the rainwater flows through, these remaining mineral salts make seawater salty, so the salinity of seawater is different in each part of the world. But it is certain that seawater is salty or has high salinity.

The saltiest sea in the world is the Red Sea. There the temperature is extremely hot so that evaporation (蒸发) is greatly carried out. High evaporation, coupled with little rainfall and little input of water from the river, causes its highest level of salinity. There is also the Dead Sea, which is nine times saltier. Due to the high salinity, when you swim there, you can float. However, the Dead Sea is not a sea at all which is a lake geographically.

The Shaolin Temple, an ancient religious site on Songshan Mountain in Henan Province, was     1     (actual) set up in 495 AD.

An Indian,     2     is now called Tamo by Chinese people, came to China in around 527 AD. According to some reports, in India he had trained martial arts (武术) as well as meditation (冥想).

When he arrived at the Shaolin Temple, he laughed     3     the monks (和尚) for being weak and without martial arts training. Then he was told to leave.     4     was said that he had stayed in a cave for meditation for a long period of time, and finally he     5     (accept) by other monks of the Shaolin Temple and they started training martial arts and meditation.

After that, monks both at the temple and all over China had a     6     (hard) time than any other period and they were attacked. In some periods, the governments even decided     7     (break) down the religion and the monks were considered to be enemies. However, at other times, the monks at the temple won their positions after helping to protect a     8     (rule).

Although the Shaolin Temple was once seriously damaged, in the last few decades the Chinese government     9     (build) it again. Nowadays it has become widely popular in the world. Every year the temple attracts a great number of     10     (tourist) at home and abroad to visit it.