In the heart of modern Beijing is the Forbidden City. It served as the political center of ancient China between 1420 and 1912 and now it is     1     world famous museum.

The Forbidden City     2     (build) by Emperor Yongle, the third Ming ruler,     3     moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijng in 1403. Sources say it took a million     4     (worker) to build it between 1406 and 1420. Legend has it that the Forbidden City was redesigned to have 9, 9991/2 rooms. Half a room is missing to avoid     5     (upset) the God of Heaven. The maincolors of the Forbidden City are yellow and red. The walls, doors, and windows were     6     (most) painted in red, a symbol of     7     (happy) in Chinese culture.

The English name “Forbidden City” is a translation of the Chinese name Zijincheng. In the past, it was forbidden to ordinary people and that is     8     the Forbidden City is so named. After the Qing Dynasty, it was made a     9     (nation) museum-the Palace Museum and was open to the public. As one of the world’s largest cultural museums, the Palace Museum holds more than a million rare and valuable works of art. So do find a chance     10     (visit) it some day!

3 . Despite being one of the most famous and frequented attractions in the United States,     1    . Here are a few facts about the Grand Canyon you probably don’t know.

We don’t really know how old it is

It has long been believed that the Colorado River began carving the Grand Canyon about 6 million years ago,     2    . It suggests that the process may have begun as far back as 70 million years. In all likelihood, the Grand Canyon as we know it today started out as a series of smaller canyons 70 million years ago, but the majority of the canyon did not begin to take shape until much more recently.

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Of all Grand Canyon facts, this one is pretty cool—no word-play intended. Sudden changes in altitude have an enormous impact on temperature and rainfall, so the weather you are experiencing could differ dramatically, depending on where you are in the Grand Canyon. The coldest, wettest weather station in the region is the Bright Angel Ranger Station on the North Rim, while the hottest (and one of the driest) is just 8 miles away at Phantom Ranch.

There are lots of fossils in the area

While the dinosaur might have missed out on seeing the Grand Canyon, lots of other fossils have been found.     4    . They vary from ancient marine fossils dating back 1.2 billion years to fairly recent land mammals that left their remains in canyon caves about 10,000 years ago.

Fish are relatively uncommon in the area

Prior to modern flood control measures, the Colorado River provided a uniquely difficult habitat for fish, with heavy mud with small rocks, frequent floods, and temperatures ranging from extreme heat in summer to sub-freezing in winter. Consequently, only eight fish species are native to the Grand Canyon,     5    .

4 . Making my way slowly along the cliff (悬崖) face, I gazed (注视) at the great appearance of each temple I passed. As I entered the first cave and looked up at the feitian—an imagined flying god in Buddhist art, I wondered how many hundreds of thousands of others, from near and far, have looked at the same great paintings and statues.

Sometime between the 4^th and 14^th century, Mogao was an important Buddhist center connecting East Asia and South Asia. Hundreds of caves were carved into a cliff face running along the Daquan River. Located on the ancient Silk Road, one of the great trade routes in ancient times, it created an environment of artistic and cultural exchange between the different cultures.

My personal adventure to Dunhuang had taken me, by way of train and bus, from Xining in Qinghai Province to Lanzhou in Gansu Province, and through the Jiayu Pass. From there, I continued on through Yumen Pass, also known as the Jade Gate, and crossed the Gobi Desert to find this small and sleepy desert town, and to see these caves for myself.

As I explored the temples,I was amazed by the vividness (生动性) of the paintings and statues. It was almost as though they were painted or carved the day before. I had discovered the reason why people travel.

There are more than 2,000 coloured statues that were carved 1,500 years ago. More than 1,400statues are well-protected so they can still be appreciated. During the thousand years of artistic activity,the style of the wall paintings and statues changed. The early caves show greater Indian and Western influences,while during the Tang Dynasty the influences of Chinese painting styles became noticeable.

Today, the Mogao Caves stand out from the desert like a shinning pearl on the Silk Road.

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5 . The Most Breathtaking Theaters in the World

The original Globe Theater was built by Shakespeare's company in 1599, but was destroyed by fire in 1613. A replica was built in 1997 just meters from the original site. The new 857-seat structure has several modern features. It has the first and only straw roof permitted in London since the great fire of 1666.

Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London; +44 20 7902 1400

Built in 1745, the UNESCO-listed Mareravial Opera House is regarded as the finest baroque theater in Europe. The stage has a depth of 27 meters and was the largest in Europe until 1871. Much of the original materials remain, along with original structures, such as the twin staircases.

Margravial Opera House, Opernstrasse 14. Bayreuth, Germany; +49 9 21 7 59 69 22

There can't be many theaters located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, and the Teatro Amazonas is certainly the most breathtaking. The theater was built in 1895 and was designed by Italian architect Celestial Sacardim. Work took 15 years. largely thanks to the decision to source supplies from all over the world

Amazon Theater, Centro, Manaus, Brazil; +55 92 3622 1880

The National Centre for the Performing Arts（NCPA）, built in 2007, is an arts centre in Beijing. Designed by French architect Paul Andreu, the NCPA is the largest theatre complex（建筑群）in Asia. The NCPA includes value in both ancient traditional Chinese architecture and modern architecture. It was specially designed to improve the red walls of ancient buildings and the Great Hall of the People in order to fit in with the surroundings.

NCPA, No. 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing; +86 010 6655 0989

6 . Located in the southeast of Canada and with a population of approximately 6 million, Toronto is a big and beautiful city, which has developed from a relatively unknown place over the past half century to the center of culture, trade and communication in Canada.

With its colorful ethnic mix, rich history and breathtaking buildings. Toronto offers non-stop adventures to the tourists. To get a sense of how big, various and magical Toronto is, the best place to start is the CN Tower. From this point, visitors can get a bird's-eye view of the city's amazing scenery and unique geography.

In addition to being an important center of culture, trade and communication in Canada, Toronto is also a major muti-ethnic city. It is the most populous city in Canada and its citizens come from countries around the world and from different kinds of ethnic backgrounds. Every day, in most places of the city, a hundred different languages can be heard on the streets, from Hindi to Greek to French. This, perhaps, explains why former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once said that Canada is a mosaic（嵌合体）of cultures and languages rather than a melting pot.

Street signs in Toronto are mostly in English. Weekly and daily newspapers are published in various languages, and the city hosts the successful international film festival each September. It is also home to a popular baseball team the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto has something for everyone.

Moreover, Toronto has been rated one of the most livable cities in the world by United Nations Human Settlements Programme for many years. At the same time, Toronto is one of the safest, richest cities in the world with the highest standard of living.