The Singing Sands Mountain(鸣沙山)is located in Dunhuang in    1     (west)China. Whether you walk through the quicksand    2    slide down a sand mountain, you can hear loud noises from beneath your feet. That’s    3    it is named“The Singing Sands Mountain”. There is a spring lying between the tall sand mountains. This spring, which looks like a crescent moon(月牙),    4    (exist) for thousands of years and has never dried up. The formation and continuous existence of the Crescent Spring are greatly related to its topography (地势).

The flowing water gathers here along the landform and overflows through a porous(可渗透的) geological layer    5    (form) the Crescent Spring. Although its     6    (extreme) dry here, with the annual evaporation being more than 60 times that of the annual precipitation, the stable water source ensures a sustainable water supply to the spring.It’s also due     7    the low-lying terrain(低洼).Whenever there’s a sandstorm, it forms an upward spiral air flow between the surrounding sand mountains, sending the sand at the foot back to    8    top of the sand mountain,and saving the Crescent Spring from    9    (wallow)by quicksand.

The ancient Silk Road once passed by the Crescent Spring. And today, it has become a romantic paradise for    10     (visit).

The classical gardens of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province date back to the 6th century     1     the city was founded     2     the capital of the Wu Kingdom. Today, more than 50 of these gardens are still in     3     (exist), nine of which are regarded as the finest embodiments (化身) of Chinese “Mountain and Water” gardens.

Built in the 11th century on the site of an     4     (early) destroyed garden, Canglang Pavilion has the longest history among all the existing classical gardens in Suzhou. Naturally     5     (lay) out and well designed, it is called one of the four best gardens in Suzhou. The garden looks simple but natural. Without complex decorations, it combines buildings with scenery so well     6     the whole garden appears to be naturally created. Since many of the     7     (origin) features of the garden have been preserved, the garden has a high historical and artistic value.

The classical gardens of Suzhou     8     (be) the most vivid specimens (样本) of culture from the East Yangtze Delta region in the 11th to 19th centuries. The underlying philosophy, literature, art, and craftsmanship     9     (show) in the architecture, gardening as well as the handcrafts perfectly reflect the monumental     10     (achieve) of the social, cultural, scientific, and technological developments of this period.

Ersha Island lies in the Yuexiu district(区域)of Guangzhou. It is a good place for tourists and local people to enjoy the beautiful view along the Pearl River after years of environmental     1    (improve).

Covering     2     area of 1. 26 million square metres, Ersha Island is home to Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangdong Overseas Chinese Museum, Xinghai Concert Hall, Guangdong Gymnasium and a number of     3    (park).

“Besides visiting the museums,    4    (enjoy) music and taking exercise, tourists and locals can walk on the banks of the Pearl River to enjoy the natural scenery,” said Huang Fengchan,a local woman    5     lives in Zhujiang New Town near Ersha Island.

“My husband and I     6    (usual) go to Ersha Island to relax and have dinner at weekends,” she added.

Ersha Island is close to Zhujiang New Town, and the Canton Tower stands on the south bank of the Pearl River. The 600-metre-high Canton Tower is commonly known     7     Xiaomanyao, or “slim waist” among local people.

Many music shows     8    (hold) in Xinghai Concert Hall every year. The cultural square in front of the concert hall has become an     9    (amaze) place for locals and tourists to enjoy pop music, as many street singers go there     10    (sing) in the evening.

For Greek photographer George Doupas, Beijing is home now. During the past decade, he has been photographing the city, capturing its beauty and sharing these     1    (photo) online and in exhibitions.

“This truly represents Beijing-the old and the new, nicely mixing together,” Doupas said while showing his photograph of the Zhihua Temple,     2     beautiful Ming Dynasty building. It is located in front of a modern office building, Galaxy SOHO, which     3    (feature) weaving bridges and interlocking passageways (通道).

With rich historical heritage, Beijing     4    (be) an important center of traditional Chinese culture since the Ming Dynasty. Doupas often gets lost in the city’s splendid ancient architecture. Meanwhile, he is also amazed by the modern city     5    (combine) high-end businesses and various industries. “It is fascinating to see a city developing at such an     6    (incredible) rapid rate and investing so much effort in preserving its past, which is     7     I decided to pursue my career here ,” he said.

    8     (dedicate) to his career as a photographer in China, Doupas hopes to serve     9     a bridge between China and the West. The displays that show his photos about Beijing have attracted a large audience in Greece and the Czech Republic.

“My     10    (occasion) stay in Beijing has turned into permanent residence, and I call Beijing my home now,” he said, “I will keep sharing photos of China with the rest of the world.”

There are nearly 40 plots of funnel-centered (漏斗状的) farmland in Nahui Village,     1    (refer) to as a “funnel group.” The funnels are     2    (natural) formed by a partial collapse of underground rivers and surface water erosion (侵蚀). The funnel group shows an     3    (order) zonal (区域的) distribution. There are two rivers, the Nahui River which is visible above ground, and an invisible river that is underground. As if by magic, the Nahui River flows along the surface of the ground for     4     distance, and then suddenly disappears underground without a trace, only     5    (appear) again more than 20 kilometers away.

Local people grow crops all around the funnel in the center. During rainy seasons, flood water quickly flows into the funnel,     6     in times of drought, water from the underground river     7    (employ) to water the farmland.

The funnel in the fields near Xianahui Village is known as the “Earth eye”. According to local people’s belief, mother Earth watches over her children with her     8    (power) eye and protects them. The lower part of the Earth eye, similar     9     other funnels, is connected with the underground river, which passes through the very topography (地形)     10     even today people have failed to fully map.