For five years, the most famous clock tower in Britain was hidden behind an ugly fortress of scaffolding (脚手架) for restoration. This summer, a sound familiar     1     Londoners for more than a century and a half will again ring out across the British capital — Big Ben is back.

The clock tower stands tall over the Palace of Westminster     2     houses the British Parliament (议会). It is officially known as the Elizabeth Tower but commonly called by     3     nickname of the enormous bell in the belfry (钟楼): Big Ben. The bell’s bong is     4     (instant) recognizable to Britons.

The size of Big Ben,     5     (weigh) a little over 15 tons, is impressive, as is the complexity of a clock mechanism based on the most     6     (advance) technology available to its 19-century creators. Nobody had ever attempted     7     (build) a clock that size to the accuracy demanded.

During the restoration, the clock was serviced for the first time since it started ticking in 1859, when crowds lined the streets to greet Big Ben’s    8     (arrive). More than 3500 parts     9     (remove) from the 316-foot tower, including much of its iron roof. Now freshly     10     (paint), the tower stands as a monument to what can be achieved by modern restoration.

My hometown is Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, located in the central and southwestern part of Gansu Province. It    1    (know) as Hezhou in the past.Covering an area of 8,169 km², it is an    2    (extreme) important location of the South Road of the ancient Silk Road, enjoying some beautiful    3    (title), such as ”The Hometown of Chinese Flowers“and ”The Garden of Ancient Life“.

Linxia is rich in water resources. It is home to the Taohe River, the Daxia River    4     the Huangshui River, three branches of     5     Yellow River. The three famous power stations of Liujiaxia, Yanguoxia and Bapanxia are located here.

With green mountains, clear rivers and its    6    (tradition) cultures, Linxia has 107 tourist destinations,     7     attract a large number of tourists every year. The Bingling Temple Grottoes (石窟) , one of the most famous grottoes in China,     8    (have) a history of more than 1, 600 years.

To sum up, people can be exposed    9     a wide variety of local customs and cultures. Please come to Linxia, living in special residential houses, enjoying sweet flowers and     10    (eat) ethnic tasty food.

Balesin Island lies in Lamon Bay, about 60 nautical miles east of Manila,     1     capital of the Philippines.

My family and I recently visited the small island,     2     is open for members only. The island is known     3     its slogan (标语): “Balesin, the most unique in the world.” What makes it so special? You can experience many     4     (difference) cultures and cuisines (菜肴) from around the world on one island.

Balesin Island is home to villas (别墅) representing several     5     (place), including the Greek island of Mykonos. Depending upon which villa you visit, the food and architecture make you feel like you’re in Bali, Tuscany, or the Greek island of Mykonos. There are also some stand-alone restaurants,     6     (offer) such choices as German, Japanese, Korean, and Mongolian food.

Most of the food     7     (serve) at the restaurants is grown on the island. Activities include bird watching, boating, fishing, gardening, and horseback riding.

J. J. Fernandez, a     8     (tour), said that she fell in love with the island during     9     (she) visit. Being on Balesin, she     10     (add), is like “traveling around the world in just three days.”