4 . Picture it’s a beautiful day. You climb the steps of the tower and lie down in your room. You’re safely surrounded by stone walls, armed guards, and a moat(护城河). It’s great living in a castle!

Few people live in castles today, but these great structures have been around for a long time. They were very popular during the Middle Ages when royal(皇家) families built them to live in.

Today, most castles are non-residential. Instead, castles welcome thousands of tourists each year. If you want to see as many castles as possible, where should you go?

If castle-viewing is what you’re after, your first stop should be Germany. It has more of the structures than any other country. There are so many castles in Germany that the total number is not known. Some think it could be over 25,000! The European Castle Institute started recording German castles in 2018 to get an exact number. However, it expects to spend ten years completing its count.

Why does Germany have so many castles? Before Germany became one nation, it was made up of many tribes. Records dating back to 3,500 B. C. E. show that these tribes fought with each other.

They were also under constant threat from outside invaders(入侵者). German tribes built castles to protect themselves. Germany wasn’t alone. Castles popped up all over Europe to keep out both Vikings and Romans. Many castles still stand in France, Spain, and Great Britain today. Wales even has the highest number of castles per square mile.

Visiting German castles is a great way to learn about history and architecture. You can also learn a lot by visiting old buildings where you live!

If one travels to Chengdu for the first time, Chunxi Road is a place that should not be missed. Chunxi Road     1     (build) in 1924 to connect two commercial (商业的) centers. It provides lovely food choices,     2     (attract) sightseeing, and a lot of shopping chances for visitors. It is     3     (real) an excellent place to have fun and experience the life of Chengdu locals.

Standing at the north end of Chunxi Road     4     (be) some statues. An old man     5     (dress) in traditional Chinese clothes holds a snuff (鼻烟) bottle in his hand. Not far from him, a modern young lady in fashionable clothes is walking in     6     hurry. A stone lock statue lies between them. It shows the time 00:00 on February 10,2002, the date     7     the rebuilding was finished. The old man stands for the businessmen from the past, while the lady stands for the modern young people.

Chunxi Road is a paradise (天堂) for shopping with all kinds of stores selling goods from international high-end things     8     cheap ones. Besides, the traditional Chengdu food here will make your mouth water. Famous local     9     (snack), such as Zhong Dumplings, Lai Tangyuan and Han Baozi, are delicious and cheap,     10     (get) popularity among visitors across the world.

My time here in China is going well. I love my new school     1     classmates. Over the October holiday, my parents and I are planning to go to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Army. I’ve heard that it is an    2    (amaze) sight, and I can’t wait to go. To me, the story of the Terracotta Army is almost unbelievable. It’s amazing that there are more than 8,000     3     (statue), and no one in modern times knew about     4     (they) until the1970s.

We’re also planning to visit several other places in Xi’an. My dad and I are both looking forward to    5     (go) to the Shaanxi History Museum, because my dad loves history and I have heard that this museum is known    6    a “Chinese treasure house”！We’re also going to the Xi’an City Wall and a few other famous     7     (sight).

We’re taking the train，    8    (leave)the day before the October holiday begins. We’re arriving at 9:30 a.m. and will start sightseeing right away, so I hope we sleep well on     9    train!

I guess that’s all for now! I’ll write again soon and send photos! Do you have any plans for the     10    (come) holiday? Hope to hear from you soon.

Your friend,

Richard

Dmitry Doronin, a foreign student from Russia, has fun     1     (share) his experiences in a village in Zhejiang Province with his 1. 4 million fans online.

The 32-year-old came to the countryside in Lishui City last August. Since then, he    2     (create) hundreds of videos to record the peaceful rural(乡村的) life there.

Because of COVID-19, the sales of local agricultural products dropped a lot. Dmitry volunteered     3     (promote) the products through livestreaming (直播). Last month， about10.000 kg of oranges, 4.000 kg of dried sweet potatoes and 300 kg of honey     4     (sell).“Thanks to his livestreams, it seems that more tourists have come to visit our village." said72-year-old Pan Xiannu,    5     was happy to see the great changes in her hometown.

Dmitry also enjoys working with farmers in the fields, doing     6     (activity) such as planting vegetables, feeding animals and making tofu. Living in a rural area     7     (provide) him with special and enjoyable experiences. Dmitry says. "It's quite different from     8     life in big cities. In the countryside, you can experience the traditional way of life and understand this country much     9     (well)."

According to him, some Russians don't know much about today's China. "I would like to spread Chinese rural culture     10     I want to bring the two countries closer through the Inter-net."Dmitry adds.