Jiangsu, known for its unique blend of innovation and preservation, is a true treasure. I was     1     (incredible) fortunate to journey through the cities of Suzhou and Nanjing, both of which left me fascinated with their true impressiveness and eagerly     2     (long) to explore further.

My first stop was Suzhou.     3     (engage) myself in the local industrial atmosphere, I chose a hotel in the “industrial park”,     4     the coexistence of advanced manufacturing and natural beauty was most evident, as it was situated on the edge of a scenic lake, embraced by a vibrant landscape. As I adventured into the heart of the city, the Old Town’s ancient waterways led me on an     5     (explore) of history, and the classical gardens offered a glimpse into a     6     (story) past. However, what truly amazed me was the “energy of Suzhou” represented by its people who have enormous respect for their city’s time-honored history as well as     7     innovative eye on the future.

Actually, the mindset of modernization with deep respect for the past isn’t only unique to Suzhou     8     an indicative factor of Nanjing. High-rises decorate the city’s skyline, creating a distinct contrast     9     the ancient neighborhoods, temples, and buildings that     10     (occupy) previously by people. I never anticipated my expectations would be blown out of the water by “A tale of two cities”.

What does traveling mean? Visit, enjoy and discover.

Every year hundreds and thousands of people come to the UK. And London, the capital city     1     (be) usually their first stop. What can they see? What can they experience?

    2     (get) around in London is not difficult. There is the underground train, the oldest in the world, or the     3     (tradition) double-decker bus (双层公共汽车). A boat trip along the River. Thames takes you     4     the Tower of London.

Going around the city center on foot is easy. The maps in the streets will show you     5     is around you in five-minute walk. You can     6     (amaze) get a great view of the city from meters upon a huge wheel, the London Eye. Look across the river     7     you will see the Houses or of Parliament and the famous clock tower, Big Ben.

There are over 240     8     (museum) in the capital, but the two most popular are in South Kensington and cost nothing to get into. In the Natural History Museum, the keyword is Big. Next is the Science Museum. It     9     (have) those great British inventions, the history of fight and     10     (explore) of space.

The Lights of Aurora

On the night of 2 September1859, the dark sky over Europe and North America was suddenly full of light! The light did no come from the sun or the moon and it had a strange colour. The light moved across the sky,     1     (come) and going, like clouds in a strong wind in the United States, a man in Boston was using the telegraph to speak to a man in Portand 160km away. They both turned off the electricity for the telegraph, but     2     could still speak to each other for the next two hours. The electricity was coming from the light in the sky. How was this possible? And what was the light in the sky?

The light is called the aurora. Usually, you can see it only at the very north of the earth,     3     it is called aurora borealis or Northerm Lights, or at the very south, where it is the aurora australis or Southern Lights. But in 1859, something happened in the sun — a very large storm — and it moved the aurora across the middle of the earth. We do not think that his ever happened before 1859, and we know that it     4     (not happen) since then.

Why does the aurora happen? And why can we only see it at the top or bottom of the earth? The aurora is made by something     5     (call) the ‘solar wind’( wind from the sun). We cannot see this wind, or touch it. It is a wind of particles that travel away from the sun at the time at about 400 kilometers a second. Most of the particles never touch the earth. The earth has a kind of ‘wall’ around it that defends it     6     these particles. This wall is called the earth’s magnetic field, and it pushes the particles away on either side. But the earth's magnetic field has two “windows” in it: the magnetic north, and the magnetic south. At these places. the earth’s magnetic field turns down into the earth. And some of the particles from the solar wind come through these magnetic ‘windows’. These solar particles crash is to the particles that are already in our sky. And     7     this happens, we see the beautiful lines or clouds of light of the aurora.

Alaska is a good place     8     (see) the auurora borealis, and you can also go to places like Iceland, Siberia, the north of Greenland, Norway, Sweden, and Scotland to see the aurora australis, go to the south of Australia, Tasmania, or New Zealand.

People travel thousands of kilometers to see the aurora, and they can never be sure     9     it will happen. But     10     do see it says that they will never forget it.

7 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The Mystery is No Mystery

The area of ocean between Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda, known as the Bermuda Triangle, is the source of much mystery. Over the centuries, reports of ships and planes disappearing     1     a trace have seized the public attention, leading the zone     2     (nickname) “The Devil’s Triangle.” Suggested causes for these mysterious disappearances range front supernatural powers to underwater alien bases. However, there is a more basic question to ask: Do more craft really disappear in the Bermuda Triangle than in any similarly trafficked area? The answer,     3     it turns out, is no.

The Bermuda Triangle covers a vast 700,000 square-kilometer swathe of ocean. Close to the equator(赤道)and near the United States, it is a particularly busy patch of sea with heavy traffic. According to Lloyd’s of London and the U. S. Coast Guard,     4     you were to compare the number of disappearances to the large quantity of ships and planes that have passed through the Bermuda Triangle, you would find that there     5     (be) nothing out of the ordinary about the area.

These days, new theories are being put forward, with a bit of scientific truth to them. Some have attributed Bermuda Triangle disappearances to explosive releases of methane (甲烷) gas,     6     (trap) as methane hydrate inside water molecules beneath the cold seabed of the deep ocean. Such blowouts could potentially release a giant amount of gas that could cause the sea to bubble like it was boiling, which could possibly sink ships because the resulting bubbles would be much     7     (thick) than the water on which large ships normally float. The gas could also rise into the sky,     8     (produce) a mixture of five to 15 percent methane which could explode on contact with the engine exhaust of a hot airplane.

The only problem with this theory is that scientists won’t be able to tell with much certainty if this is a factor       9     the ocean floor is mapped in greater detail. It remains to be seen     10     they will succeed in their attempt to clear up the Bermuda Triangle “mystery” this time around.

China has many famed explorers. There was Zhang Qian,     1     traveled into Central Asia,     2     (open) corridors of trade that became the Silk Road. Zheng He was a great mariner in the 15th century. Yet these voyages     3     (undertake) under the direction of governments Xu Xiake was different.

Born in 1587, Xu Xiake grew up in a rich family. Yet he rejected the     4     （comfort) life to travel the lost world of imperial China. As one of the greatest land explorers, Xu Xiake is said     5     (travel) thousands of miles of Chinese mountains and rivers on foot in his lifetime. The written work of Xu Xiake's travel records and diaries contains some 404, 000 Chinese characters,     6     enormous work for a single author of his time. It mixes     7     (detail) of geography, botany and local history with the ratings of the Ming Dynasty lodgings (住宿).

“On the surface, Xu's travel can neither be classified as great affairs of state     8     great undertakings that changed the course of history.” writes the cultural historian Zheng Peikai. “Xu traveled to satisfy his own     9    (curious) — he traveled for the sake of traveling.”

Xu Xiake traveled across China for 34 years. Perhaps his     10    (great) journey was his last. At age 50, he traveled to the tropical frontiers of Yunnan. Hundreds of years later, we follow. Naturally, he is the father of Chinese backpacking.

Heatable Brick Beds Warm NE China Homes

In northeast China’s chilly winter, getting into a warm bed is made possible by an ancient heatable brick bed that could date back more than two thousand years     1     is still widely used today. These beds not only bring warmth to local residents, but also continue the folk culture of northeast China.

The bed is made of bricks or other forms of fired clay with     2    width of about1.7 m to 2.3 m and a length that can be determined according to the length of the bedroom. It uses a ducted heating system similar to the Roman hypocaust,     3    (compose) of a stove, a bed and a chimney. The stove     4    (use) to burn firewood. Smoke and heat generated by burning firewood pass through an internal hollow and curved flue system to heat the bed above. Smoke is eventually discharged outward through the chimney. The bed retains heat well,     5    enables people     6    (have) a comfortable sleeping environment in the cold winter. In addition,     7    (sleep) on the heatable brick bed for a prolonged period is good for the blood     8    (circulate) and metabolism of the body, and can relieve some diseases such as arthritis and waist and leg pain.

The heatable brick bed is not only used as a bed, but also a living area for the family. People     9    (routine) have their meals and family     10    (gathering) on the bed in cold winters. The bed is a symbol of home that embodies the emotion and love they feel towards their families.