Yours,

Li Hua

The Grand Canal is the oldest and longest man-made waterway in the world with a history of more than 2,500 years,     1     construction started in the Spring and Autumn Period. The 1794 kilometers’ waterway is 22 times the     2     (long) of the Panama Canal. It is a golden waterway second only to the Yangtze River in China. The Grand Canal runs from Zhejiang to Being     3     (pass) through six provinces and two municipalities and connects five main river systems.

The canal functioned     4     the backbone of the ancient empire’s inland communication and trading systems. Grain, salt, logs and silk were transported along the canal to all directions.     5     (score) of towns along the banks developed, contributing     6     (huge) to ancient China’s economy. The canal enormously promoted economic interaction and cultural exchange between the north     7     south, which ensured the country’s stability.

In 2014, it was listed as     8     UNESCO world heritage site. In 2019 China issued a plan     9     (construct) national cultural parks for the Grand Canal. During the last 2 years, building the Grand Canal national cultural parks     10     (recognize) as a key task in the 14th Five-Year Plan. In future, cities along the Grand Canal will form a new cultural belt, green belt and tourism belt.

Beautiful Ireland And Its Traditions

Ireland’s beautiful countryside has always had a great influence on its people and traditions. The country has     1     long history of producing great writers and poets. Its beautiful countryside excites and inspires all,     2     (offer) something for each of the senses. The     3     (peace) landscape of the “Emerald Isle” and its many green counties is a true feast     4     the eyes, with its rolling green hills     5     (dot) with sheep and cattle. And down by the sea, the roar of the ocean waves and     6     (cry) of the seabirds make up the music of the coast. On a quiet morning in the mountains, feel the sun on your skin, and     7     (breath) in the sweet scent of fresh flowers while birds greet the new day with     8     (they) morning song. With all this beauty, it is not     9     (surprise) that Ireland has developed strong traditions     10     include music, dancing, and dining.

4 . At the beginning of the century there was a big farm called Hollywood Ranch. It was near Los Angeles in California. A few years later Hollywood was one of the famous places of the world. From 1910s to the 1950s Hollywood was the film center of the world. Every family knew the names of its film stars Charlie Chaplin, Grete Garbo, Bergman and hundreds more.

The reason why people went to Hollywood to make films was the sun. At first people made films in New York on the east coast of the United States. But then they heard about Los Angeles where there are 350 days of sun every year. As they made all the films by sunlight, the west coast was a much better place to work.

Also near Hollywood you can find mountains and sea and desert. They did not have to travel far to make any kind o film

When TV became popular in the 1960s, Hollywood started making films for television. Then in 1970s they discovered people still went to cinema to see big expensive films. After twenty years they are still making films in Hollywood and people watch them all over the world.

I felt lucky to go on a cultural tour to two sites of lost civilisations --- Pompeii in Italy and Loulan in China. Pompeii was founded in the 8th century BC. Then it    1    (take) over by the Romans in 89 BC. Later, a volcano erupted and covered Pompeii with ash(灰).     2    (unfortunate), many people were buried alive and so was the city. It was forgotten for many years until the 8th century when a farmer discovered a stone with writing on it. People started to dig in the area for treasures and had some of them     3    (destroy). Thus, in 1860, the area was put under government     4     (protect) so it could be preserved and studied.

Differently, Loulan,     5    (know) as China’s Pompeii in the desert(沙漠), is believed to have been gradually covered by sandstorms from AD 200     6     AD 400. Around the year 1900 the European explorer Sven Hedin discovered the     7    (ruin) of the Loulan Kingdom. Interestingly, there was     8    ancient water system that ran through the middle of the city. The desert was once a green land with huge trees, but they were cut down,     9     resulted in the city being buried by sand.

They were both important commercial(商业的) cities about 2,000 years ago.     10     was a pity that they disappeared forever.

Yin Xu, also known as the Ruins of Yin, is one of the oldest and largest archaeological sites (考古遗址) in China, which has also been confirmed     1     the first site of a capital in Chinese history.

Around 1300 B.C., the     2     (twenty) king of the Shang dynasty, Pan Geng, moved his capital to Yin. He built a prosperous and stable city,     3     (exist) through eight generations and twelve kings for 255 years. It created the brilliant Yin-Shang Civilization,     4     is of priceless value in terms of history, culture, art and science. Under the Zhou dynasty, Yin was left to fall into ruin. Afterwards, the once-great city of Yin passed into silence until its rediscovery in 1899.

    5     (locate) in the northwest of Anyang, Henan province, Yin Xu has two main sites, covering     6     area of 30,000 square kilometers. Yin Xu conveys the     7     (society) life of the late Shang dynasty, reflecting highly developed science and architectural technology including bronze casting (铸铜) and a calendar system. This great discovery helped to track recorded Chinese history nearly one thousand years earlier. Yin Xu     8     (add) to the World Cultural Heritage List in 2006. Not     9     (surprise), it stands first on the list of China’s 100 major archaeological     10     (discover) in last century.

7 . Are you too old for fairy tales? If you think so, Copenhagen is sure to change your mind.

See the city first from the water. In the harbor sits Denmark’s best-known landmark: the Little Mermaid. Remember her? In one of Andersen’s fairy tales, she left the world of the Sea People in search of a human soul. From the harbor you can get a feel for “the city of green spires”. In cloudy weather, the copper-covered spires of old castles and churches give the city a dream-like atmosphere; you’ll think you’ve stepped into a watercolor painting.

Copenhagen is a city on a human scale(人性化的). You don’t have to hurry to walk in the city’s centre in less than an hour. Exploring it will take much longer. Copenhagen was the first city to declare a street for pedestrians(行人) only. The city has less traffic noise and pollution than any other European capital.

Churches and castles are almost all that remain of the original city. Copenhagen became the capital city in 1445. During the late 16^th century , trade grew, and so did the city. But fires in 1728and 1795 destroyed the old wooden structures. Much of what we see today dates from the 19^th century.

In the remote far north of Sweden in Sarek National Park, I wake up to the sound of the wind     1     (buffet) the cloth of my tent. Standing at     2     edge of the mountain, I see the Rapa River flow through the valley below.

Once     3     (cover) by vast sheets of ice, Sarek's mountains are home to the Sami,     4     are the native residents of the park. The Sami lived off reindeer, moved with them, and     5    (accompany) them for hundreds of years. Today, most Sami have left their ancient     6    (cottage) in the mountain valleys and live a modern life in villages near Sarek instead.

To keep its     7     (nature) state, apart from the Sami, no one is allowed     8     (live) in Sarek,     9     all new development is banned within the park boundaries.     10     is hoped that Sarek National Park will always remain as it is.