The Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It     1     (build) originally to protect the city     2     the Tang dynasty and has now been completely restored (修复). It is possible       3     (walk) or bike the entire 14 kilometers.

We accessed the wall through the South Gate. The wall is 12 meters high and from here you can see streams of people moving inside and outside the City Wall.

After     4     (spend) some time looking at all the defensive equipment at the wall, we decided it was time for some action and what     5     (good) than to ride on a piece of history!

We     6     (hire) our bikes from the rental place at the South Gate. My bike was old and shaky     7     did the job. It took us about 3 hours to go all     8     way around the Xi’an City Wall. Supposedly you can do it in two hours, but we stopped at the different gates and     9     (watchtower) to take pictures or just to watch the local people going about their     10     (day) routines.

In Northwest China's Gansu Province     1     (lie) Zhangye National Geopark, which is blessed with a spectacular Danxia (red cloud) landform area     2     (cover) about 19 square miles. The Danxia landforms are     3     masterpiece of nature. The colorful mountain ridges are just like an overturned palette from heaven. Bands of fiery red, creamy orange, rich green and bright yellow streak across the mountain, forming     4     is known as the most beautiful rainbow mountain.

The incredible landscapes were created by sandstone and minerals piling on top of one another over the years due to tectonic plate movements. Wind, rain, and tine then carved the rock formations and rolling hills into     5     (vary) extraordinary shapes, including towers, pillars and valleys.

    6     (declare) a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010 and a national geopark in 2011, the landform has become a top tourist     7     (attract). The park features a series of boardwalks that allow visitors to walk around the colorful sandstone landscapes. There are viewing platforms     8    (special) designed, enabling tourists to get close to the hills and feast their eyes     9     the magnificent sights without damaging the fragile ecosystem. Shuttle bus service is available, making     10     easy for tourists to get around the park.

My cousin and I took a trip by rail across Canada from west to east. Before starting out, we spent a couple of days in Vancouver, admiring the     1    (sight). Then we arose early to take the train to Lake Louise, passing through the Canadian Rockies.     2    (see) from the train window, the mountains and forests looked     3    (mass). We spent the night near the lake, where the blue water literally took our breath away,     4     headed to Jasper the next morning. The beautiful scenery convinced us it was the most awesome journey we     5    (take). From Jasper, we boarded the train bound     6     Toronto. One of our first stops was in Edmonton, which     7     (be) home to many shopping malls. We never anticipated seeing such an open country until the train headed across the Great Prairie.     8     amazed us most were a bunch of farms covering two wheat- growing provinces. The train thundered on, through the     9    (roll) hills in Ontario. It was     10    (true) enjoyable to watch the red maple leaves outside the window. After four days, we reached Toronto.

Originally constructed around 256 BCE by the State of Qin     1     an irrigation and flood control system, Dujiangyan is a remarkable example of ancient engineering skill and is still     2     use today.

During the Warring States period, people who lived along the banks of the Min River     3     (trouble) by annual flooding. Qin governor and irrigation engineer Li Bing investigated the problem thoroughly. He led a team     4     (construct) a levee(堤坝) to redirect a part of the river’s flow. Then they cut     5     channel through Mount Yulei to let the water flow through it. After the system was finished , no more floods     6     (occur). What’s more, it made Sichuan one of the most productive agricultural     7     (region) in China because the redirected water from the Min River could be used for irrigation. If you visit Dujiangyan, you will see an     8    (usual) construction that looks like a fish’s mouth. This famous attraction, Yuzui, together with two other important parts, namely, Feishayan and Baopingkou, was     9     (scientific) designed to control the water flow throughout the year.

    10     (recognize) as a UNESCO heritage site, Dujiangyan has irrigated farms while preventing floods for over 2,000 years.

The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces(梯田), in southern Yunnan, China, cover a huge 16, 603-hectare area. The terraces,     1    (know)to all of the world now, were made out of a thick forest by the Hani people. The terraces rise at different angles from a shallow 15°    2     a steep 75°, forming a wonderful landscape(景观)that     3    (be)rare in the world.

In 2003, the terraced fields were     4    (official)recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage site. About 1,300 years ago, the Hani people first     5    (come)to the steep mountains. They struggled against the difficult terrain(地形), successfully creating the terraces, where they grew rice in order to make     6    (they) living. Over the past 1,300 years, the Hani people have developed a complex system of channels     7    (bring)water from the forested mountaintops. They show great appreciation for natural phenomena such as rivers, mountains, the sun, fire     8     the moon. They have also created a complete farming system     9     involves cattle, ducks, and fish and supports the     10    (produce)of red rice, the area's main crop.

The landscape changes through the year. In April the terraces are all green as rice starts to grow; in later parts of the year it is yellowish brown as the rice ripens. In February, the terraces become bare earth, with the water reflecting(反射)the sky.

The highest point on Earth has a     1    (new) announced height. Mount Everest is 29,031. 69 feet above sea level, according to survey results presented today. That is more than two feet higher     2    the altitude previously recognized by the government of Nepal.

The height,     3     was announced on December 8 in a joint     4    (state) by the Survey Department of Nepal and Chinese authorities, is the result of a multiyear project to measure the mountain. As the first serious survey of Everest in 16 years, the effort has been closely followed by the geographic community—particularly scientists analyzing how a devastating 7. 8 magnitude earthquake in 2015     5    (affect) the region.

Last spring a small group of Nepalese surveyors and guides experienced the     6    （bite) wind of a nighttime climbing, reaching the top at 3 a. m. local time.

“We long     7    (deliver) the message that we can do something with our own resources and     8    (technique) manpower,” Khimlal Gautam, chief survey officer for the project, told National Geographic last year.

In 1856, mathematician Radhanath Sickdhar found that Everest was the     9     (high) mountain in the world while he was working for the Great Trigonometrical Survey, a project devoted to surveying and mapping the Indian subcontinent. Since then, a handful     10     surveys have sought to pin down the mountain's true height with the best technology available at the time.