If you’re visiting Hangzhou, the one place you absolutely cannot miss is the West Lake. It     1    (locate) southwest of the city. It’s twice the size of New York City’s Central Park. West Lake’s natural beauty and     2    (history) relics have inspired Chinese poets and artists throughout time.

You would need a whole day to     3    (full) appreciate its beauty. The lake has 10 scenic sites, each with     4     story of its own.

You can start with the Leifeng Pagoda. Local legend has it that a white snake spirit was once imprisoned in the five-story, eight-sided pagoda by a monk,     5     tried to separate the immortal spirit from a mortal lover.

Afterwards, you can walk northward along the Su Causeway,     6    (construct) with the help of the great poet Su Shi about 1,000 years ago.

At the other end of the causeway, you will encounter a lotus pool and a winding courtyard. A culture show will be staged here     7     the tourists.     8    (make) sure to indulge yourself with a lakeside sunset before you leave. It’s here that the still waters of the lake meet up with the     9    (color) of the skies,     10    (create) an image you won’t soon forget.

Mining has seen ups and downs but traditional condiment (调味品) continues to appeal. Any mention of Zigong, Sichuan province, reminds people    1     its salt production and, until recently, this was    2     important source of revenue (财政收入).

The city, about 200 kilometers from Chengdu has a history of mining salt    3     (stretch) back 2,000 years. The salt was sold all over Sichuan and other provinces, and was consumed by one-tenth of China’s population. The salt is from wells. One of them, the Shenhai well, was opened in 1835, and is still in    4     (operate). With a depth of 1,001.42 meters, it is among the world’s deepest of its kind and    5     (current) produces around 2,000 kilograms of salt per day. Visitors to the well can buy packs of iodine-free salt    6     (mine) just three days earlier.

But, during Spring Festival,     7     ends with the Lantern Festival on the 15^th day of the first lunar month — falling on Sunday this year — more people from around the country flock to Zigong    8     (view) its world-famous lanterns. Viewing lanterns became a Spring Festival custom in Zigong during the Tang Dynasty. Since then, the    9     (city) lantern show has been held in more than 70 countries and regions around the world, becoming a calling card of both Zigong and China. The popular show    10     (start) from the economic dilemma in the 1980s, when Zigong’s economy over-relying on a single product became a problem.

3 . How and Where to See Aurora in 2022

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made many potential travel plans change constantly. but catching sight of the wonderful cosmic (宇宙的) display could be possible this year. Here’s our guide on how and where to see the aurora (极光) this winter.

Where is the best place to see the northern lights?

Spots like Fairbanks in Alaska, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Churchill in Canada, and Iceland and northern Norway are all safe bets. The NOAA website has additional tips on where to view the aurora with links to maps that show where the light show can be seen. The best time to see the lights differs slightly by country, but, in general, the peak season is between November and March.

Which countries are allowing tourists to enter?

Arguably the biggest barrier to your chances of enjoying the aurora this winter is not atmospheric, but the COVID-19 restrictions by some of the countries where the northern lights are most visible. Please check official sources and the resources below for the latest restrictions.

·Iceland: Lonely Planet’s webpage.

·Norway: Norway’s government website.

·Alaska: CDC’s international travel guidelines.

·Canada: Lonely Planet’s webpage.

How to see the southern lights?

The southern lights are the same phenomenon on the other side of the Earth. With less land in the south, the southern lights are perhaps less talked about as they mostly occur over water, but they can be seen over parts of New Zealand, and Australia and Tasmania. In contrast to the northern lights, the southern lights are usually most obvious from March to September.

4 . Since it was completed in 1869, the Suez Canal has been one of the world's most important bodies of water and bases of the global economy. But the giant container ship that has been stuck across the waterway sparks a very modern problem: About a tenth of global trade passes through the Suez Canal, and it could be facing a weeks-long blockage.

The blockage originates from its vital location in geography - the importance of the canal stems first and foremost from its location; it is the only place that directly connects the waters of Europe with the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the countries of the Asia-Pacific. Without the Suez, shipments traveling between those parts of the world would have to travel through the entire continent of Africa, adding large amounts of costs and extending their journey time a lot.

Dating back to history, caused by French interests and exploration, the Suez was built over the course of 10 years by local peasants forced into labor. Financial troubles forced the Ottoman governor of Egypt to sell a controlling stake(股份) in the waterway to Britain in 1875; 13 years later, a multinational summit resulted in an agreement that the canal would be free for all countries to use, both in peace and war.

Nowadays, more than 80% of global trade by volume is moved by sea, and disruptions are adding billions of dollars to supply chain costs. Commerzbank analysts said on Friday that the episode could cause oil to become more expensive for consumers because of higher tanker rates as a result of the incident.

Terra-cotta Warriors in Xi’an,     1     is known as the eighth wonder of the world, now is a museum to display the terra-cotta warriors and horses     2     (make) in Qin Dynasty. Qin terra-cotta warriors have guarded the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang for over 2000 years.

In 221 B.C., Emperor Qin Shi Huang of Qin Dynasty established the first centralized feudal dynasty in China. After his death, he     3     (bury) at the northern foot of Lishan Hill in the east of Lintong County. The tomb took 39 years and 700,000 workers     4     (reach) completion. It had pearls embedded in the ceiling to represent the stars, and rivers and lakes were modeled with liquid mercury.

Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum is the     5     (large) imperial mausoleum with most peculiar structure and abundant connotation. It is not only the art treasures of the Chinese people,     6     the common cultural heritage of the world’s people.

Terra-cotta Warriors is     7     real-life theme art. Its means of artistic expression is delicate, lucid and     8     (live). The gestures and facial expressions are different between two terra-cotta warriors, with distinct personality and strong     9     (characteristic) of that age,     10     (show) peak clay sculpture art at that time.

6 . Some of the wonderful snorkeling(浮潜) in the world can be found in the clear shallow waters of the Bahamas. Anyone who has ever snorkeled here will confirm that the Bahamas is an excellent option.

New Providence Island

It is the most popular tourist destination in the Bahamas. The waters that surround the island are filled with exotic fish, colorful reefs, sea gardens, and underwater wrecks. Snorkelers and more certified divers can explore the many shipwrecks(沉船) that are scattered throughout the nation. Interestingly, not all of the shipwrecks were caused by Mother Nature; some ships were purposely sunk to create artificial reefs.

Grand Bahama Island

As another popular vacation spot, it is also an excellent place for snorkeling. The island’s waters are rich in marine life and coral beds. Many snorkelers enjoy exploring the island’s Shark Junction, a place where reef sharks, nurse sharks, eels, and stingrays are plentiful. Others head for Lucayan Caverns. At more than six miles long, it is one of the longest underwater cave systems in the world and part of Grand Bahama’s Lucayan National Park.

The Abaco Islands

Composed of two main islands and numerous cays, they offer some of the best shallow water snorkeling in Bahamas.Colorful coral reefs extend for miles and begin at a depth of just five feet. They are teeming with a wide variety of fish as well as eels, stingrays, turtles, and dolphins. Abaco’s Walker’s Cay is known for its “Shark Rodeo” where divers can view hundreds of non-aggressive sharks.

Thunderball Grotto

Located in the Exuma Island chain, it is a beautiful cave that is popular with snorkelers. Its claim to fame is that it was used as a location for filming several movies including two featuring James Bond. Snorkelers can access the cave during low tide and are able to swim with grouper, snapper, angelfish, lobsters and the occasional sea turtle.

7 . If documentary A Bite of China presented a feast for the eyes with its appetizing images of cuisines from around the country, Aerial China, a new series that was put on CCTV on Jan. 28, offers another visual treat with its footage (镜头) of the breathtaking beauty of the country's natural landscapes.

The series has 34 episodes, each featuring a different place. The first season's episodes feature scenery from Heilongjiang, Hainan, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Shanghai and Jiangxi. According to Beijing Daily , it took one year to film the first season, with crew using 16 helicopters and 57 drones. The total distance they covered was about 150,000 kilometers - enough to circle the earth four times.

Their efforts have paid off, however. Aerial China currently has a score of 9.4 points out of 10 on douban. com, an influential rating and review website. The majority of viewers are impressed by the amazing view of nature the show presents. From the gleaming blue of the South China Sea to the vast grassland in Xinjiang, from centuries-old city walls in Shaanxi to busy ski resorts in Heilongjiang, "every frame of this show would make a desktop wall paper," commented Beijing Daily.

But amazing views are not the only thing Aerial China wants to show to the audience. " Every footage conveys the love of our motherland," chief director Yu Le said in an interview with CCTV. “The more you know about the place where we live, the more you feel obliged to protect it. " Yu also hopes that it can bring viewers some food for thought. "It allows audiences to see the world from above with brand new perspectives. It may occur to the audience that human beings are very tiny creatures in the universe and our life is very fleeting (短暂),so we should not dwell on the worries and losses. Just think outside the routine - you'll find an enriched life."