During China’s dynastic period, emperors planned the city of Beijing     1     arranged the residential areas according to social classes. The term “hutong”,     2     (original) meaning “water well" in Mongolian, appeared first during the Yuan Dynasty.

In the Ming Dynasty, the center was the Forbidden City,     3     (surround) in concentric (同心的) circles by the Inner City and Outer City. Citizens of higher social classes     4     (permit) to live closer to the center of the circles. The large siheyuan of these high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen often     5     (feature) beautifully carved and painted roof beams and pillars (柱子). The hutongs they formed were     6     (order), lined by spacious homes and walled gardens. Farther from the center lived the commoners and laborers. Their siheyuan were far smaller in scale and       7     (simple) in design and decoration, and the hutongs were narrower.

Hutongs represent an important cultural element of the city of Beijing. Thanks to Beijing’s long history     8     the capital of China, almost every hutong has its stories, and some are even associated with historic     9     (event). In contrast to the court life and upper-class culture represented by the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven, the hutongs reflect     10     culture of grassroots Beijingers.

Rising up in the countryside of Jiangxi Province, Mount Lushan was once one of the famous cultural     1     (center) of ancient China. In fact, its historical importance meant that it     2     (honor) as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.

Located about 20 kilometres south of Jiujiang City, it runs eastwards to the Mufu Mountains. Dahanyang Peak, the highest peak of Mount Lushan,     3     (rise) 1, 474 metres above sea level. To the north, it offers    4     (impress) views of the Yangtze River, while to, the south it overlooks Poyang Lake.

As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty, a well-known Taoist leader,     5     (name) Zhang Daoling travelled to the mountain. During the Jin Dynasty, the Donglin Temple was built on the mountain by a person called Huiyuan. From then on, many temples began coming up across the mountain, until there were over 300 of them.

However, Mount Lushan didn’t become truly famous until the Song Dynasty. During that time, it was rebuilt by Zhu Xi,    6    was the founder of Neo-Confucianism (理学). Due    7     his efforts, this place became one of the Four Great Academies of China. By the 19th century, it had become into an     8     (extreme) large place, with its own temples, study halls, and libraries. Overtime, countless writers and artists have sung the mountain’s praises,    9     (leave) over 900 works of art.

Nowadays, with its beautiful l views and famous temples, the mountain range is     10     popular tourist attraction.

Home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang rivers, the Sanjiangyuan area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (青藏高原)     1    (know)as “China’s water tower.” It is    2    unique plateau wetland ecosystem and serves as an important ecological defense for the country.

Decades ago, serious     3     (environment) degradation (恶化) in Sanjiangyuan,     4    was caused by climate change and human activities, resulted in a large number of lakes drying out and wildlife numbers falling     5     (sharp). Great efforts have been made to turn the park     6    a symbol of the progress of China’s ecological civilization.Over the past years, the environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau     7     (experience) great changes. Water conservation in the area has risen by 11 percent this year,     8     (compare) with 10 years ago. Local people enjoy the gifts given by nature, and the establishment of the national park has enabled them to become its protectors and benefit from it. Some work as tour guides, assisting     9     (visitor) from home and abroad.

Today, as people walk on the vast land of Sanjiangyuan,     10     (look) at the mountains, glaciers, and lakes, and catching sight of wild animals and birds, they cannot help but be impressed by the vastness and beauty of nature.

6 . Enjoy the Beauty of Yunnan

Yunnan’s spring is warm with few rains, and the temperature changes quickly.

Average temperature: 6-20℃ (43-68℉)

Clothes: jackets, hoodies (连帽衫), long sleeves, jeans

Recommended tour destinations: The spring in Yunnan is the best time to visit blooming flowers and newly sprouted (发芽的) plants. Luoping, Dali and Lijiang are the most beautiful places in Yunnan during this time. You may go to Luoping for the seas of yellow rape flowers, and enjoy the cherry blossoms around Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake in Dali.

It’s not as hot as other places in China, and it’s often rainy. You may take an umbrella and raincoat with you.

Average temperature: 15-26℃ (59-79℉)

Clothes: T-shirts, short sleeves, thin pants...

Recommended tour destinations: In summer, you may appreciate lotus flowers in Puzhehei Scenic Area, stroll around Lijiang Ancient Town, visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Shuhe Ancient Town and Lugu Lake in Lijiang.

Both the temperature and the rainfall decrease in autumn. It’s cool and clear to go for pleasant trips.

Average temperature: 17-25℃ (63-77℉)

Clothes: T-shirts, jeans, basketball coat...

Recommended tour destinations: To see the most beautiful autumn leaves and flowers in Yunnan, you can go to Gudong Gingko Village in Tengchong, Stone Forest in Kunming and Potatso National Park in Shangri-La.

It’s sunny and dry usually with a lower temperature, even so it’s still warmer than the northern China. Lots of visitors go there to escape from bitter cold and consider it the best time to visit Yunnan China.

Average temperature: 8-19℃ (46-66℉)

Clothes: sweaters, overcoats, jackets, thick pants...

Recommended tour destinations: There are varied scenic spots and activities to do in winter. The world heritage Yuanyang Rice Terraces is fantastic with the glittering watering fields all over the mountains. Xishuangbanna houses the only tropical rainforest in China, which is also a popular winter destination.

Standing on the top story of Basantapur Palace in Nepal, Yuan Mengxi is having a hard time relating today’s reality with    1    she saw seven years ago.

The palace complex,     2    (locate) in the middle of Durbar Square in the country’s capital Kathmandu, was badly damaged in    3    massive earthquake in April 2015. The 9-storeyed       palace, a tourist landmark, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

The palace not only has great    4     (history) significance, but is also an architectural feat (功绩). “ You can see the whole place from here, and everything is beautiful and    5    order,” says Yuan, a 33-year-old originally from Zhengzhou, the capital of Central China’s Henan province. She is     6     (current) working for the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage and is in charge of a team sent    7     (rebuild) the palace.

She says she was in shock    8     (see) the city after the quake at the time. Heritage buildings in Durbar Square    9     (destroy), with wooden statues buried and spread over a wide area.“ Kathmandu Valley was still covered in the dust from the quake,” she recalls.

After the earthquake, both the Chinese and Nepali governments agreed to launch a project    10     (aim) at restoring the nine-storeyed Basantapur Palace complex.

A rainforest is an area     1    (cover) by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below l6℃. Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate.    2     the forest cover, these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere,    3     (warm) the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns, potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world.

In the past hundred years, humans     4    (begin) destroying rainforests in search of three major resources: land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising farm     5    (animal)．This action affects the environment as a whole.    6     example, a lot of carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees     7    we will suffer much more than we will benefit.

Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25％ of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than l％of rainforest plants have been examined for their    8    (medicine) value. It is extremely likely    9    our best chance to cure diseases    10    (lie) somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests.