Did you ever wish that you could foretell the future? Well, thousands of years ago, the people living in     1     is today Armenia thought they could. In the high mountains of the South Caucasus, archaeologists working at Gegharot have uncovered a fortune-telling center that     2     (date) back to the Late Bronze Age (1500-1200 B.C.). So far, three small shrines (圣地) have been unearthed, and each offers evidence of     3     (variety) methods local communities used in an attempt     4     (understand) the future.

The site of Gegharot is rather small in     5     (compare) with its neighbors. The Late Bronze Age in the South Caucasus was     6     era of centralization. Large new societies fought with one another     7     control of the region. The castle and western shrine at Gegharot are actually less than an acre in size. However, remains at the site are well preserved, thanks to destructive events that     8     (complete) destroyed it twice during its occupation.

The shrines at Gegharot offer archaeologists a rare glimpse into fortune-telling practices that would have been the closely     9     (guard) secrets. As work continues, archaeologists will learn more about these individuals and the techniques they used when they     10     (seek) to foretell the future.

I have been in Taiyuan, the provincial capital of Shanxi, for two years since I     1     (admit) to a PhD program in Shanxi University as an international student from Bangladesh.

Over the two years, I found myself     2     (fall) in love with Shanxi and China. I liked to cycle on the streets in Taiyuan and visit places I encountered     3     (random). The cycling tours helped to deepen     4     (I) understanding of the city. In my eyes, Taiyuan is a city     5     both history and modernity.

The city has     6     history of more than 2,500 years, the longest among all cities in China. An abundance of well-preserved ancient     7     (structure), like the temples in Jinci, the double pagodas in Yongzuo Temple, are the material evidence to help you get a glimpse into     8     ancient China looked like. Taiyuan is also a fast-growing modern city. It is ranked among the world’s top 500 cities in terms of     9    (science) research according to a recent Nature Index rating.

I hope more international students come to study in Shanxi University and to live and work in China     10     is full of opportunities.

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.

I have been in Taiyuan, the provincial capital of Shanxi, for two years since I     1    (admit) to a PhD program in Shanxi University as an international student.

Over the two years, I found     2    (I) falling in love with Shanxi and China as I got more familiar     3     the city, the province and the country. You have to adapt to everything—food, language and culture. But for me, the     4    (adapt) didn’t take a long period of time. I have got used to eating noodles for breakfast and using online payment via my smartphone very     5    (quick).

My favorite sport is cycling and I find China is very cyclist-friendly because it is convenient     6    (hire) bicycles in every city in the country. I like to cycle on     7     streets in Taiyuan and visit places I meet randomly. The cycling tours helped to deepen my understanding of the city.

Taiyuan     8    (have) a history of more than 2,500 years, among the     9    (old) cities in China. An abundance of well-preserved ancient structures, like the temples in Jinci, are the material evidence to help you get a quick look at     10     ancient China looked like.

I wake up to the sound of the wind buffeting the cloth of my tent. However, it’s     1    (possible) for me to tell whether it is morning or night, because the sun is     2     (bright) shining for 24 hours. Now, I’m above the Arctic Circle,     3     the sun never sets in summer.

Around 9, 000 years ago, the vast sheets of ice melted in Sarek,     4     (leave) behind about 100 glaciers. Soon after, reindeer began to arrive, and then followed the Sami people, who made Sarek their home. Today, all new development     5     (ban) within park boundaries, so only the Sami are allowed to continue their     6     (tradition) way of life in the park.

For hundreds of years,     7     (look) after reindeer was a way of life for the Sami. Since reindeer were always     8     the move, the Sami would accompany them. However, most Sami live     9     modern life in their own houses.

Hiking with all my food and supplies is really tiring, but it is a     10     (bless) to travel in such a beautiful and wild place.

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.