I wake up to the sound of the wind b    1     the cloth of my tent. Even though the sun is brightly s    2    , telling whether it is morning or night is impossible. I’m above the Arctic Circle where in summer the sun never sets. Checking my watch, I see that it is 7:30 a.m. I leave my tent and walk over to the mountain e    3    . Spreading out before me, branches of the Rapa River flow through the v    4     below. I’m in the remote far north of Sweden in Sarek National Park, a place with no roads or towns.

Sarek’s mountains used to be covered by v    5     sheets of ice. Around 9,000 years ago, this ice m    6    , leaving behind about 100 g    7    . Soon after, reindeer began to arrive. Following the reindeer were the Sami people, who made this territory their home. Getting here is quite difficult, so apart from the Sami very few people have ever seen Sarek. In 1909, Sarek was made a national park in order to keep the land in its n    8     state. Though the Sami are allowed to continue their traditional way to life in the park, no one else can live here, and all development is b    9     within park boundaries. At the side of the valley, an ancient Sami c    10     is visible. Close by, there are a few reindeer feeding on grass.

The next morning, the two girls arose early to take the train to Lake Louise, passing through the Canadian Rockies. Seen from the train window, the mountains and forests of Canada looked     1    . When the train arrived at the station, they took a taxi to Lake Louise, where the blue water     2     took their breath away with its exceptional beauty. They spent the night, and then took a coach     3     north through the Canadian Rockies to Jasper. Looking at the beautiful scenery, they both agreed that it was the most awesome journey they had ever taken. In addition to seeing    4     mountain peaks and forests, one     5     of their trip was being able to see many different creatures, including deer, mountain goats, and even a grizzly bear and an eagle.

2 A Land of Mountain and Ice

Sarek’s mountains used to be covered by vast sheets of ice. Around 9, 000 years ago, this ice melted, leaving behind about 100 g    1    . Soon after, reindeer began to arrive. Following the reindeer were the Sami people, who made this territory their home. G    2     here is quite difficult, so apart from the Sami very few people have ever seen Sarek. In 1909, Sarek was made a national park in order to keep the land in its n    3    state. Though the Sami are allowed to continue their traditional way of life in the park, no one else can live here, and all new development is b    4     within park boundaries. At the far side of the valley, an ancient Sami cottage is v    5    . Close by, there are a few reindeer feeding on grass.

3 Man at Peace with Nature

For hundreds of years, looking after reindeer was a way of life for the Sami. They used the reindeer’s meat for food, their bones for tools, and their skin for m    6     clothes and tents. Since reindeer were always on the move, the Sami would pick up their tents and a    7     them. Today, most Sami have houses in villages near Sarek and live a m    8     life just like their neighbours. But every spring, a small number of Sami still follow their reindeer into the valleys of Sarek, living in tents or old cottages and enjoying their t    9    . I am not a Sami, but in Sarek I’ve a    10     some of their habits. For example, this morning my breakfast is flat bread warmed over a fire, dried reindeer meat, and some sweet and sour berries that I found growing near my tent.

But hope was not lost. Soon after the quake, the army sent 150,000 soldiers to Tangshan to dig out those who were     1    and to     2    the dead.

But hope was not lost. Soon after the quakes, the army sent 150,000 soldiers to Tangshan to dig out those who were     1     and to     2     the dead. More than 10,000 doctors and nurses came to provide medical care. Workers built shelters for survivors     3     homes had been destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people were helped. Water and food were brought into the city by train, truck, and plane. Slowly,the city began to     4     again.

But hope was not lost. Soon after the quakes, the army sent 150, 000 soldiers to Tangshan to dig out those who were     1     and to     2     the dead. More than 10,000 doctors and nurses came to provide medical care. Workers built     3     for survivors whose homes had been     4    . Hundreds of thousands of people were helped. Water and food were brought into the city by train, truck, and plane. Slowly, the city began to     5       again.

Everywhere     1     looked, there was nothing but ruins. Nearly everything in the city was destroyed. About 75 percent of the city’s factories and buildings, 90 percent of its homes, and all of its hospitals were gone.     2     covered the ground like red autumn leaves. The railway tracks were now useless pieces of     3    . People were in     4    — and then, later that afternoon, another big quake     5     Tangshan again. Even more buildings fell down. Water, food and     6     were hard to get.