The word hutong was borrowed from the Mongolian word to mean, “water well”, about 700 years ago. Later it referred to a place     1     people live. Hutong we see today are made up of small lanes     2     (form) by walls of siheyuan. They were built during     3     Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

When the People’s Republic of China     4     (found) in 1949, there were more than 3,000 hutong. Most of the city’s population lived in this traditional housing.

    5     with the modernization of the city in the 1980s and early 1990s, many hutong were pulled down to build     6     (road), skyscrapers and modern houses. The government has     7     (ultimate) recognized the importance of hutong as Chinese cultural heritage. In 2002, Beijing listed 40 protected historical zones and increased its efforts to restore some key relics and older streets in the city. Nearly 500 hutong     8     (survive) so far.

Hutong that still exist are like oases (绿洲) of calm surrounded by the     9     (noise) city. Walking through them, it is common     10     (see) groups of elderly citizens sitting together playing cards, mahjong or Chinese chess. In the early mornings and evenings, they gather to practice traditional forms of exercise such as taijiquan as well as dancing and singing folk songs or Peking Opera. Hutong have become a museum of Beijing’s folk customs and history.

Mount Emei,World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site in China,     1     (locate)in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, is an area of striking scenic beauty,famous for     2     (it)high mountain and thick vegetation.It is also a place of spiritual and cultural significance, in    3     there are important architecture and     4    (collection) of cultural artworks, including sculpture,beautiful painting and writing,and other traditional artistic works. Besides Emei Mountain is known    5     one of the holy mountains of China.

The Leshan Giant Buddha, lying at the eastern foot of Mount Emei,     6     (carve)out of a hillside with special skills in the 8th century.The human element has been integrated into it.     7    (face)the confluence(汇流处)of Minjiang, Dadu River and Qingyi River,the 71-meter-tall Giant Buddha of Leshan is one of the most important cultural treasures of China.

Mount Emei with its natural and cultural values well interconnected is attracting    8     large number of tourists in the world. Aiming     9    (enjoy) the beauty of nature and culture, they are brave to climb it through thick and thin.When some of them reach the top of the mountain, they are so happy that they feel all the effort is     10    ( high)worthwhile.

Huang He or The Yellow River, flowing through nine provinces, is the second longest river in China. It is also the sixth longest in the world at the estimated     1     (long) of 5, 464 kilometers. The river takes on a distinctive yellow color. That's     2     it collects much silt(泥沙)and dust from the environment.

The Yellow River is called “the cradle(摇篮)of Chinese civilization” as    3    (it)basin-the Wei valley-was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilizations and the most prosperous(繁荣的)region in early Chinese history. Both the river and the people along its shores have shaped each other    4    (deep).

Whether you’re a history fan or not, the river is     5    (fascinate).

Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows    6    nine provinces of China and runs into the Bohai Sea. The Yellow River basin has    7     east-west extent of 1900 km and a north-south extent of 1100 km. Its total basin area is 742, 443 km². Two of the most popular spots     8    (visit)are the Hukou Falls and the Silk Road Crossing at Lanzhou.

The Yellow River used to be called “China’s Sorrow” because of the frequent floods hitting. In 1955, Chinese government     9    (develop) a plan to control flooding. Since 1960, tens of thousands of trees    10    (plant)along the banks.

China on October 12     1     (official) announced the first group of national parks. Home to nearly 30 percent of the key wildlife species found in China, they cover     2     protected land area of 230,000 square kilometers.

The     3     (establish) of the first group of national parks is a practical move by China     4     (strengthen) its effort to promote natural ecological protection.

The Three-River-Source National Park     5     (locate) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau — known as the world’s “third pole”. The Giant Panda National Park protects the major habitats of 70 percent of the country’s wild giant pandas. The Hainan Rainforest National Park is home to China’s largest rainforest and the Hainan gibbon. The Wuyi Mountain National Park experimental area is the only park in China     6     is listed as a UNESCO cultural and     7     (nature) heritage site. It emphasizes sustainable development between     8     (human) and nature,     9     (reflect) China’s environmental protection principle.

Commercial activities are banned in the national parks and are all put     10     the control of the national rules for ecological protection.

Around the world, there are about 7,000 National Parks, most of     1     cover huge areas of land where nobody     2     (live). However, the National Parks in England include places where people live and work, as well as wild areas where there are few human activities.   

The National Parks in England are called “England’s Breathing Spaces” because they are places where people can go to be in the open air, away     3     the dirt and noise of cities. There are plenty of activities     4     (do) in all of the National Parks in England. Visitors can walk or ride bikes for fun.   

Every year there are about 110 million visitors to the parks,     5     (bring) many benefits to the areas. At the same time, it creates problems too. First, life can be difficult for local people. Car parks and roads are too     6     (crowd). Even house prices in some areas can become too high. Besides, country roads can be damaged, for too many people walk, cycle or ride horses on them. Roads can     7     (rebuild), but then they look     8     (little) natural. Another big problem to the National Parks is litter. In the parks it is a danger to wild animals.     9     (break) glass can also cause fires by focusing the rays of     10     sun. Such fires in wild places can be out of control.