During this Labor Day, Chongqing gained flocks of followers and Hongya Cave was promoted as one of the hottest scenic spots in China. Are these tourists really familiar with its culture and history? Vary likely, studying the culture and history of a place can make the whole trip more meaningful and enjoyable.

Hongya Cave virtually has     1    history of over 2,300 years. It is a military fortress which     2    (date) back to ancient Ba State to the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911), and is also the site of the     3     (early) and most developed pier of ancient China. The site now provides a place for a large scale stilt house group     4    (build) alongside a steep cliff on the bank of Jialing River.     5    you visit Hongya Cave, you can experience Bayu culture- a Chinese ethnic culture, gaze over the river, and taste delicious food. The striking night view is a highlight and should never be missed. Hongya Cave is an 11-storey, 75 meters stilt house abutting a steep cliff.    6     (tourist) will immediately fall in love with Hongya Cave because hat it has a similar     7     (appear) to a building in Spirited Away-a masterpiece of a famous Japanese cartoonist, Hayao Miyazaki. It is incredible that the first floor and the eleventh floor are accessible by two different roads. Visitors can take an elevator to each floor     8    various bars and cafes are well     9     (arrange). They can also see the symbolic Hongya Dripping on the 2nd floor, which is a small waterfall cascading down the cliff-face. By the way, getting up early can give you the approach     10    this fascinating place.

8 . Down House, home of Charles Darwin:

Fun fact

Charles Darwin, his wife, Emma, and their children lived at Down House for 40 years from 1838. Several rooms appear as if the family still live here: with croquet sets thrown into an under-stairs cupboard, a half-played game of backgammon on a side table and Emma’s knitting(毛线) left on a chair in the drawing room. Upstairs, an exhibition showcases Darwin’s voyage aboard HMS Beagle, including a reconstruction of his cabin. Outside, visitors can explore the sheltered gardens which Darwin used as an open-air laboratory, and the greenhouse in which he planted rare plants and devised botanical experiments.

No room at Down House escaped Darwin’s experiments. In the drawing room he once placed a jar of earthworms on the grand piano to see whether they could hear.

Getting there

A 15-minute drive from the A21/Farnborough. Free parking. The R8 bus from Orpington stops nearby (except Sundays) or the 146 bus from Bromley North and South terminates (终点站) in Downe village, half a mile from the property. The nearest railway stations are Chelsfield or Orpington, about four miles away.

Value for money?

It’s ￡12 (adult), ￡7.20 (child), or ￡31.30 (family with 2 adults). Under 5s go free.

Opening hours

Open daily 10am-6pm from 30 March to 30 September; daily 10 a.m. — 5 p.m. between 1 to 31 October. Opening times vary through the winter (check website for details).

Verdict(评价)

8/10. An unstuffy educational, gentle day-trip attraction with friendly, knowledgeable staff.

The name “Shangri-La” comes from James Hilton’s popular novel, Lost Horizon. It’s about     1     small group of Westerners flying in the Himalayas when suddenly their plane crashes and     2     (find) themselves in a paradise-like valley.

Shangri-La has attracted so many people     3     today a whole industry has been created to find the town that served as its     4     (inspire). The problem is that Hilton never     5     (true) explained where Shangri-La was. Joseph Rock, an Austrian-American explorer     6     (travel) for years in Southwest China and published a series of articles,     7     which the descriptions of places he visited correspond to (符合) those about Shangri-La in Hilton’s book. Later search for the location of Shangri-La       8     (base)on Rock’s travels. Among all the mountain paradises mentioned in Rock’s articles, Zhongdian, Yunnan, hits the description of Shangri-La. In 2001, officials changed       9     (it)name to “Shangri-La.” While it coul be a place that Rock wrote about, the main purpose of changing the name was     10    (promote) tourism.

10 . Athens: More than a Summer Holiday Destination

While the Greek islands are popular for summer holidays, Athens is a year-round destination. So even if you’re flying to Greece just for the island sun, here are a few reasons to spend time in the capital too!

The Acropolis

Even if you’re not a fan of history, some of the ancient sites you just have to visit — and this is probably the most famous one in Athens. The Acropolis is an ancient city at the top of a hill, and here you’ll see the Parthenon, a temple built almost 2,500 years ago. It’s worth climbing up, too, for the views — of the sea, mountains and Lycabettus Hill rising up between the city’s apartment buildings.

The streets of Plaka and Monastiraki

If you still have energy after climbing the Acropolis, take a walk around the nearby area. Yellow and white buildings look down on the smooth stone streets of the area known as Plaka. Stop at the gift shops or take a break from the sun with a Greek coffee or a traditional meal in one of the local restaurants — or tavernas. Walk on and you’ll soon find yourself in the narrower streets of Monastiraki with its flea markets on all sides, giving you a real Greek experience.

Panathenaic Stadium

Close to the center of town and not far from the National Garden is the ancient Panathenaic Stadium, which was restored for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. It’s also the place where the Athens marathon finishes every year, so if you like running, you too could feel like an Olympic winner!

The coast

When you’re in the center of Athens, it doesn’t feel much like a coastal city, but the sea is just a few minutes’ drive away. The beaches get better the further south you go, or you can walk by the boats in the shadow of the stylish new opera house.