Lying in a gorge(峡谷) near the Minjiang River in Southwest China’s Sichuan province, Taoping Qiang village     1    (stay) here for over two thousand years.

Originally constructed for military defense, the village’s watchtower has seen the flames of war extinguished(熄灭的) over the ages and is now a tourist     2    (attract). Surviving the terrible 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, the tower still stands tall and now witnesses the area’s change.

The village was reconstructed after that, and a new village in the same architectural style was built nearby, with many residents choosing     3    (move) there for a better quality of life. Today, visitors are     4    (continuous) drawn to the beautiful village, bringing prosperity(繁荣) to the local tourism industry.

By Dec 25, the Taoping village area had welcomed 189,000 tourists in 2023, driving sales of local farm products to 30.8 million yuan and generating over 95.2 million yuan in tourism income. The trend has brought new opportunities and benefits to     5    (local), such as Maixi, who is a member of the Qiang ethnic group. Her journey has mirrored the great development of her hometown.

Maixi, one of the eight children, worked as a shepherd(牧羊人) when she was a girl. Now 60, she has achieved prosperity by changing her ancestral home     6     a homestay business. And she has expanded her business by opening a four-story homestay in the new village, drawing in a steady stream of customers     7     enjoy her signature dish of a hearty soup with vegetables. Maixi is not shy about saying she now leads a life that seemed impossible in her youth. The income her family brought in by selling Sichuan peppers was quite important during her childhood, she remembers,     8     the children would work alongside the adults all day long throughout the harvest season as sun-dried peppers reached a high price.

“With over 440 households and a population of more than 1,300, the village no     9    (long) relies on herding(畜牧). Half of our workforce is now involved in tourism, and we also cultivate over 1,000 mu of cherries and other     10    (variety) fruits. In recent years, the average income per mu has been about 60,000 yuan,” says Yang Buyi, Party chief of Taoping.

4 . If you asked anyone what they’d like to do after they ________—and you ________ them the chance to go on a trip to see all 63 national parks-most might consider it ________. While more than just saying it, an ________ lady has done it—all 63 parks in about 8 years, becoming the oldest person ever to do so.

But, Joy Ryan didn’t do it herself. She had her grandson Brad for ________, who described the adventure as “the greatest ________”. Their ________ began in October of 2015 and ended last Monday when they made it all the way out into the South Pacific. In American Samoa, the two people got to enjoy ________ views of the South Pacific.

Grandma Joy has taught the world that it’s never too old to learn and live the ________ life of your dreams. “It is the greatest privilege of my life to ________ in the driver’s seat, as Grandma Joy made ________ to become the oldest person to ________ this historic moment.” Brad said.

Brad said their national park adventure ________, but their travels would not. They plan to take it ________, visiting Kenya as the first stop to touch all seven ________.

5 . New York City: the Big Apple

New York City is known by many nicknames—such as “the City that Never Sleeps” or “Gotham”—but the most popular one is probably “the Big Apple”. How did this nickname come about? Although uses of the phrase are documented in the early 1900s, the term first became popular in the 1920s when John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer, started a column about horse racing called “Around the Big Apple”.

Geneva: the Peace Capital

Geneva, the second most populous city in Switzerland, is a city known for its diplomacy. Geneva is not only home to the European headquarters for the United Nations but also where international organizations, such as the Red Cross, were founded and where the Geneva Conventions, a series of treaties (条约) for reducing the effects of war on soldiers and civilians, were signed. It seems fitting. then, that Geneva is known as ”the Peace Capital”.

Toronto: Muddy York

“Muddy York” sounds like a nickname that would be better suited for New York when it’s raining. But it’s actually a nickname for the city of Toronto in Canada. “Muddy York” is now not as popular as it used to be, but the nickname refers to a time in Toronto’s history when there was no drainage system or sewers. The “York” part actually goes back to when Toronto was first colonized, and its name was “Town of York” to honor Prince Frederick, duke of York. Now, the nickname “Muddy York” represents the early years of this Canadian city.

Sydney: Harbour City

Located on the southeastern coast of Australia, Sydney is a city that takes advantage of its location. Once a major port city, Sydney is sometimes called “Harbour City”, in honor of this prime real estate. People enjoy hitting the beach to go surfing or diving, and one of the most recognizable buildings, the Sydney Opera House, is right on the harbor!

You enter through a round entrance known as a moon gate. There before you, is a     1    (cover )passage made of red wood, leading you past a walled courtyard. Along the edges of the courtyard are piles of rocks, among which     2    (grow) bamboo. The whole scene is like a painting;     3     every step you take, another part of the painting is unrolled.

    4    (step) into the courtyard, you look over the scene. Latticed(格状) windows in the walls reveal yet more bamboo, suggesting that the courtyard is just one part of a     5    (large)garden. At the far end of the courtyard is a room with wooden chairs,     6     windows that create frames for the scene of     7     (strange)shaped rocks beyond them, just like Chinese ink-wash paintings. This little courtyard is     8     picture of the classic Chinese concept of peace and beauty. Yet, you are not in China, but a copy of Chinese garden. The Astor Chinese Garden Court     9    (create)by a team of 26 Chinese craftsmen in 1981, and it represented the first permanent cultural exchange between America and China. The courtyard is a place of rest for a museum     10     (visit). As a museum piece in and of itself, the garden gives a wonderful view of ancient China.