The green grass and bar e rock of Macquarie Island’s landscape contrast dramatically, giving it a wild and natural beauty.

But the island’s more recent history tells     1     tragic story that began in 1810 when humans arrived on the island. In their ships they unknowingly brought rats and mice, which quickly took over the island,     2     (eat) the birds’ eggs and attacking baby birds. Cats     3     (bring) to the island to control the rats and mice.     4     (fortunate), the cats subsequently developed an appetite for the birds, too.

Meanwhile, rabbits were introduced to the island     5     a source of food for humans. Loose on the island,     6     did what rabbits do best—they multiplied rapidly and began eating the native vegetation and digging holes,     7     caused soil erosion. The exploding rabbit population     8     (provide) plentiful food for the cats, meaning that the number of cats also increased. This in turn led to     9     (much) cats hunting the birds. The end result was that parakeets, once large in number and native to the island, died out in 1891.

In 2014, Macquarie Island was declared pest-free and the island’s eco logy is finally on the road to     10     (recover).

About 5,000 years ago, to escape the cold weather, the ancestors of the Liangzhu people settled around the Taihu region     1     they built a city, making     2     both the center of their culture and spiritual belief.

The Liangzhu ancient city was composed of the palace zone, the inner city and the outer city, and there     3     (exist) the City Wall serving as a boundary between the inner and the outer. It had nine gates, with one for pedestrians and the     4     (remain) eight water gates for travelers from the canal.

A complex multi-functional water management system was constructed on the northwest outskirts of the ancient city. Taking advantage of the natural terrain (地势), the system connected numerous valleys,     5     (adjust) river levels, dredging floods and providing security for the ancient city, its water transportation and daily water needs.

Jade (玉)     6     (refer) to as a significant material embodiment (具体化) of the Liangzhu Culture. There were different patterns and styles of jade, with abundant meanings     7     (symbolic) attached to them, such as distinguishing identities and showing social statuses.

In 1936, the remains of the Liangzhu ancient City were found     8     chance and the City was gradually brought to light. Now the unearthed ruins have gained the global     9     (recognize) and workers on the Liangzhu site are committed to combining modern technology with novel cultural creativity     10     (reconstruct) the ancient Liangzhu Culture.

Pico Island, the second largest of the volcano-born Azores, is one of the most hard-won wine regions in the world. By the 19th century, Pico’s wine industry was at its peak,     1     (produce) three native white grape varietals: arinto dos Azores, verdelho and terrantez do Pico. But it wasn’t long before disease and desertification     2     (destroy) most of the island’s vineyards, nearly putting an end to its wine production. But some of Pico’s winemakers regrouped, centering their operations around the village of Criacao Velha,     3     high-quality grapes could still be grown.     4     only around 10 percent of Pico’s original vineyards have been restored (恢复), the appellation of origin has earned some of the country’s top wine honors.

The history of hutongs can date back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271 — 1368), when the term “hutong”,     1     (initial) meaning “water wells”, first appeared in its capital, now known as Beijing. The Yuan nobles and high-ranking army officials     2     (award) lands as their estates in the city. They built houses and courtyards, now called “Siheyuan”, which were arranged in     3     orderly way around the wells.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368 —1644), the center of Beijing was the Forbidden City, with the Inner City and Outer City     4     (surround) it. Upper class citizens were permitted to live closer     5     the center. Nobles lived to the east and west of the palace. The hutongs formed by their houses were lined by spacious homes and gardens. Farther from the palace and to its north and south     6     (be) the commoners. Their Siheyuans were far smaller in size and simpler in    7    (decorate), and the hutongs were narrower.

Nowadays, if you visit Beijing, Nanluoguxiang is a must-see. The 786-meter long south-north hutong is lined with bars, hotels and stores. There are also 8 hutongs —    8     (hide) on the east and west sides of the main lane of Nanluoguxiang as well as former residences     9     celebrities once lived.

Hutongs are the home of the Beijing    10     (local), who have a deep affection for them.

Located in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the Jiuzhai Valley runs more than 50 kilometers, towards the Sichuan Basin. The Jiuzhai Valley got     1    (it) name because there are nine Tibetan villages in the valley. It consists of three main valleys,    2    form a “Y” in shape. The clear mountain lakes, splendid waterfalls, colorful forests and the local ,Tibetan, ethnic culture all make it a unique tourist    3    (attract).

More than 400 million years ago, the region was    4    ideal breeding ground for various, prehistoric lifeforms. However, with the time    5    (pass), many lifeforms died off. Now the region is home    6    nationally protected animal species and 74 endangered plants. Historically, the ancestors of the Jiuzhai Valley    7    (be) from the remote Ngari region in Tibet. Today, the local people still maintain their Tibetan religious and folk customs.

In 1978, the Jiuzhai Valley    8    (name) as the Jiuzhai Valley Nature Reserve, becoming the first nature reserve     9    (protect)landscape and natural scenery in China.

Now a network of wooden walkways has been built to provide a     10    ( powerful) protection to the natural environment than before.

Unlike fossil-fuel power plants, solar and wind power plants only generate electricity when the sun shines and the wind blows. Now the batteries     1     (need) to store power for the cloudy day arise. However, they are still not cheap enough or able to store power for long enough periods     2     (rely)heavily on. A breakthrough in battery technology is of great practical     3     (worthy)for solar and wind energy to become the main part of electric grids (电网). Geothermal (地热地) energy, however, does not require battery storage to ensure a reliable supply and     4     (have)enormous potential instead.

The U. S. leads the world in the process     5     the heat is mined from Earth’s crust (地壳) to produce electricity.     6     it accounts for only 0.4 percent of total U. S. electricity production, the technology could someday provide almost limitless amounts of power. Geothermal power plants situated near hot spots in Earth’s crust could get the intense heat and steam     7     drilling down 1 or 2 miles. The geothermal company Alta Rock Energy estimates that     8     (approximate) 0.1percent of the heat content of Earth could supply humanity’s total energy needs for 2 million years. “Jamie Beard, who runs the Geothermal Entrepreneurship Organization, ranked among the     9     (high)at the University of Texas at Austin, called     10     an “engineering problem that, when solved, solves energy.”