Many cities have     1    (interest) nicknames. Nicknames can help tell the identity of     2    city. With more than twenty nicknames, New Orleans     3    (probable) has more nicknames than any other American city. Among all these names, the most famous one is The Big Easy. It is used to describe the gentle, slow and easy-going way of life in New Orleans.

So     4    did the city get this nickname? In the early 1990s, there was a dance hall in New Orleans     5    (call) The Big Easy, but the nickname did not become famous     6    the ealy 1970s when a Louisiana newspaper writer began calling New Orleans by this name. She compared the easy-going way of life there     7    the hurried pace of life in New York City. In 1970, James Conaway wrote a crime novel called The Big Easy. The story was set in New Orleans. In 1987, that book was made into a film,     8    made the nickname even more popular.

The city has     9    nicknames. One of them is Mardi Gras City. It got this name for the wild     10    (celebrate) and parades that take place there every year.

An about 2-meter-wide alley, or “Liu Chi Xiang” in Chinese, now attracts floods of     1    (visit) in east China’s Anhui Province. It has a household’s ancient story hidden behind it, which vividly explains the essence of     2    (tolerate) and non-contention widely accepted in China.

During the Period of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, one of his ministers, Zhang Ying, received a letter from his hometown of Tongcheng City in Anhui one day. From the letter, Zhang learned that his family quarreled with their neighbor, Wu’s family, over the two sides’ house boundary. The local court     3    (struggle) to reach a final judgement since both families enjoyed high reputation in Tongcheng. Zhang’s family wrote the letter     4    (hope) that Zhang, a high-ranking official in the imperial palace, could force the Wu family to give     5    . However, Zhang wrote a poem back saying, “Writing a letter from home, miles away, just for a wall. All that argument over one meter or two. Looking at the ten-thousand-mile long Great Wall, long gone is     6    (it) builder Emperor Qinshihuang.” His reply enlightened the family members as the wall was merely a temporary (暂时的) structure. It was the close relationship with their neighbors     7     mattered. They decided to move their wall about one meter back for their neighbor. In turn, the Wu family was     8    (deep) touched by their generosity and retreated another meter backward in building their wall. It created an about two-meter-wide narrow “alley” between the houses.

Among all the valuable     9    (history) sites in the city, the narrow alley is one of the popular attractions. It serves as enlightenment, inspiring people     10    (observe) public morals and cherish harmony, especially in disagreements and conflicts.

It definitely     1    (feel) good to be back in San Francisco again. And the city was able to rebuild itself after the earthquake     2     occurred in 1906. There are so many beautiful old buildings—many sitting on top of big hills,     3     (offer) great views of the city, the ocean, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

There is the Mission District near downtown,     4     of the oldest parts of the city. Many of the people living here are from Mexico or Central America. This district used     5     (be) a poor area of town, but is now a centre for art, music, and food. In fact, an art movement     6     (call) the “Mission School” started here. It’s influenced by graffiti art and comic art. A real mix of cultures here!

In the afternoon, I headed     7     a local museum that showed the     8     (history) changes in California. The museum did a     9    (reat) good job of showing how America was built by     10    (immigrant) from different countries and cultures.

Tomorrow evening, I’m going to a jazz bar in the Richmond District. Can’t wait!

China has countless attractions.The Great Wall is     1     (probable) one that is most familiar     2     the Western tourists. The Great Wall is like a giant stone dragon,     3     (wind) across the country from the ocean on the east to the desert on the west. It is the longest wall that     4     (build) ever, 1,500 miles in     5     (long). Along the wall are watch towers,     6     soldiers were on the watch for threats. The wall was initially constructed     7     (prevent) invasion of neighboring states，and the majority of the existing wall is from the Ming Dynasty. From the top of the Great Wall, people can enjoy an     8     (impress) view of continuous mountains, green trees and blooming wild flowers. If we were to build such a wall now, we would use modern machines.     9     , the ancient Chinese had to build the wall by hand. The reason why the Great Wall attracts tourists from all over the world every year is     10     it represents the highest wisdom of ancient China. Just as the saying goes, “He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man.”

My time here in China is going well. I love my new school     1     classmates. Over the October holiday,     2     (I) parents and I are planning to go to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Army. I’ve heard that it is an     3     (amaze) sight, and I can’t wait to go. To me, the story of the Terracotta Army     4     (be) almost unbelievable. It’s wonderful     5     there are more than 8,000 statues, and no one in modern times knew about them until the 1970s.

We’re also planning     6     (visit) several other places in Xi’an. My dad and I are both looking forward to     7     (go) to the Shaanxi History Museum because my dad loves history and I have heard that this museum is known     8     a “Chinese treasure house”! We’re also going to the Xi’an City Wall and a few other famous     9     (sight).

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