Xiamen, lying in Fujian Province, is a famous coastal city. As far as I’m concerned, Xiamen is very clean and pretty. In that city, we can enjoy the clear sky, the beautiful sea,     1     green tropical plants. As Xiamen is in the southeast of China and close to the sea, it’s neither too cold in winter     2     too hot in summer. The best seasons to go to Xiamen     3    (be) both spring and summer. Besides, there are some famous tourist    4    (site) in Xiamen. And the most beautiful scenic spot is Gulangyu Island. We can visit foreign architectures, nice gardens, beautiful parks, and     5    (tradition) museums there. Once we are in Xiamen, we can’t miss going to Gulangyu Island, or we won’t have     6     good time.

However, in recent years, Xiamen has become a lot     7    (much) modern than it used to be. Nowadays, more and more skyscrapers and shopping malls     8    (build), which make Xiamen a wonderful city for sightseeing and shopping. So I     9    (eager) wish to spend my summer holiday there next time.

Next year if I have enough time and money, I plan     10    (have) a nice sightseeing tour in Xiamen with my close friends. I hope we can spend the happiest time together there.

The Old Summer Palace in Beijing will allow free entry to the public on Sunday, the day     1     marks the 160th anniversary of the burning and massive looting (劫掠) of the palace, in an attempt     2     (remember) history and draw more people into the     3     (memory) place. Also known     4     Yuanmingyuan, the site was once an imperial garden and is now open to the public as a park. An architectural wonder of its age, it was built in the 18th and 19th centuries during the Qing Dynasty (1636—1911). British and French forces     5     (destroy) the place on October 18 and 19, 1860, during the Second Opium War.

In order to allow visitors to explore the Old Summer Palace in     6    (deep), the park has launched the “Old Summer Palace Passport”, which can     7     (purchase) at stores in the park or at Tmall and JD.com stores. Visitors can find seals from the shops near the corresponding     8    (attraction) on the map on the front page of the passport. After collecting all the 51 seals, one from each attraction, visitors can get     9     special seal. “This seal is the symbol of treasure coming into and going out of the Old Summer Palace.     10     (complete) the seal collection is like bringing the Old Summer Palace home,” said a person who works at the park.

My friend and I looked over at the beaches and were highly excited. We had     1     (final) arrived at the Canary Island of Fuerteventura and were staying in the quiet coastal town El Cotillo. After     2     (hope) to visit the Canary Islands someday for so long, it was worth the wait to get a chance     3     (relax) in these beautiful surroundings (环境) .

The nearby beaches were beautiful with rich white sand and clean waters     4     weren't far from our hotel. People often walked by with     5     (they) dogs, and families played nearby but there were no crowds.

One evening weds covered a number of restaurants and bars (酒吧) as well as a market. We     6     (see) the Castillo de El Cotillo, a historic monument (纪念碑). It felt very safe to walk around, so I went for     7    evening walk alone along the nearest beach one night.

One day we took an exciting cart our of Fuerteventura with a(n)     8     (friend), knowledgeable guide and enjoyed views of mountains. We even drove up one. Our tour also showed us beautiful coastlines, and many local places of interest.

After seven days we left this wonderful island. I had been far away     9    home, but was in a homely, quiet place with lots of exciting     10     (thing) to see and do. I want to go back one day and experience some more.

If life is a journey, then James and Shepherd Colver are certainly enjoying the ride. It was 9-year-old Shepherd’s idea     1     (ride) from Washington State to the Statue of Liberty in New York with his dad.

Getting across     2     country in a plane to see the Statue of Liberty was not a     3     (choose) for Shepherd. “When you’re     4     a bike, everything just slows down and you get to notice cool things on the side of the road,” he said.

The time,    5     the father and son first had to slow down, was two years ago. “I was feeling really, really sick for my head became really     6     (pain) while I was riding,” Shepherd said. “I     7     (take) to the hospital by my dad and a doctor checked me over and said, ‘Sorry, Shepherd, you have Type 1 diabetes(1型糖尿病).’”

Their trip was put on hold Now, with Shepherd’s insulin(胰岛素)    8    (pack), the two are back on the road. The best part of the experience, according to Shepherd, is     9     (main) just spending time with his dad.

“Part of me is kind of fearing the fact that there’s not much distance left,” James said. “We     10     (stop) someday, which makes me rather sad. I’ve really had the time of my life here.”

Weihai, a coastal city of Shandong province, has built a 1, 001-kilometer route that strings together picturesque (风景如画的) coastal and     1     (mountain) landscapes to further develop its tourism sector and rural areas.

    2     (bring) into service in May last year, it has a main highway and branch roads, of the same     3     (long). The 501-km main route goes along the coastline and runs across the mountains. The 500-km branch roads can take visitors to more than 90 percent of the city’s tourism attractions,     4     (include) scenic spots, hotels, RV campsites, home stays and agricultural sightseeing sites. Among the attractions     5     (be) four ski resorts, nine natural hot springs, 15 national-level marine ranches (海洋牧场) and more than 80 agricultural tourism sites.

The highway has made travel across Weihai more convenient and it has brought     6     increased number of visitors to the city, says Wang Hongchen, an official of the culture and tourism bureau (旅游局) of Rongcheng, a county-level city of Weihai. Along the highway, signs     7     (set) at major points so far. Every 30 to 40 km along the route, there is a park with public     8     (facility) where people can enjoy outdoor leisure time. “Over 70 percent of tourists,     9     visited Rongcheng this summer, drove to our city and over half of the total tourists to Rongcheng are     10     outside Shandong province,” says Wang.

On my trip to Dunhuang, Gansu province in December, I had an exciting experience of     1    (explore) Mogao Grottoes (莫高窟) in Dunhuang with 735 caves     2    (build) by believers from 366 to the Yuan Dynasty(1271-1368).

The guide     3     (random) opened one of the old caves at Mogao Grottoes and curious tourists began a journey of mystery. Following     4    tiny points of light from the guide’s small flashlight (手电筒), we learned stories of the past from the Buddhist statues and murals (壁画) in the darkness.

Some wall paintings represented musicians playing Chinese instruments, as well as complex gestures of dancers at parties in an ancient royal court. Others showed interesting and exciting scenes of hunting in the     5     (wood). The statues—even those     6     faces had turned black, and some having lost an arm or two to natural weathering(自然风化)—didn’t stop the solemn (庄严的) power.

Thanks     7     its being the off-season, my group was able to see 12 caves. Tourists, however,     8     (allow) to see a maximum of eight caves during peak season. When I     9     (come) out from the three-hour exploration, I was amazed that I had bought     10     (vary) souvenirs, which help preserve the memory and feel of the place.

The Xi’an City Wall,    1    is a symbol of the history and culture of Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, has become an important city brand after continuous improvements.

The Xi’an City Wall    2    (build) in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) on the foundation of the imperial city walls of the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties. It is the    3    (old), most well preserved, and largest ancient city wall in the world.

The city wall is more than 600 years old and suffers from cracks and flaky (薄片的) soil on a daily basis. In addition to    4    (extreme) large amounts of manual work, technology also provides    5    protective barrier for the city wall. “We have installed 8,700 metal detectors on the city wall    6    ( monitor) various dynamic data such as the pH level    7    the soil, moat (护城河) water level and daily soil moisture (水分) changes,” said Wu, who is a worker of the Xi’an City Wall Management Committee.

In addition to the Hanguang Gate Relic Site Museum, the watchtowers on the city wall have also been transformed into public cułtural and art    8    (site) such as the Jinhuidui Art Museum, Armor Museum, and City Brick Museum. So far, the city wall    9    (launch) a series of cultural and creative products, mystery boxes, and digital collections,    10    (attract) many visitors.