Did you ever wish that you could foretell the future? Well, thousands of years ago, the people living in     1     is today Armenia thought they could. In the high mountains of the South Caucasus, archaeologists working at Gegharot have uncovered a fortune-telling center that     2     (date) back to the Late Bronze Age (1500-1200 B.C.). So far, three small shrines (圣地) have been unearthed, and each offers evidence of     3     (variety) methods local communities used in an attempt     4     (understand) the future.

The site of Gegharot is rather small in     5     (compare) with its neighbors. The Late Bronze Age in the South Caucasus was     6     era of centralization. Large new societies fought with one another     7     control of the region. The castle and western shrine at Gegharot are actually less than an acre in size. However, remains at the site are well preserved, thanks to destructive events that     8     (complete) destroyed it twice during its occupation.

The shrines at Gegharot offer archaeologists a rare glimpse into fortune-telling practices that would have been the closely     9     (guard) secrets. As work continues, archaeologists will learn more about these individuals and the techniques they used when they     10     (seek) to foretell the future.

I have been in Taiyuan, the provincial capital of Shanxi, for two years since I     1     (admit) to a PhD program in Shanxi University as an international student from Bangladesh.

Over the two years, I found myself     2     (fall) in love with Shanxi and China. I liked to cycle on the streets in Taiyuan and visit places I encountered     3     (random). The cycling tours helped to deepen     4     (I) understanding of the city. In my eyes, Taiyuan is a city     5     both history and modernity.

The city has     6     history of more than 2,500 years, the longest among all cities in China. An abundance of well-preserved ancient     7     (structure), like the temples in Jinci, the double pagodas in Yongzuo Temple, are the material evidence to help you get a glimpse into     8     ancient China looked like. Taiyuan is also a fast-growing modern city. It is ranked among the world’s top 500 cities in terms of     9    (science) research according to a recent Nature Index rating.

I hope more international students come to study in Shanxi University and to live and work in China     10     is full of opportunities.

The Great Wall is the longest building in the world. It begins from Shanhaiguan and ends at Jiayuguan,     1     (cover) more than 6,000 km. It was built to prevent the enemy from getting into the Central Plains. The completion of the Wall     2     (take) a long time. Its first section was built in     3     7th century BC. After over 2,000 years rebuilding and connecting different sections thus came the present Great Wall.

The best     4     (preserve) section is at Badaling, which is also the best place to appreciate the greatness of the Great Wall.    5     (it) three parts, namely the pass, the wall and the watchtower, were once greatly significant. The Chinese saying: “If one man guards the pass, 10,000 are     6     (able) to get through.” shows the importance of the pass. The wall is the main part. During the ancient war time, those soldiers    7     (brave) defended the border on the wall. There is a watchtower every several kilometers used to pass military information.

    8     a historic site, the Great Wall symbolizes for Chinese people courage, strength and strong will. So, there’s a Chinese saying: “He    9    has never been to the Great Wall isn’t a true man.”

In 1987, the Great Wall    10     (list) on the World Heritage List.

Originally constructed around 256 BCE by the State of Qin     1     an irrigation and flood control system, Dujiangyan is a remarkable example of ancient engineering skill and is still     2     use today.

During the Warring States period, people who lived along the banks of the Min River     3     (trouble) by annual flooding. Qin governor and irrigation engineer Li Bing investigated the problem thoroughly. He led a team     4     (construct) a levee(堤坝) to redirect a part of the river’s flow. Then they cut     5     channel through Mount Yulei to let the water flow through it. After the system was finished , no more floods     6     (occur). What’s more, it made Sichuan one of the most productive agricultural     7     (region) in China because the redirected water from the Min River could be used for irrigation. If you visit Dujiangyan, you will see an     8    (usual) construction that looks like a fish’s mouth. This famous attraction, Yuzui, together with two other important parts, namely, Feishayan and Baopingkou, was     9     (scientific) designed to control the water flow throughout the year.

    10     (recognize) as a UNESCO heritage site, Dujiangyan has irrigated farms while preventing floods for over 2,000 years.

I have been in Taiyuan, the provincial capital of Shanxi, for two years since I     1    (admit) to a PhD program in Shanxi University as an international student.

Over the two years, I found     2    (I) falling in love with Shanxi and China as I got more familiar     3     the city, the province and the country. You have to adapt to everything—food, language and culture. But for me, the     4    (adapt) didn’t take a long period of time. I have got used to eating noodles for breakfast and using online payment via my smartphone very     5    (quick).

My favorite sport is cycling and I find China is very cyclist-friendly because it is convenient     6    (hire) bicycles in every city in the country. I like to cycle on     7     streets in Taiyuan and visit places I meet randomly. The cycling tours helped to deepen my understanding of the city.

Taiyuan     8    (have) a history of more than 2,500 years, among the     9    (old) cities in China. An abundance of well-preserved ancient structures, like the temples in Jinci, are the material evidence to help you get a quick look at     10     ancient China looked like.