2 . Mexico has more than just beaches. Several Mexican cities have been recognized as forming part of the heritage of humanity and are considered to be of outstanding universal value.

Oaxaca

Oaxaca and the nearby archaeological site Monte Alban have both been recognized by UNESCO. Oaxaca, the capital city of the state of the same name, was founded in 1529 and offers a good example of previous Spanish town planning. Oaxaca is considered one of Mexico’s best foodie destinations. Learn what foods and drinks you should try in Oaxaca.

Guanajuato

As a silver mining town in the past, Guanajuato seems special. The winding streets and small squares give it a more friendly feel than some of the other cities. This is a student town with a vibrant culture and an important cultural festival — the International Cervantino Festival which is held every October.

Puebla

Puebla is one of Mexico’s large cities, but its historical center can easily be explored on foot. It has some special historical structures such as the 16th-century cathedral and some other fine buildings with walls covered in tiles.

Morelia

Morelia, the capital of the state of Michoacán, was originally called Valladolid, but its name was changed in honor of independence hero José María Morelos y Pavón. The Museo del Dulce is a stop you shouldn’t miss in Morelia. Visits to nearby Patzcuaro or the reserves are also recommended on a trip to Morelia.

In ancient times, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province, in Eastern China was called Jing kou.    1     (locate) at the golden cross of the Yangtze River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, it is a place of     2     (strategy) importance.

The upper reaches of the Yangtze River deposit a lot of silt (淤泥) here,     3    has gradually built up into a small island in the river.

There are three beautiful mountains here—Jinshan Mountain, Beigu Mountain and Jiaoshan Mountain, which are     4     (close) connected with the Yangtze River and are called the Three Mountains of Jingkou.

Jinshan mountain is only 42 meters above sealevel.    5    Jinshan mountain is said to be on the Yangtze River, because the rivers course has moved to the north, JinShan is now some distance away from the Yangtze.

Beigu Mountain, 10 meters     6     (high) than Jinshan Mountain, is just beside the Yangtze River. From here, Jinshan Mountain can     7     (see) in the west and Jiaoshan Mountain in the east. Around the foot of the mountain     8     (flow) the mighty river.

Jiaoshan, the highest of the three,     9    an altitude of 70.7 meters and an area of 38 hectares, is located in the Yangtze River, surrounded by water. Encircled by the green waves, the green mountain looks like a piece of jade     10     (float) on the river.

Mount Fuji seems to be losing its World Heritage status and becoming the victim of over-tourism. The scenic spot was listed as a world heritage site in 2013.     1    , a jump in the number of tourists climbing the majestic mountain is     2     (threat) that listing. With so many visitors     3     (head) towards those trails, Japan is experiencing a post-covid tourist boom. Mt. Fuji is so popular in Japan that many Japanese hope to climb it at least once in their lives.     4     considerable number of climbers is causing environmental damage on the slopes. Litter is left across the volcanic ash, and large parking lots have been constructed to accommodate tourists.

A local official told reporters that: “Fuji is faced     5     a real crisis. Tourism has become uncontrollable, and we fear that Mt. Fuji will soon become an unattractive place     6     nobody would want to go climbing.” He added: “Fuji is screaming in pain. We can’t just wait for improvement; we need to tackle over-tourism now.” The mountain’s fifth base station     7     (witness) a 50 percent rise in visitors since 2013, with about four million visitors this summer. Another headache for local authorities is “bullet climbers”, people who have an     8     (intend) to ascend and descend Fuji in 24 hours. They risk getting altitude sickness and hypothermia.     9     (fortunate), the official climbing season ended on Sunday, preventing Fuji from     10     (far) damage.

5 . Having grown up in northern Arizona with the immortal Grand Canyon and the iron red plateaus of Sedona in my backyard, I believed that the southwestern state is home to the most beautiful landscapes on the planet. Towering mountain titans, a cozy valley and an infinite blue sky promised fantastic potential for exploration. For me, no newly discovered sights or foreign landscapes can compare with its beauty.

That is, until I was invited to explore Guizhou province by the China Storyteller Partnerships Tour. Had someone vividly described how beautiful Guizhou can be in poetic detail, they would not have done it exactly. There is no substitute for seeing with one’s own eyes. I will attempt to do so.

During my trip around the city of Xingyi, in Guizhou, I saw the artwork of the Bouyei ethnic group. They use dyes produced from local plants to make clothing of striking blues and greens. Local elders still practice weaving with artful wooden machines and pass that tradition on to their grandchildren.

My father used to drag my brothers and me on yearly fishing trips around Arizona. We would compete to catch the largest fish, and in the mornings, Dad would cook us a basic breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. I sat in a small boat in the middle of the lake, with fishing pole moving slowly in my impatient hands, and held my bored tongue while my father attempted to share with me the whispers of the wind, a fish dancing on the surface of the lake or the majesty of a hawk hunting for prey overhead. On my trip to Guizhou I had the opportunity to paddle on Wanfeng lake. At one point I rested, floating at the center of the lake, listening to the spaces between silence and taking in the surrounding karst (喀斯特) mountains. I thought about my childhood, and wished I had listened more closely to my father while fishing.

I’ve lived away from Arizona for 10 long years, carving my own destiny in China. I’ve managed to build myself a family, a career, a livelihood, and various projects. I feel as though I have everything that I need. For a moment, in Guizhou, I felt home.

Marrakech (马拉喀什) is the fourth largest city in Morocco and has a rich architectural heritage. However, an earthquake in September caused serious damage     1     some of them in the city.

The Medina district, the old cultural center of Marrakech, was one of them.     2     (add) to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1985, the district is enclosed by 900-year-old walls built of red sandstone that once     3     (defend) the city against danger. However, large parts of these walls were damaged in the earthquake and long sections now show deep cracks     4     other parts have collapsed.

Apart from ancient walls, Morocco World News reported that the city’s Kharbouch Mosque (清真寺) was almost     5     (entire) destroyed. Before the earthquake, it was a cultural center for the city     6     dancers and storytellers performed. A local resident     7     (tell) The New Arab that the mosque dates back to the 17th century.

After visiting Marrakech     8     (follow) the destruction, Eric Falt, an officer at UNESCO, stressed that it was necessary to immediately plan for the     9     (construct) of damaged cultural assets (资产). The earthquake’s impact on Marrakech’s cultural heritage     10     (expect) to be a long-term challenge that will require careful restoration efforts, noted Morocco World News.

Shanghai, lying in the subtropical zone of monsoon (季风) climate in East Asia,     1     (enjoy) a humid weather with four     2     (remark) seasons in a year. April 1st marks the beginning of spring, lasting 65 days to end up     3     a rise in temperature in June. Summer calls on June 5th and finishes on the 22nd of September, while autumn falls every 23rd of September to wind up at the 26th day of November, totaling 65 days. Winter visits the land of Shanghai on November 27th, extending     4     period of 125 days to end on the last day of next March. So it features a shorter spring and autumn but a longer summer and winter. Though hot in summer and cooler in autumn, it is     5     (relative) cold in winter in Shanghai, but snow is rare. The continual monsoon rain,     6     comes in the middle of June, usually lasts 20 to 30 days to end in the middle of July,     7     (witness) an amount of rain of around 250 millimeters. Storms frequently occur between July and September, a season often     8     (affect) by typhoon activity. Shanghai     9     (locate) in the east coast of the mid-latitude land mass; therefore, warm and cold air-current is a frequent     10     (visit). So it features a changeable weather with drought and flood, influencing the agriculture and life of the people here.

Shichahai is a famous scenic area in the northwest part of Beijing,     1     (surround) places of historic interest and scenic beauty, and remnants(残留) of old-style local residences hutong and courtyard.

Shichahai is always     2     good place for local residents’ recreational life, and in the past 200 years, many government officers and celebrities     3     (choose) to build mansions and temples in it. Thus, the     4     (attract) of Shichahai lies not only in its natural beauty, but also in the historical value of its architecture. The most famous ones among these historical buildings are Prince Gong’s Mansion (Gong Wang Fu), Price Chun’s Mansion (Chun WangFu),     5     the Former Residence of Mei Lanfang, a well known Beijing Opera master.

One of the     6     (great) point s of interest in Shichahai today is its residences hutong and courtyard. Visiting hutongs by pedicab(三轮车) has become a popular activity for     7     (visitor) from China and abroad. The most famous is Jin Si Tao, which     8     (actual) includes 18 hutongs and keeps the original layout.

Some snack streets also lie in Shichahai, and people can find two old brands here. One is Lao Rou Ji, a restaurant selling roast meat,     9     has a history of over 150 years. The other is Bao Du Zhang that has sold     10     (cook) tripe of sheep(羊肚) for four generations.

10 . Amsterdam, with its scenic canals lined with picturesque, 17th-and 18th-century buildings, a major European tourist destination, is slowly collapsing.

Sinkholes are appearing in small streets, and nearly half its 1,700 bridges are unstable and need repairs. The fundamental problem is the state of the canal walls: about 125 miles of them are so broken that they are in danger of collapsing into the canals, potentially taking buildings and people with them. As a huge project to shore up the canal walls gets underway, the city is beginning to look like one huge construction site.

Like much of the Netherlands, Amsterdam lies below sea level. Built on a swamp and heavily expanded in the 17th century, the city sits on millions of wooden piles that serve as foundations. As modern life changed the city, many houses were strengthened with concrete, but the foundations of streets and canal walls were ignored. Many of the wooden piles have shifted, cracked or collapsed under the pressure, causing bridges and can al side walls to sink and crack. Water then seeps in, washing away mortar(砂浆), further hollowing out the infrastructure and creating sinkholes.

The alderman, Mr. De Vries, said that if the city had continued to ignore the problem, it would have headed straight for a catastrophe. The reconstruction will take at least 20 years and will cost 2 billion euros, perhaps even more. “These are big numbers, and work needs to take place in a very busy, closely-populated area,” Mr. De Vries said. “People live here and work here, and we usually have many tourists.”

He acknowledged that Amsterdam in the coming years would look different from its usual postcard self. Still, he insisted that tourists should not be discouraged from visiting. “We invite everyone to come and see what we are doing,” he said. “We want visitors to realize that such a magnificent city needs maintenance.”