Li Zhuang, an ancient village located by Yantze river     1     over 1000 years of history, is the birthplace of Yan from Inkston. However, due to     2     (politic) reasons, the village was “hidden” from Chinese history till early 21st century.

    3     (consider) as a museum of traditional Chinese architecture, Li Zhuang has over 40 temples built between Ming and Qing Dynasties. Therefore, the village plays     4    important role in traditional Chinese architecture history and has attracted many architects. The History of Chinese Architecture,    5     was written by famous architects Liang SiCheng and Lin HuiYin, referred to many ancient buildings in Li Zhuang. For example, Luo Xuan Dian built in 1596 was a     6     (complete) wood-structured temple, a perfect example of traditional Chinese building structures.

In 1940s, when Japan was invading China, this village made a great decision to invite top Chinese universities that had no place     7     (move) to. Suddenly this small village attracted over 12,000 scholars and students. During 1940s, quite a few academic achievements     8     (make) in Li Zhuang.

In the recent ten years, this ancient village     9     (arise) in Chinese official history. Though it is still quiet and calm, soon it will attract numerous     10     (tourist). I hope tourism will not disturb the calm and beauty and more people will know what was happening here in the 20th century.

2 . We like to spend our Christmas holidays somewhere warm abroad, and that year we chose Uganda. Nature, wildlife, and sunny days were a(n) ________ while it was so cold and dark in Europe. Life was pleasant, and we had a rental car and a ________ schedule ahead around the country, expecting that we could ________ as many places as possible during the holiday.

However, just within a few days, we had a car accident at a park. I lost ________ of the car, and it rolled over, ________ windows, the frame and the engine.

________. we were alive! My right arm was severely ________, but we managed to reach a nearby American hospital in Masindi. However, we were asked to stay in town for a few more days owing to my ________.

In the duration, we were amazed to find that Masindi is such a(n) ________ town that we can’t resist to ________ our paces. Hence the ________ of our stay were the market and our daily visit to the hospital. We looked for delicate goods, ________ with medical staff, hotel staff and the people in the market, and learned more about their custom.

Before our ________ , we took a road trip south through the country to see something else. Then we focused on ________ its unique nature and people. What a journey for experience and ________!

4 . Many people enjoy spending their vacations swimming, lying in the sun and staying at luxurious hotels.     1     They head for the country, to one of the numerous United States national parks, and take advantage of the fresh air and many outdoor activities that nature has to offer.

“I’m a successful lawyer from San Francisco,” says Gavin Murphy. “    2     I usually go to Yosemite National Park, where I sleep in a tent, hike, and enjoy the peace and quiet.”

    3     They can go fishing in a cold stream, hiking on a winding nature trail, or biking along scenic paths. At certain times of the year, guided nature walks and interesting lectures on a variety of topics are offered to park guests.

Camping out does have its disadvantages, however.     4     Even after the weather clears up, there’s still lots of mud to deal with. The weather can be quite cold at night, and there are always many mosquitoes (蚊子).

Park rangers (护林员) recommend that visitors watch out for snakes, whose bites can be poisonous. They stress the fact that it is necessary that food be kept packed away, so that an unexpected bear doesn’t pay an unwelcome visit to some surprised guests.     5     “It might be nice to sit by a swimming pool and sip (小口抿) a drink,” says Tanya Rodriguez, a nature lover, “but nature is really so beautiful, and I’ve met such interesting people here. Nothing compares to a vacation like this!”

5 . Summer is always a busy travel season, but even at peak times like July, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll see lots of hotels with No Vacancy (空房) signs. More and more travelers are choosing instead to stay in vacation rentals: decorated private houses, rooms, or apartments that only you and your party share for the period of your stay. Or you can get adventurous and book a cabin, a tree house, a houseboat, or even a castle.

The idea appeared in 2007, when Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, the owners of a hotel, realizing that a San Francisco tech meeting would make hotel rooms in the area harder to come by, let travelers sleep on air mattresses (充气床垫) in their apartment for a fee. They called it Air Bed and Breakfast, and the company—now known as Airbnb—is worth almost $100 billion today and has six million listings worldwide.

More space is a major attraction of this accommodation (住宿): the average hotel room measures just 330 square feet, while the average vacation rental room tops 1,300. And in 20 of the largest U. S. cities, average daily rates are comparable to (or slightly lower than) those of hotels.

If you’re willing to share your own digs while you’re away, Love Home Swap pairs you with like-minded travelers for stays in each other’s homes for a membership fee as low as $ 11 per month. If you’d like to list your home, check your local zoning laws, as some areas have strict rules on short-term rentals. In parts of Honolulu, a new law taking effect in October will up the minimum stay to 90 days.

6 . Standing on a hill at Cliveden Gardens on a sunny winter day, its dark-green lake surrounded by centuries-old trees took my breath away.     1     It’s just a local park near London that I’d never heard of during my eight years living in the UK. As I admired the serene garden, it taught me a lesson about the British culture of understatement.

“The English landscape is more beautiful because its beauty is understated,” my friend Will said to me later as we walked through an exhibition at Tate Britain. He pointed to a painting of a peaceful countryside. “This is the landscape I grew up with”, he said. Unlike grand waterfalls or wild forests, this scenery doesn’t shout about its beauty.     2    

I wonder if Chinese tourists will explore beyond London.     3     Indeed, Oxford and Cambridge and the beloved Lake District National Park are some iconic symbols of Britain. But it would be a pity if they miss out on the lesser-known parts of the English landscape.

    4     I remember a straight-A classmate once telling me he “survived exams” and another friend from Oxford introducing himself as “studying in the countryside”. This modesty also has its mirror in Chinese culture. I remember my parents’ telling me to work hard but not to brag about my achievements. Chinese culture is full of proverbs such as “real gold will shine sooner or later”, to encourage long-term dedication to one’s chosen area of expertise.

Experiencing both cultures, I’ve realized that the English and Chinese both express achievements with understatement.     5     It reflects the unspoken charm in both British and Chinese traditions. And it’s an off-the-beaten-path attraction well worth exploration.