The Great Wall was listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a dragon, it winds its way from west to east, across deserts, over mountains, through valleys, till at last it reaches the sea.

    1     history, the Great Wall has stood as a symbol of China’s determination to protect its borders. The construction of the Great Wall was not that easy,     2     drew heavily on the local resources for building materials. The walls were     3     (original) built in the Spring & Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Emperor Qin Shihuang succeeded in his effort to have them     4       (join) together. Since then, the Great Wall     5     ( serve) as a monument of the Chinese nation.

With a history of about 2,700 years, some parts of the Great Wall are now in ruins or have disappeared. However, the Great Wall of China is still one of the most appealing     6     (attraction) all around the world owing to its historical significance. The best-known part of the Great Wall of China, Badaling,     7     (locate) 43 miles northwest of Beijing, attracts thousands of national and foreign tourists every day. Another popular section is the Mutianyu Great Wall     8       you can find stunning scenery and well-preserved architecture.

Today, there is a general     9     (recognize) that the Great Wall is one of the most important architectural achievements in history. Visiting the Great Wall provides     10     unique opportunity to immerse oneself in the country’s long and glorious history.

It was a short flight from Shanghai to Xi’an. Xi’an is one of the four great ancient capitals of China with a history of over 3,100 years. Dating from the Ming Dynasty,     1    (it) ancient walls are the best preserved in the world. There are bicycles for people to hire. It is     2    (amaze) to ride along the walls to survey this fascinating city.

The Tang Dynasty Music and Dance show     3    (be) not to be missed, but my favorite is     4     art gallery, where we can enjoy some beautiful artwork and learn how to write Chinese characters.

Most visitors make their way     5     Xi’an to see the life-size terracotta warriors (兵马俑) and we were not different at all. The collection,     6     shows the armies of the first Emperor of China, remained hidden until 1974 when they     7     (discovery) by a farmer digging a well.     8     (walk) among the statues is forbidden unless you are a VIP — but there are plenty of souvenir     9    (shop) in which tourists can buy the replicas (复制品) of them.

All too soon it was time to leave. I     10     (true) enjoyed my stay in Xi’an. It is indeed a place of interest worth a second visit.

The Grand Canal is the oldest and longest man-made waterway in the world with a history of more than 2,500 years,     1     construction started in the Spring and Autumn Period. The 1794 kilometers’ waterway is 22 times the     2     (long) of the Panama Canal. It is a golden waterway second only to the Yangtze River in China. The Grand Canal runs from Zhejiang to Being     3     (pass) through six provinces and two municipalities and connects five main river systems.

The canal functioned     4     the backbone of the ancient empire’s inland communication and trading systems. Grain, salt, logs and silk were transported along the canal to all directions.     5     (score) of towns along the banks developed, contributing     6     (huge) to ancient China’s economy. The canal enormously promoted economic interaction and cultural exchange between the north     7     south, which ensured the country’s stability.

In 2014, it was listed as     8     UNESCO world heritage site. In 2019 China issued a plan     9     (construct) national cultural parks for the Grand Canal. During the last 2 years, building the Grand Canal national cultural parks     10     (recognize) as a key task in the 14th Five-Year Plan. In future, cities along the Grand Canal will form a new cultural belt, green belt and tourism belt.

The sheepskin raft (筏), the oldest ferry tool along the Yellow River, has a history of nearly 2,000 years. The airbag of the raft is made of a whole sheepskin and experiences processes that include     1     (heat), soaking, sewing, drying and blowing. Afterwards, the airbags are attached     2     a wooden stand, enabling its use for transporting people and goods across the water.

It is said that the     3     (large) sheepskin raft in old times consisted of more than 600 sheepskin airbags, with an impressive length of 22 meters and a     4     (wide) of 7 meters.

    5     railways were not yet in operation and road traffic was inconvenient in the early 20th century, the sheepskin raft     6     (serve) as the most important means of transportation for residents nearby.

However, with the rapid development of society, the sheepskin raft has finished     7     (it) historical task in transporting people and goods. Nowadays, it can only be found in several cities. It has become a tool for people     8     (go) sightseeing along the river.

Today only some of the older generation of rafters still operate the traditional sheepskin rafts,     9     are struggling to make a living. Unsurprisingly, the younger generations prefer to pursue other business     10     (opportunity) on the riverbank rather than continue the operation.

The Great Barrier Reef (大堡礁) is one of the seven     1     (wonder) of the natural world. Pulling away from it and viewing it from a greater distance, you can understand why. The reef, between 15 kilometers     2    150 kilometers off shore and around 65 km wide in some parts, is a collection of colorful coral     3     (provide) divers with the most excellent underwater experience imaginable.

A closer encounter with the Great Barrier Reef’s impressive coral gardens presents a number of     4    (extreme) amazing underwater attractions, which include the     5     (large) gathering of corals (珊瑚), coral sponges, rays (鳐鱼), dolphins, over 1,500 species of tropical fish, more than 200    6     (variety) of birds, etc.

The reef is    7     area for humpback whales to breed (繁殖), and is also a habitat of a few endangered species including the Dugong (Sea Cow) and large Green Sea Turtle. In recognition of its significance, UNESCO     8     (list) the Great Barrier Reef as a World Heritage Site in 1981.

Because of     9     (it) natural beauty, both below and above the water’s surface, the reef     10     (become) one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations to date.