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.

Around the world, there are about 7,000 National Parks, most of     1     cover huge areas of land where nobody     2     (live). However, the National Parks in England include places where people live and work, as well as wild areas where there are few human activities.   

The National Parks in England are called “England’s Breathing Spaces” because they are places where people can go to be in the open air, away     3     the dirt and noise of cities. There are plenty of activities     4     (do) in all of the National Parks in England. Visitors can walk or ride bikes for fun.   

Every year there are about 110 million visitors to the parks,     5     (bring) many benefits to the areas. At the same time, it creates problems too. First, life can be difficult for local people. Car parks and roads are too     6     (crowd). Even house prices in some areas can become too high. Besides, country roads can be damaged, for too many people walk, cycle or ride horses on them. Roads can     7     (rebuild), but then they look     8     (little) natural. Another big problem to the National Parks is litter. In the parks it is a danger to wild animals.     9     (break) glass can also cause fires by focusing the rays of     10     sun. Such fires in wild places can be out of control.

If you are looking to find out why China is called china, you could go to Jingdezhen to find out the answer. Its relationship with ceramics (制陶艺术) dates     1    the Han dynasty and it got famous during the Song dynasty. The culture of ceramics has lived on for more than 2,000 years.

Today Jingdezhen is a popular destination attracting     2    (tourist) from home and abroad for    3    taste of its cultural charms. The first stop in Jingdezhen should be the Ancient Kiln and Folk Customs Museum. The     4    (beautiful) landscaped places offer basic ideas about the ancient porcelain (瓷器) history and culture in Jingdezhen.

In the northeast of Jingdezhen City lies Yaoli Ancient town, which     5    (surround) by beautiful mountains and rivers. And it is an ancient town     6    (build) in the late West Han dynasty. The town is rich in kaolin, a special type of soil for porcelain production,     7     (make) it the famous birthplace of Jingdezhen ceramics. Here is a place of historic interest     8    you can search deep into ancient times.

Porcelain is the essence of Jingdezhen, but there is no lack of     9    (nature) beauty in the city. You’ll lose     10    (you) in the land of breathtaking beauty— the thick forests, splendid waterfalls and quiet paths.

Jingdezhen porcelain(瓷器)is Chinese porcelain produced in or near Jingdezhen in southern China. Jingdezhen has produced porcelain     1     (century)ago. And the town     2    was named Jingdezhen by Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty became a major kiln(窑)site around 1004.During the period, the     3    (produce)of porcelain in this area first became     4    (know).By the 14th century it had become the largest centre of producing Chinese porcelain, which remained in the following times. In the Ming Dynasty, official kilns in Jingdezhen     5    (control)by the emperor, making quality porcelain in large quantities for the emperor to give abroad as gifts. As a result, the town was     6    (close)linked to the world.

Although being a remote town in a hilly area, Jingdezhen is near the quality porcelain stone and forests which can provide plenty of wood for the kilns. It also has     7    river flowing from north to south,     8    (benefit)the transport of the fragile objects.

Jingdezhen has produced a great variety of     9     (value) porcelain. As a result, the town is famous     10     the “Porcelain Capital”. One type of its well-known high quality porcelain object is the blue and white porcelain from the 1330s.