2 . When the Italian traveler Marco Polo came to Hangzhou in the 13^th century, he thought he was in the most charming (迷人的) city in the world. And Hangzhou often __________ “Paradise on Earth”, remains as __________ today.

It was named one of the top ten “Foreigners’ Favorite Cities in China” on Nov. 6, according to a survey jointly (共同地) __________by a magazine and a government department.

The West Lake is __________ the most famous landmark in the city. It is __________ by low mountains on three sides. Su Dongpo, a great poet of the Song Dynasty, best described the __________ by comparing it to the famous beauty Lady Xizi. He said, “How charming she looks whether richly made of only slightly so!”

Hangzhou is a city with a history of more than two thousand years, so there are dozens of __________ sites around the lake, many of which have __________ to build the romantic nature of the city. The Broken Bridge is one of the best examples. It isn’t __________ broken. It got its name because after it snows and the __________ comes out, the snow on the sunny side of the bridge melts (融化) first, while the rest __________ . Thus, from a distance, the bridge appears to be __________. Legend (传说) has it that a young man named Xu Xian and the White Snake, a spirit (妖) who changed into a beautiful woman, __________ and fell in love on the bridge during a rainy day.

Hangzhou’s romantic characteristics are shared by both the local people and __________ from home and abroad. Once you are here, you’d feel blessed by nature. Isn’t it like in paradise on earth to __________ a cup of green tea in a quiet teahouse beside the West Lake?

5 . I've always loved mountaineering (登山) and the mental and physical challenges that go with it. This time the peak (山峰) of Mt. Whitney is my ______. There are quite a few ways up to the big mountain, but we ______ the traditional one at last, almost 12 miles to the top.

I decided to make this trip less about ______ and more about the climb and my personal journey with a friend. Thinking about it this way, I decided to carry only one camera to ______ the course, but it still added 3.2 pounds to my backpack, which ______ 2.8 pounds without the camera equipment. Fortunately, climbing with a friend ______ sharing the weight, keeping our packs a little lighter. Therefore, we ______ reached the top just two days later. This particular trip was prepared for a personal trip on purpose to get to the peak and enjoy the breathtaking ______.

Climbing such tall peaks ______ every aspect of you, as a nature photographer. It can test both your physical strength and photographic ______. Can you imagine being 14,000 feet up, ______ the thin air of the high-altitude (海拔) environment while also trying to be ______ with your compositions (作品)? That’s what we were doing! And that’s the joy that comes with climbing Mt. Whitney as well.

Like any other ______ in nature, there are risks in mountaineering, though, Extreme altitude and the unpredictable (无法预测的) weather will test even the most ______ climber. Despite the fact, mountaineering for me is all about the experiences, which makes me live to the ______.

6 . I can’t quite remember the exact moment. My husband and I decided it would be a _________ idea to sell all we owned, move our three _________ into a touring caravan (大篷车) and set off to volunteer our _________ around Europe. The plan was to travel for a year, volunteering in every city, town and village we _________. The remarkable journey would _________ us visit Portugal, Spain, Italy and Germany.

You see, living in central Portugal had inspired us to do something more with our _________. We lived in a community where people didn’t _________ all that much but were happy to _________ what little they had. A place where family, friends and community were top _________. A place where, when things go wrong, they don’t look to __________ but rather smile saying “That’s life”.

We wanted our children to __________ with these same values and __________ them to as many different cultures and lifestyles as possible. We also wanted them to experience the __________ satisfaction felt when they do something to __________ someone else. So far, the journey has __________ our expectations on absolutely every __________. In a week’s time we will once again be on our way, __________ with us more skills, memories and friendships.

We’ve had __________, but through all of this, our family __________ has become stronger than ever. Every day I __________ at how much the kids have learnt and accomplished and overcome in such a short space of time. And every day I think that one year is probably not long enough.

7 . Considered a symbol( 象征) of ancient Chinese_________, the Great Wall of China was enlisted in the World Heritage by the UNESCO in 1987 as one of the _________of the world. Just like a huge_________, the Great Wall winds( 蜿蜒) its way up and down from east to west, across deserts, over mountains, _________ valleys till at last it reaches the sea, with a _________of more than 6000 kilometers.

No one can tell for sure when the building of the Great Wall was _________, but it is popularly believed that the Great Wall was first built over 2500 years   ago during   the West   Zhou Dynasty to _________ the nation against the northern tribes( 部落). Emperor Qin Shihuang united the different small countries into one _________. To keep the enemies out, he had all the walls _________ up; thus, the great wall came into being. It had been playing an important _________ in wars in ancient Chinese history. It was very _________ work to build such a wall in the ancient days without any modern machines, as all the work was done by _________. Thousands of men died and were _________under the wall they built. Some parts of the Great Wall are now in _________ or even entirely disappeared.

Today the Great Wall has become a _________ for every visitor to China. Many of them have come to know the famous Chinese saying:“He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true man.”

9 . I was 11 years old when my family went on a holiday to Beijing. That was my first trip to China. One morning, my brother became _______ and had to stay in the hotel to rest. As my mum had to be with him, she told me to _______ breakfast from the food store in front of the _______. She also told me that she would be right by the window, _______ me.

Had I been back home, it would have been a(n) _______ task. But my inexperience and the _______ to the environment turned it into a highly challenging experience I still remember _______. The food store had a lot of people coming and going. I had no _______ what to do. Overwhelmed (不知所措的) and on the point of crying, I suddenly _______ what my mum had told me. I stepped out of the shop and looked up. True to her __________, she was just by the fifth-floor window, giving me the thumbs-up (翘拇指). I was comforted.

Although she wasn't right by my side, I knew she was __________ giving me the confidence to complete the task. On the top of the __________ were all Chinese characters (汉字), with most characters unrecognizable to me. At that moment, I __________ my task. My mum had given me very simple instructions—buy several cakes—but among the __________, what she said was gone.

I realized that was the biggest challenge I faced. I had no idea how to __________, or to whom to give my orders. Fortunately, a lady saw me and communicated with me in fluent English. That made me remember what I wanted to buy.