The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces(梯田), in southern Yunnan, China, cover a huge 16, 603-hectare area. The terraces,     1    (know)to all of the world now, were made out of a thick forest by the Hani people. The terraces rise at different angles from a shallow 15°    2     a steep 75°, forming a wonderful landscape(景观)that     3    (be)rare in the world.

In 2003, the terraced fields were     4    (official)recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage site. About 1,300 years ago, the Hani people first     5    (come)to the steep mountains. They struggled against the difficult terrain(地形), successfully creating the terraces, where they grew rice in order to make     6    (they) living. Over the past 1,300 years, the Hani people have developed a complex system of channels     7    (bring)water from the forested mountaintops. They show great appreciation for natural phenomena such as rivers, mountains, the sun, fire     8     the moon. They have also created a complete farming system     9     involves cattle, ducks, and fish and supports the     10    (produce)of red rice, the area's main crop.

The landscape changes through the year. In April the terraces are all green as rice starts to grow; in later parts of the year it is yellowish brown as the rice ripens. In February, the terraces become bare earth, with the water reflecting(反射)the sky.

2 . When you think of the icy Arctic Ocean, do you picture cold blue waters, on which float (漂浮) icebergs home to animals and fish not seen elsewhere on the planet? Think again, or rather add 300 billion pieces of plastic (塑料) to your picture. That's the amount of plastic that scientists believe is floating around the Arctic Ocean. Most of the plastic is in the area to the east of Greenland and north of Scandinavia.

Where did it come from? After all, the lands near the Arctic are not really full of people. It turns out that ocean currents are carrying plastic thrown into the ocean all the way to the Arctic. An ocean current is an unending movement of sea water from one point to another. It is caused by several things including heat from the Sun, wind and movement of the Earth.

Many of these plastic pieces seem to have travelled for years before reaching the Arctic. This was worked out by scientists studying the plastic problem after they observed the condition of the pieces. While much plastic floats on top of the water, a lot also may be on the sea floor.

Plastic has been widely used for 60 years on Earth and our careless throwing of plastic things is slowly turning the once perfectly clean Arctic into a dangerous place. Unlike food waste and plant waste, plastic doesn't break down so easily. In fact the United States Environment Protection Organization reports that “every bit of plastic ever made still exists”.

What's the effect? Seabirds, sea turtles and other ocean creatures could get hurt and die when they accidentally swallow plastic. Plastic waste affects fishing, affecting people who earn money through fishing. Plastics can let out dangerous poisons (毒物) into the water. These may be swallowed by fish, and when these fish are caught and eaten by people or bigger animals, they could get poisoned too!

The Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It     1     (build) originally to protect the city     2     the Tang dynasty and has now been completely restored (修复). It is possible       3     (walk) or bike the entire 14 kilometers.

We accessed the wall through the South Gate. The wall is 12 meters high and from here you can see streams of people moving inside and outside the City Wall.

After     4     (spend) some time looking at all the defensive equipment at the wall, we decided it was time for some action and what     5     (good) than to ride on a piece of history!

We     6     (hire) our bikes from the rental place at the South Gate. My bike was old and shaky     7     did the job. It took us about 3 hours to go all     8     way around the Xi’an City Wall. Supposedly you can do it in two hours, but we stopped at the different gates and     9     (watchtower) to take pictures or just to watch the local people going about their     10     (day) routines.

Going to Mount Huangshan reminds me of the popular Beatles’ song “The Long and Winding Road”.     1     is so breathtaking about the experience is the out-of-this-world scenes. The rolling sea of clouds you see once you are at the top will remind you how tiny we     2     (human) are.

The hot spring at the foot of the mountain is something you must try after the climb. It will     3    (undoubted) help you get refreshed! The amazing thing about the spring is that the colder the temperature gets, the     4     (hot) the spring! Strange, isn’t it? But that’s how nature is — always leaving us     5     (astonish).

What comes next is the endless series of steps. You can’t help wondering how hard it     6     (be) for the people then to put all those rocks into place. Though it is the only unnatural thing on your way up the mountain, still it highlights the whole adventure     7    offers a place where you can sit down to rest your     8     (ache) legs.

As the song goes, this long and winding road “will never disappear”, and it will always stick in the visitor’s memory. It sure does in     9     (I). While you’re in China, Mount Huangshan is     10     must to visit!

Six “sacrificial pits” ( 祭祀坑),    1     ( date) back to 3,200 to 4, 000 years, were discovered in the Sanxingdui Ruins site in Guanghan, Sichuan province, on March 17, 2021. The biggest pit among the six     2     ( be) 19 square meters, and the smallest is 3.5 square meters. Some unearthed artifacts reflect previous findings in 1986 like bronze masks and jades, but shapes of some large-size bronze objects have never been seen.

The Sanxingdui Ruins site,     3     ( consider) as one of the most important archaeological sites along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, covers an area of 12 square kilometers     4       its core zone of an ancient city covering 3.6 square kilometers. It was first found in 1929. However, large- scale excavation (挖掘) on the site only began in 1986, when two pits, widely believed for sacrificial ceremonies,     5     ( discover) accidentally. The new discoveries will help to better understand many unexplained findings in 1986,     6     the similar shapes and findings in the eight pits     7     ( basic) make sure their function should be sacrificial pits.

According to the National Cultural Heritage Administration, studies of the Sanxingdui Ruins site will become an     8     ( importance) project in a program Archaeology China,     9     tries to explain the origins of Chinese civilization and how diverse     10     ( culture) communicate and come together.

6 . They' re not the world' s tallest or longest bridges, but a string of river crossings made from tree roots are engineering wonders that contain lessons for modern architects.

The town of Cherrapunji in the Khasi Hills is credited with the world record for annual rainfall of over 75 feet! And in this rainy, wet climate, the rubber fig tree grows with abandon. The tree has a secondary root system that grows up above the ground floor and lets the tree easily grow on top of big stones and even out in the middle of streams. Long ago, the Khasis, a tribe in Meghalaya region, realized they could make use of these roots to their own advantage. By controlling and directing the secondary roots, they have created strong living bridges with which to cross streams and rivers by themselves.

To make a tree grow in a certain direction, the tribespeople use the trunks of a betel nut tree whose middle is got rid of, as a guidance system. The thin, tender roots of the rubber tree are placed so they grow in the direction of the tree trunk rather than fanning out. Eventually, the roots reach the other side of the river and grow into the soil. This process can take well over a decade before the bridge is fully functional and then over time the bridge grows and strengthens. Rocks are placed along the bridge' s sides to improve the footpaths.

Some of these bridges are over 100 feet long and can even support the weight of fifty or-more people at a time. These bridges are used daily by the people of the villages around Cherrapunji and a few are thought to be more than 500 years old. There is even a double decker bridge , known as the “Umshiang Double-Decker Root Bridge", which features two bridges grown right on top of each other. It is thought to be the only bridge of its kind.

7 . Located in the southeast of Canada and with a population of approximately 6 million, Toronto is a big and beautiful city, which has developed from a relatively unknown place over the past half century to the center of culture, trade and communication in Canada.

With its colorful ethnic mix, rich history and breathtaking buildings. Toronto offers non-stop adventures to the tourists. To get a sense of how big, various and magical Toronto is, the best place to start is the CN Tower. From this point, visitors can get a bird's-eye view of the city's amazing scenery and unique geography.

In addition to being an important center of culture, trade and communication in Canada, Toronto is also a major muti-ethnic city. It is the most populous city in Canada and its citizens come from countries around the world and from different kinds of ethnic backgrounds. Every day, in most places of the city, a hundred different languages can be heard on the streets, from Hindi to Greek to French. This, perhaps, explains why former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once said that Canada is a mosaic（嵌合体）of cultures and languages rather than a melting pot.

Street signs in Toronto are mostly in English. Weekly and daily newspapers are published in various languages, and the city hosts the successful international film festival each September. It is also home to a popular baseball team the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto has something for everyone.

Moreover, Toronto has been rated one of the most livable cities in the world by United Nations Human Settlements Programme for many years. At the same time, Toronto is one of the safest, richest cities in the world with the highest standard of living.