Long ago in Ancient China, there was a mythical figure     1     (know) as Shennong. Not only did Shennong bring agriculture and the use of herbal medicine to China, but he also invented     2     (agriculture) tools and techniques, and the Chinese calendar with its 24 solar terms.

It is said that the home town of Shennong was a forest in Hubei Province, which today is called “Shennongjia”. This beautiful and diverse region covers     3     area of 3,253 square kilometers of north-west Hubei Province. It gives shelter to over 1000 species of medicinal plants, many of     4     are rare and unique to Shennongjia. Here mountain slopes     5     (cover) with trees and some of them grow up to 40 meters tall. In summer, pink and violet flowers lend splashes of color. These are some of     6     (it) most breathtaking landscapes. The magnificent Shennong Peak rises to 3,105 meters above sea level.

Banbiyan is famous for its stone forest, as well as its bamboo forests and grasslands that flood with     7     (flower). The stone forests of Fengjingya stand     8     a background of green mountains that reaches as far as the eye can see. When it rains, the tops of these mountains look like islands     9     (float) on a sea of clouds. Come to Shennongjia     10     (enjoy) its beauty and the legend.

The Baiheliang Underwater Museum,     1    (build) around the White Crane Ridge (白鹤梁) of Fuling District in Chongqing, is China’s first underwater museum. The museum is located on the Yangtze River near the Three Gorges Dam; it opened on May 18, 2009. The    2    (construct) of the museum began in 2002.

Baiheliang has been submerged (淹没) underwater since    3     building of the Three Gorges Dam. It consists     4    a stone ridge that is 1, 600 meters by 15 meters in size, which is now submerged under about 40 meters of water. Before the Three Gorges Dam was built, the ridge was only submerged during the summer and fall. The ridge and the carvings on it were only exposed and     5    (clear) visible when the water level of the Yangtze River dropped during the winter. The inscriptions (题刻)     6    (record) water data about the Yangtze River from the Tang Dynasty onward as well as    7    (poem) written calligraphically could     8    (view) by visitors.

The ridge has now been enclosed in an arch-shaped glass covering    9     is filled with water to ensure equal pressure on both sides. Two underwater passages with long moving stairways have been fixed from the riverbank, enabling museum visitors     10    (enter) and view the inscriptions and fish carvings.

Jiuzhaigou is officially known as Jiuzhai Valley in English,     1    is a nature reserve in the north of Sichuan Province. It is known as the habitat of giant pandas although it is extremely hard to see a panda in the park and mainly for its many multi-level waterfalls    2    colorful lakes. It    3    (become) a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.

    4     (lie) 350 km north of Chengdu, Jiuzhai Valley offers    5     (impress) views of lakes, waterfalls, and mountains. The name means “Valley of Nine Villages”, coming from the 9 ancient Tibetan villages that call it home. Its     6    (high) point is 4,700 m above sea level, with the main sightseeing areas between 1,980 m and 3,100 m.

The park is the natural habitat for the giant panda and the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey (金丝猴). However, because of the park’s size and    7    number of tourists, the chances    8     (see) them are slim. About 20 pandas reportedly live within the park.

For environmental protection reasons, no personal transport, not even bicycles,     9    (permit) within the park. However, with a bus pass you can take a bus to all of the sites within the park. Every few minutes a bus will come to a site to pick up the    10    (passenger).

There are many scenic spots in the world. Some are the best form of architecture ever built and seen. The Great Wall, Taj Mahal, the Pyramids of Egypt and Petra     1     (actual) prove the point that architecture is an age old art and profession.

Not many people know the only piece of construction that can     2     (see) from the moon is the Great Wall of China,     3     total length built in all dynasties is 21,196.18 kilometers. It is the world’s longest man made structure.

Taj Mahal is a beautiful piece of architecture of all times, which was constructed by     4     (use) materials from all over India and Asia.     5     is believed that over 1,000 elephants were used to transport building materials. It     6     (take) the efforts of 22,000 laborers, painters, artists and stonecutters to shape Taj Mahal.

One of the best     7     (place) to experience traditional architecture is Egypt. The Pyramids of Egypt make us extremely amazed at how     8     (create) the architects in ancient times were and what efforts were made by ancient people.

Petra is another place     9     (visit) great structures. This ancient city was the capital of the Arab kingdom of the Nabateans,     10     trade center. The city is famous for water tunnels and stone structures carved in the rock.

In the heart of modern Beijing is the Forbidden City. It served as the political center of ancient China between 1420 and 1912 and now it is     1     world famous museum.

The Forbidden City     2     (build) by Emperor Yongle, the third Ming ruler,     3     moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijng in 1403. Sources say it took a million     4     (worker) to build it between 1406 and 1420. Legend has it that the Forbidden City was redesigned to have 9, 9991/2 rooms. Half a room is missing to avoid     5     (upset) the God of Heaven. The maincolors of the Forbidden City are yellow and red. The walls, doors, and windows were     6     (most) painted in red, a symbol of     7     (happy) in Chinese culture.

The English name “Forbidden City” is a translation of the Chinese name Zijincheng. In the past, it was forbidden to ordinary people and that is     8     the Forbidden City is so named. After the Qing Dynasty, it was made a     9     (nation) museum-the Palace Museum and was open to the public. As one of the world’s largest cultural museums, the Palace Museum holds more than a million rare and valuable works of art. So do find a chance     10     (visit) it some day!

Big challenges can sometimes lead to great     1     (solution), and the Aswan Dam Project is a case in point. Countries worked together     2     (build) the Aswan Dam and protect the cultural relics as well. When the project ended in 1980, it was considered as     3     great success.

    1    (lie) under waters across the globe are an estimated three million shipwrecks, all of     2     indicate human attempts over the centuries to explore Earth's furthest corners. While there is little land on our planet left unexplored, the vast sea bed almost     3    (remain) unknown.

Considering our limited knowledge, it's not surprising that exploration of the oceans constantly brings about discoveries in various     4    (science) fields.

First, many archaeological finds are made in shallow waters, including whole cities     5    (bury) underwater. The ruins offer precious information about the past. However, the challenges of pressure, darkness and intense cold at vast depths make     6     difficult to discover more of the past.

Amazing biological discoveries are also being made, like the barreleye living 6,000 meters below the ocean's surface. Such discoveries enable us     7    (have) a better knowledge of the capacity for life even in extreme circumstances.

Additionally, so far more new natural resources such as fire ice     8    (find) in oceans. Besides, the research conducted by China's underwater vessels helps scientists identify areas for deep-sea drilling and better understand how the sea bed was formed.

Humankind is entering a new age of oceanic discovery. Oceans will be as familiar     9     us as the land where we live through all-round international     10    (cooperate).