4 . There are many famous lakes in China. The following are some of them.

West Lake, Hangzhou

West Lake is a gift of nature. Located in the west part of Hangzhou and surrounded (围绕) by green hills, this lake is famous for beautiful scenery, a lot of historical sites and native products. In addition, West Lake can always be seen in paintings.

Kanas Lake, Xinjiang

Kanas Lake is one of the deepest lakes in China. It is home to about 800 kinds of plants and more than 100 kinds of birds. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and thick forest, the lake takes on different colors in different seasons. Kanas Lake is also a mysterious (神秘的) place, and it’s said that large creatures have been seen in it.

Erhai Lake, Yunnan

Located in the northwest part of Dali City, Yunnan Province, Erhai Lake is a plateau (高原) lake. As the lake has a shape of an ear, it gets the name Erhai. Called “the pearl on plat-eau” for its beautiful scenery, it is also one of the most attractive places in Yunnan.

Yamdrok Lake, Tibet

Surrounded by beautiful snow-capped mountains, this lake is fed by many small streams.

With an area of 675 square kilometers, this lake has large lakeside grassland, which serves as highland pastures (牧场). There are lots of fish living in the lake, which are caught by local people. From April to October, fish caught in this lake are sold at the market in Lhasa.

My hometown Zhangye, which lies in the northwest of Gansu Province, is a city with rolling hills, valleys and basins. It's beautiful place for people to live in. Its economy has been growing rapid during the past ten year. New bridges and roads have been setting up and high buildings stood in many parts of the city. The number of schools and hospitals available to people are also on the increase. So there are still some problems, such as like frequent traffic jams and severe air pollution, which have a bad influence on people's daily life. Despite these problems, I am convinced that my hometown will become much beautiful. Time permitting, you are welcome to visit them.

If you live in northeastern China, you expect long, cold winters. People     1    (live) in Harbin don’t just stand the cold, however, they welcome it. The city is home to the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival,    2    is considered to be the largest ice festival in the world. Even with temperatures usually close to zero, thousands of people head to city parks     3    (see) great ice sculptures, many bathed in colored lights.

The festival includes several thousand ice sculptures. Some of these works are the recreations of castles, historic landmarks and famous people, lit up at night in bright colors. There     4    (visitor) can climb ice stairways and go down ice slides (滑坡). They can also take part    5    sporting events, including skating, ice football     6    well as ice swimming.

The city started     7    (it) icy event in 1963 with the Ice Lantern Garden Party, a     8    (celebrate) of the tradition of creating lanterns out of blocks of ice. The larger festival     9    (begin) in 1985 and added sculptures, which have grown in number and size over the years. As it has gotten bigger, the festival has become popular outside the city.    10    (official), the festival starts on January 5th and lasts over one month.

The Great Wall     1    (think) highly of by the human race as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It lies in North China, with over 6,000 kilometers in     2    (long) and 7—8 meters in height.     3    (build) mainly with earth, brick and stone, the Great Wall was designed     4    (protect) people in ancient China from invaders. However, it is now     5    (universal) regarded as one of the most important tourist spots in our country. Every year, it is visited by thousands of people from all over the world. The Great Wall has become a symbol of     6     Chinese nation and its culture.

The Great Wall is wide enough for five horses or ten men to walk side     7     side. Along the wall are watch towers, where soldiers used to watch.

It was very difficult to build such a wall in ancient times without any modern     8    (machine). The condition was     9     terrible that all the work was done by hand. To be honest, the Great Wall was made not only of stone     10     earth, but of the flesh and blood of millions of men.

8 . If you are looking for the place that has everything, there is only one place to visit, and that’s New York. It’s a whole world in a city.

The World of Theater: All of New York is a stage. And it begins with Broadway. Where else can you find so many hit shows in one place? Only in New York!

The World of Music: Spend an evening with Beethoven at Lincoln Center. Swing to the great jazz of Greenwich Village. Or rock yourself silly at the hottest dance spots found anywhere.

The World of Art: From Rembrandt to Picasso. From Egyptian tombs to Indian teepees. Whatever kind of art you like, you will find it in New York.

The World of Fine Dining: Whether it’s roast Beijing duck in Chinatown, lasagna in little Italy, or the finest French coq au vin found everywhere, there is world of great taste waiting for you in New York.

The World of Sights: What other city has a Statue (雕塑) of Liberty? A Rockefeller Center? Or a Bronx Zoo? Where else can you take a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park? Only in New York!