1     (wrap) in silver water, the Longji Rice Terraces shine in the Spring sun. These terraces are built by the local Zhuang and Yao people,     2     whom Guangxi is home. There are few flat areas of land in the region. Building terraces means that they can increase the area in which people can grow rice. Besides, the flat terraces catch the rainwater and prevent the soil from     3     (wash) away. These terraces also provide a perfect environment     4     birds and fish, some of which feed on insects that are     5     (harm) to the rice crops. These terraces mean a lot to the local people.

7 . When it comes to planning a student trip, there are few better choices than our nation’s capital. There are many places of interest in Washington, DC, with sites that will attract students who are interested in everything from history, art, to STEM. Don’t miss these must-see sites on your trip to Washington, DC.

Managed by the Smithsonian Institution, admission (入场券) is free, and all locations are open every day except December 25. Students will love the exhibitions of the National Air and Space Museum, and everyone can enjoy the National Zoo, which is home to giant pandas, Sumatran tigers, and much more.

This is an amazing place for students interested in art. It includes the East Building and the West Building and houses the gallery’s more modern works and a collection of older works. The museum welcomes visitors from 10 am to 5 pm from Monday to Saturday and 11 am to 6 pm on Sundays. There is a variety of free self-guided and audio (音频) tours available.

The Newseum aims to increase public awareness of the importance of a free press. Visitors can experience the story of news, the role of a free press in major events in history and how freedom of speech is applied to their lives.

Only 16 miles south of Washington, DC lies Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home. This historic place features beautiful gardens and wonderfully kept grounds. The outbuildings surrounding the main house still run today. Visitors can tour these structures in addition to the inside of the main house and go there by subway.

8 . The Taklimakan (塔克拉玛干) Desert in western China has one of the world' s most difficult environments. With no water, fierce winds and terrible sandstorms, the temperatures get as hot as 40℃ in summer and as cold as -20℃ in winter. Yet, even though it was such a difficult environment, many people in history have traveled through the Taklimakan Desert. Why would anyone want to do this? Cutting through this desert was the famous Silk Road, the main trading route between China and Europe.

In China, the Silk Road ran through the ancient city of Kashgar (喀什) in Xinjiang, then north-east over the Taklimakan Desert to Dunhuang. From Dunhuang, the Silk Road went south-east through ancient Gansu, and then east to Xi' an.

The best-known product traded along the Silk Road was of course silk. Chinese silk was transported to Europeans, who liked it because it was soft. Other goods transported along the Silk Road included gold, ivory, glass, fur and ceramics (陶瓷器). The Silk Road could be quite dangerous: apart from the difficulty traveling through the desert, robbing was a constant problem. Many merchants traveled with guards to protect themselves and the goods they carried.

To westerners, the most famous traveler along the Silk Road was the Italian merchant, Marco Polo (AD 1254- 1324). However, Marco Polo was by no means the first person to travel along the Silk Road and tell others about it. In fact, in 139BC and 119BC, the Chinese explorer Zhang Qian was sent by Emperor Wu to visit the west. Zhang Qian ’s journey helped bring the Chinese people a greater knowledge of the western lands.

Have you ever heard of the largest and most beautiful salt lake in China? If the answer is no, you can take     1     trip to Qinghai Lake and this is your answer.

Qinghai Lake is     2     (sure) the largest lake in China which stretches 105 km at length and 63 km at width and     3     (occupy) a surface area of over 4, 500 square kilometers. At 3, 200 meter above the sea level and owning an average     4     (deep) of 21 meter, its waters are profoundly cold and     5     (salt).

The lake     6     (become)a tourist destination popular for biking and bird watching in recent years. Major attractions around it are Bird Island     7     many species of birds come to nest or rest during their transcontinental migrations. The government has set up special department     8     (study) and protect these birds.

These lakes,     9     (combine) with characteristic islands, vast grasslands, snowy mountains and spectacular dessert in and around Qinghai Lake make up an attractive Qinghai Lake Scenic Area.     10     so much to admire, Qinghai Lake was evaluated as the Most Beautiful Lake in China by China’s National Geographic.

10 . Avebury is near the far more famous Stonehenge. What is interesting about it is that a village has grown up around the stones, unlike Stonehenge, which stands alone. Avebury and Stonehenge are just two of about 1,300 stone circles all over the UK. Many of them are in fantastic locations, like Castlering in Cumbria, from which you can see England’s highest mountain; and the Ring of Brodgar in the beautiful Orkney Island, off Scotland’s northern coast.

Some of them are UNESCO World Heritage sites, and several have local stories connected to them. For example, the Merry Maidens in West Cornwall is a group of nineteen stones. According to the story, they were young women — maidens — who were turned into stone for dancing on a Sunday.

Early historians thought that the stone circles were temples for the people who arrived in the UK in about 500 BC. Later research has shown that they are far older than that, at least 4,000 years old. Stonehenge could have been built 5,000 years ago, but it’s still nowhere near as old as the nearby wooden circle built about 10,000 years ago. Some experts believe they acted like calendars and have shown that some stones line up with sunrise or sunset on the longest and shortest days of the year. Others believe they were places for the dead bodies of the local rich and powerful.

We may never know why they were built, but each one leaves the visitor with a strong sense of the shortness of our existence in the sea of history. There are groups of stone circles and other prehistoric (史前的) monuments throughout the British Isles, so wherever you are staying you should include at least one in your tour.