Placed among the busy streets of Washington, D. C. is a large public garden that many Americans have never heard of. The U. S. National Arboretum (植物园) includes     1     collection of flowering plants called azaleas, a field of native plants named ferns, and flowering trees in the dogwood tree area. The garden     2     (establish) by Congress in 1927. It plays a leading part in researching and developing plants like trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses.

Government scientists are in charge of the 180-hectare area. Their main goal is     3    (strengthen) the U. S. economy by making sure an important kind of agriculture,     4     (call) the nursery industry, continues to perform well. The most recent numbers from the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) show that the ornamental and landscape plant industry creates billions of founds in sales each year.

The arboretum is home to one of the     5     (large) collections of preserved seeds in the world. The National Arboretum Herbarium (植物标本)     6     (house) around 700,000 ex-ample seeds. They include seeds from plants that the USDA considers as     7    (economical) important. Scientists collect many genetically different seeds within a kind of plant from both native and non-native plants. The reason     8     collecting that data is that scientists protect plants from harmful situations like climate change, changed environments, or other new and possible risks.

While the scientists do their work, the public     9     (explore) plants is free to visit the arboretum. Though many people may not know it, the arboretum has had a hand in developing a number of plants     10     are part of American landscaping.

Bathed in warm sunshine, the newly restored Jingfu Ge,     1     is part of the Summer Palace in Beijing, is like an elderly person     2     a youthful face. It possesses the solemnity and magnificence of a royal building, and the gentle elegance of time.

After a yearlong work, the ancient building was reopened, enabling     3     public to see the results during a special open day on Oct 30.

Located on the eastern ridge of Wanshou Mountain in the Summer Palace, the building was initially a two-story pavilion     4     (construct) during the reign of Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong from 1736 to 1796,     5     known as the Tanhua Pavilion.     6     (fortunate), it was burned to the ground by Anglo-French forces in 1860, and it     7     (rebuild) between 1891-93 during the reign of Emperor Guangxu. Historical records show that Empress Dowager Cixi often went there     8     (appreciate) the views and the weather, and received foreign envoys and their family members in the building, which was not far from     9     (she) residence in the Summer Palace.

This round of     10     (restore) covered the main hall and the surrounding courtyard, with the aim of minimizing interference with the building and not changing its original facade and features.

It comes as some surprise to discover that, in previous centuries, this pretty simple backwater was one of the main     1     (stop) in a Caucasian branch of the classic Silk Route. And the work being done here today is part of a far     2     (wide) recovery of East-West trade across the area.

The Great Silk Route, or Silk Road, was the fabled overland supply chain famously     3     allowed the supply of Chinese goods     4     (reach) ancient Rome from the second century BCE.

In an ancient world without trains or planes,     5     (transport) valuable goods across vast inhospitable lands of Eurasia required well equipped teams of pack animals—    6     (typical) camels travelling in groups known as caravans (商队).

These would usually seek overnight     7     (safe) in solid walled fences where the traders could find accommodation and food. This developed     8     caravanserais (商队旅馆) all along the trade routes: precursors (前身) of traveller’s inns, but for a pre-motorized age.

Despite     9     name, the Silk Route was always a separate network rather than a single “route” and that trade was in much more than just silk. Pepper and spices     10     (be) also in demand in pre-medieval Europe, while so much silver and gold flowed east to pay for these luxuries (奢侈品) that Rome faced a balance-of-payments reduction in the third century CE.

Each city has its own unique cultural symbol,    1    (break) the similarity of cities. The    2    (significance) cultural symbols such as Beijing’s Forbidden City, Hangzhou’s West Lake and suzhou’s gardens have helped form strong cultural confidence.

Qinhuangdao is focusing on fashion tourism. A first-class international tourist city needs wold tourist attractions, and Qinhuangdao seems    3     ( have ) some ,The Great Wall is world-class, and so    4     (be) the Beidaihe wetlands.

Qinhuangdao has successfully transferred the world’s unique cultural symbol，The Classic ofMountains and Seas，into the city’s cultural    5    ( develop). Qinhuangdao is the only city in China    6    (name) after an emperor’s imperial name.The West Port of Qinhuangdao is near the legendary place where Qin Shi Huang    7    ( seek ) immortality(永生) into the sea. At the West Port cruise terminal, the 350-meter-long giant murall The Illustrations of Mountains and Seas reaches far away by the waves of the Bohai Sea. It is presenting the ancient wonder of the book which is rich    8    myths and legends to foreign visitors and sending Eastern culture and philosophical thoughts to a wider stage.

A distinctive and unique city cultural symbol can improve recognition and identity,    9     will help to enhance the city’s attractiveness. With a cultural symbol, there is cultural confidence,and it is    10    deepest power a city has.

The Ming City Wall Ruins Park, one of the best parks in Beijing,     1     (locate) in the central area of Beijing from Chongwenmen East Street to Dongbianmen.     2     (cover) a total area of about 15.5 hectares, the park     3     (consist) of 3.3 hectares of city wall ruins and the southeast corner tower, and 12.2 hectares of green space.

The Ming Dynasty City Wall from Dongbianmen to Chongwenmen is one of the only two remaining Ming Dynasty City Walls in Beijing.     4     (historic), the Ming Dynasty City Wall is 25 kilometers long and was first built in the 17th year of the Yongle Period of the Ming Dynasty (1419 AD), and has     5     history of over 580 years. The remaining relic,     6     is about 1.5 kilometers long, used to be part of the inner city wall of Beijing. It is the     7     (long) section of the city wall remains in the city, and an important symbol of Beijing.

Using a simple design, the park highlights the beauty of the     8     (ruin) city walls. The “Old Trees and Ming Walls”, “New Charm of Ancient Buildings” and other sceneries in the park have a long history and rich connotation (含义), showing the profound     9     (culture) accumulation of Chongwenmen, which adds endless imagination     10     people’s mind.

My hometown is Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, located in the central and southwestern part of Gansu Province. It    1    (know) as Hezhou in the past.Covering an area of 8,169 km², it is an    2    (extreme) important location of the South Road of the ancient Silk Road, enjoying some beautiful    3    (title), such as ”The Hometown of Chinese Flowers“and ”The Garden of Ancient Life“.

Linxia is rich in water resources. It is home to the Taohe River, the Daxia River    4     the Huangshui River, three branches of     5     Yellow River. The three famous power stations of Liujiaxia, Yanguoxia and Bapanxia are located here.

With green mountains, clear rivers and its    6    (tradition) cultures, Linxia has 107 tourist destinations,     7     attract a large number of tourists every year. The Bingling Temple Grottoes (石窟) , one of the most famous grottoes in China,     8    (have) a history of more than 1, 600 years.

To sum up, people can be exposed    9     a wide variety of local customs and cultures. Please come to Linxia, living in special residential houses, enjoying sweet flowers and     10    (eat) ethnic tasty food.

Near the ancient water town of Wuzhen, the scenic villages of Maming and Haihua provide the perfect destinations for travelers seeking a taste of real rural life.

    1     (locate) at a 30-minute drive from the ancient water town of Wuzhen, Maming village is the exact opposite of Wuzhen. There are hardly any crowds here. The old houses are not as well maintained. There     2     (be) no bright colorful lights along the walkways. Time seems to stand still in the village,     3     (make) it a perfect day-trip destination for travelers     4     want a real experience of rural life.

Most people in Tongxiang city in East China’s Zhejiang province are still sleeping on the bed at 3 am,     5     Tu Yuanqing and his father Tu Bingfa are already up, arranging cups, boiling water and preparing tea     6     (leaf). The doors to their tea house in Maming village open just half an hour later. By 4 am, the space is filled     7     activities as elderly local people, most of them aged 60 and above, chat     8     (active) with one another while sipping cups of tea and smoking cigarettes.

This tea party for the elderly ends at 8 am, the time the villagers begin     9     (they) day in the fields. But there is no official closing time for the tea house-—the Tu family lives in     10     same building.

Located in Sichuan Province, the greater Chengdu area is home     1     millions of residents. It’s surrounded by rich farmlands that     2     (lead) to the city’s impressive agricultural wealth over the centuries. Often     3     (call) the “Land of Milk and Honey”, the city is one of the most liveable cities in China.

As well as being known for     4     (it) panda tourism and spicy food, Chengdu has a great atmosphere. The city is famously relaxed despite its size and busyness. This more relaxed way of life may be one of the most attractive things about Chengdu.

Chengdu has several panda breeding and research facilities, which     5    (probable) explains its close     6     (connect) with this lovable animal. So, while you’re in the city, make sure you head out to one of them     7     (see) the panda places and maybe even sign up to be     8     zookeeper for the day.

The teahouse culture is a big part of Chengdu. Teahouses are     9     the natives get together, play mah-jong, and drink tea. If you want to be part of the local culture, then escape the busy city the same way the     10     (local) do. Head to one of the local teahouses and try a cup of tea.

This gateway town to Yellowstone National Park has become     1     dead end and a sufferer of the extremely serious flooding that tore through one of America’s most beloved natural     2     (attraction) and swept away roads, bridges and homes.

The unprecedented (前所未有的) flood has affected the entire park     3     forced the evacuation (撤离) of 10,000 visitors. And towns like Red Lodge that lead to Yellowstone’s northern entrances and rely on tourists passing through could suffer all summer.

Officials have said the park’s southern part, which     4     (feature) Old Faithful, can reopen as soon as next week. But the north end,     5     includes Tower Fall and the bears and wolves of Lamar Valley, can stay     6     (close) for months after sections of major roads inside Yellowstone were washed away or buried in rockfall. Roads     7     (lead) to the park also have widespread damage that it can take months     8     (repair).

Red Lodge is facing a double disaster: It will have to clean up the damage     9     (do) by the flood and also figure out how to survive without the summer business that     10     (normal) supports it for the rest of the year.

Taklimkan Desert,    1    (locate) in the middle of Tarim Basin in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is China’s largest desert. It is also known as the world’s second largest shifting-sand desert    2     (cover) an area of over 337,000 square kilometers.

Sand dunes (沙丘) in    3    large desert are usually over 100 meters in height and some are even    4    (high). Because of the wind, the sand dunes are always moving forward, enveloping farms and villages, which    5    (serious) threatens the existence of oases (绿洲)    6    the survival of the local people. Over the past few decades, efforts    7    (make) to fight against desertification. Windbreaks and sand fixation forest belts have been built to improve the ecological environment. Local people have planted poplars and rose willows with the help of experts. There are some places    8    people can even grow corn now. A cross-desert highway has also been constructed to link Luntai and Minfeng counties. Thanks to these efforts, the place has witnessed a(n)    9    (improve) in the living conditions of the local people. Now it’s home to many species of birds, and    10    (it) rainfall is increasing as well.