The Yellow River No.1 Tourist Highway,built in 2018 in Shanxi province,was designed     1     (string) together scenic spots along the river. Visitors can both enjoy overnight accommodations in unique cave dwellings (窑洞), with a special chance to sleep on a“Kang”—a comfortable clay-and-brick bed heated from within     2     taste delicious farm-to-table cuisine while experiencing the beauty of the Yellow River.

Thanks to this initiative, Laoniuwan village,an intersection     3     the Great Wall meets the Yellow River, has been transformed into a popular tourist destination.The villager Guo Jianhua’s hostel has witnessed a booming business, with over 100 tourists staying and dining at his establishment,     4     (generate) a daily income of approximately 3,000 yuan.

“Previously, I     5     (register)by the local authority as financially disadvantaged. However, I was able to establish this hostel with the     6     (assist) of poverty alleviation loans. In just a few years, I have not only overcome poverty but also got my quality of life significantly     7     (improve),”Guo said.

Meanwhile, new businesses are also emerging. Since its opening in September last year, the Zhangjiawan recreational vehicle camp located along the highway     8     (welcome) more than 10,000 vehicles, with nearly 10 percent of them being RVs. “Even the local products are selling     9     (well),”Guo said, owing this success     10     the increasing number of tourists and the improved transportation facilitated by the tourist expressway.

The Leshan Giant Buddha ( 乐 山 大 佛 ) is a huge statue    1     (carve) into the side of Lingyun Mountain, Sichuan Province. It is the tallest and    2     (large) Buddha in the world. There is a local    3     (say): “The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain.” If you want to get     4     close-up view of the Buddha, you have to climb the mountain. You can choose the walking route, going along the wooden pathways     5     (enjoy) the changing view from various     6     (angle) of the Buddha, from its foot to its head. It     7     (take) around two hours. You can also choose to visit the Leshan Giant Buddha on a sightseeing boat. This will let you see the Buddha from a distance    8     get a full look at it, taking only thirty minutes.

However, I bet you’ll just be    9     many other visitors — doing both the boat ride and the two-hour walk. Only when you join the walking tour up, down, around and even through the rocks will you feel    10     incredible the place is. Believe me, it’s well worth it.

A resort (度假胜地) in Vietnam has opened a glass-bottomed foot bridge, the third such bridge in the Southeast Asian country,    1     (connect) two mountains. The 150-metre-tall bridge crosses a deep, narrow valley,    2    aim is to bring in thrill-seeking tourists.

The bridge     3     (call) the Bach Long suspension bridge. It means “White Dragon” in Vietnamese. A dragon is a huge,    4     (imagine) flying animal that can breathe out fire and looks     5     a reptile (爬行动物). The bridge is founded in the Son La area. Son La is northwest of the capital, Hanoi, and borders Laos.

The reinforced glass     6     (use) for the bridge can hold up to 450 people at a time. Each glass piece is 40 millimeters thick. The bridge is 290 metres long and runs between two mountain tops on either side of a valley. It also has     7     342-metre pathway on the side of a mountain.

Guinness World Records keeps a list of world     8     (record). It lists a 562-metre glass-bottomed bridge in Qingyuan, in China’s Guangdong area, as the No. 1 position in the world.

The World Record Association is another     9     (organize) that keeps the world’s records. It listed the two-part Vietnamese bridge as the world’s     10     (long), at 632 metres.

5 . Travelling Economically

● Get a ride to travel destinations with friends or acquaintances (熟人). If people you know are driving to a location you would like to visit, take advantage of the opportunity to ask them for a lift. Offer to help with gas money or, if you don’t have any cash, offer a trade or service instead.     1    

● Practice safe hitchhiking to get around.    2     Ask each driver several questions before getting in the vehicle, including what their name is, where they are heading and why they are going there. Follow your gut instinct (直觉) and avoid getting into a car with anyone who gives you a bad feeling.

●    3    There are many ridesharing websites and apps that allow budget travellers to find a shared lift to their destination. These sites will also screen and identify the drivers, making the ridesharing experience safe and simple. Search for available rideshares in your area, which may vary in cost but will cost significantly less than travelling alone.

● Join a free hospitality (好客)-sharing community.     4    You will be able to chat with participating members living in the area you are travelling to and arrange accommodations before travelling. In addition to being able to sleep on someone’s couch or in their spare room, you may find someone to show you around the city.

● Camp at inexpensive campsites. Camping can be a budget-friendly activity if you find the right park or site.     5    Visit http://www.uscampgrounds.info/ for a comprehensive list of North American campgrounds, which indicates sites with a rate of $12 or less per night.

6 . When places are well-known and popular— historical and modern alike— we might take it for granted that they’ll be around forever. But sadly, many of the world’s best known and culturally significant landmarks are in trouble.

This mountain, one of the Seven Summits, proves that even giants can fall to climate change due to the vast amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. While the mountain itself, located in Tanzania, isn’t in danger at present, its iconic snow cap might disappear—and shockingly soon. Research found that the snow cap had lost 85% of the total area of its ice fields between 1912 and 2007, and the remaining ice could be history as early as 2030.

Located in southern Peru, Machu Picchu is the remains of a huge stone castle that was built during the 15th century. These unbelievable Incan ruins are widely considered one of the must-see spots in South America. However, the site has been a victim of over-tourism, seeing the harmful effects of the crowds it gets as they wear down the structures. In addition, the area surrounding Machu Picchu has seen rapid development of the cities, as well as mudslides and fires, in recent years, leading UNESCO to work for its protection.

This stunning Floridian wildlife reserve has sadly found itself fighting for its life in recent years. As ‘the largest subtropical wilderness reserve’ in North America, according to UNESCO, it’s been a beloved travel destination for American citizens for decades, but the damage of time and human activity have not been kind to it. Its survival first came into question after it was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1993. But it’s human influence that has become the primary threat, as water flow to the site has decreased and the impacts of pollution have increased, resulting in harmful algal blooms (赤潮). Its vast, diverse wildlife is more threatened than ever before.

The local government of Zibo issued two open letters to all citizens. The government extended its gratitude for the citizens’     1     (warm) and hospitality toward visitors coming to enjoy the city’s signature barbecue,     2     has recently become a hit across the country.

Since early March, Zibo local barbecue     3     (cause) a sensation online. But how did Zibo rise to fame? From July 2022 to February 2023, Zibo organized many trips to the city for university students. Despite reaching peak visitation numbers, there was no sense of panic. Instead, several supportive     4     (policy) were promptly introduced, such as establishing a “Golden Stove Award”, forming a barbecue association, creating a map of Zibo barbecue restaurants,     5     launching 21 dedicated tourist routes that go beyond just barbecue.

Zibo’s sudden boom in popularity also resulted     6     the post-pandemic tourism revival China has experienced. The city aims to restore     7     (it) tourism industry and ensure sustainable growth.     8     (achieve) this goal, it has created     9     welcoming environment with convenient services for young people, particularly university students. The city has also invited students from distinguished universities to visit Zibo for free,     10     (signal) its eagerness to attract talented young individuals.

10 . The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, completed in 1436, is the most important landmark in Florence, Italy, and the fourth largest church in the world.

The most famous part of the church is the dome (穹顶). It was created by the genius of the Renaissance (文艺复兴), Filippo Brunelleschi, who showed a great mastery of technical knowledge. Interestingly, Brunelleschi had been a trained goldsmith (金匠) and had never built anything in his life before building the masterpiece. This may sound crazy, but in many ways we look at the relation between Brunelleschi and the church, it seemed that he was “the chosen one” to complete the construction.

When he was born in 1377, the church had been under construction for 80 years with no solution to the dome-shaped roof. The building of the church had grown so larger and grander than the original plans that no one had any idea how it would or could be done. In 1418 a public competition was announced for the construction of the dome. Of course, there was the possibility of building the dome with a wooden structure to support it, but that would end up being costly requiring over 400 trees, lots of manpower and time. When Brunelleschi entered the competition, he was the only one with an idea that did not use wood, which caught the attention of the judges. Brunelleschi did many mathematical calculations and invented a lot of new tools and machines for the project, which was started two years after he won the competition. He finished the dome in only sixteen years, which was shockingly fast back in his time.

Always known as a secretive person, Brunelleschi didn’t leave a single building plan, drawing, or even a letter behind on how he managed to come up with such an amazing design. For years, the structure was a huge mystery about how the dome was built.