When talking about the ancient     1    (architecture) wonders in Shanxi province, which is said to have the largest number of ancient buildings in China, Xuankong Temple in Hengshan Mountain, Hunyuan county is without doubt a classic case rip e for study.

In the minds of many Chinese people,     2    (temple) are mostly seen as structures built on the ground. But Xuankong Temple,     3     means “temple hanging in the sky”, or suspending temple, is a strong exception.

The temple was built on     4     surface of a cliff and is one of only seven ancient temples in China with such a status, according to researchers.

Constructed out of wood, tiles and stone during the Northern Wei Dynasty, the temple is made up of two three-story pavilions (亭子) and a yard     5    (join) by staircases and steps. The staircases and steps run along the surface of a steep cliff rising 90 meters above a stream     6     the foot of the mountain.

Seen from below, Xuankong Temple appears     7    (extreme) precarious (岌岌可危的). It is supported by only a few thin scaffolds (脚手架)     8    (rise) from projecting rocks. For that reason, it     9    (select) by Time magazine as one of the 10 most dangerous buildings in the world in 2010.

But “precarious” and “dangerous” are not the right adjectives for this structure preserved for one and a half millennia. Despite several restorations in various historical periods, the temple     10    (survive) the winds, rains and earthquakes in the past 1500 years.

The ancient city of Kashgar (喀什), which has a population of around 200,000,     1     (greet) over 7 million tourists so far this year. Since the Belt and Road Initiative (“一带一路”倡议)     2     (propose), the ancient city has once again drawn attention as a gateway to opening up to the outside world.

As the night closes in. street     3     (light) come on. Kashgar becomes even     4     (much)alive with tourists joyfully exploring a city with     5     history of more than 2,000 years. Already famous for many years because of its colourful culture and architecture,     6     (tour) has continued to grow rapidly in the ancient city of Kashgar in recent times, with travellers from all around the world going there.

Neil Munro, from Britain, walks into a restaurant with friends     7     (taste) the famous local barbecue and beer. After a two-day stay in Kashgar, the group will motorcycle through several other Chinese provinces including Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan, before finally     8     (arrive) in Laos. This is Munro’s third visit     9     Kashgar. When he first travelled there in 1999, he was shocked by the unique culture and he soon began learning Chinese.

“The people here are welcoming. Kashgar is full of energy,” said Sirpa Jarvenpa, from Finland,    10     took part in the long motorcycle ride along with her husband.

Three cows swept away by Hurricane Dorian have been found miles from home in a national park, a spokesman said. Dorian brought strong winds, damaging tornadoes (龙卷风) and heavy rain     1     North Carolina in September when it       2     (make) landfall on the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

During     3     storm, wild horses and cows     4     (carry) away by floodwaters from Cedar Island. Many horses died in the flood. The cows were missing until they were discovered around four miles away at Cape Lookout National Seashore park, according to B. G Horvat, the park’s spokesman.

The cows were not wild. Horvat said they had caretakers in Cedar Island     5     looked after them, and the park is trying to get in touch with     6     (they) owner. “They likely got swept away from the same body of water as those wild horses,” Horvat said “These cows were just really     7     (luck) because they went through the same thing and they could have       8     (easy) drowned (淹死). ”

One cow was found shortly after Dorian hit, while the other two were found about two weeks later by       9     (visitor). Horvat said the cows were eating in the wild on the Core Banks and they were able     10     (survive) from the sea grass or other vegetation. Head they might be drinking on the south side of the island, which has fresh water.

Wetlands are the link between the land and the water. They are transition zones where the flow of water, the cycling of nutrients and the energy of the sun meet to produce     1     unique and special ecosystem     2     (characterize) by hydrology, soils and vegetation—making these areas very important features of a watershed. The water is often groundwater,     3     (spill) up from an aquifer or spring. A wetland’s water can also come from a nearby river or lake. Seawater can also create wetlands, especially in coastal areas that experience strong tides. Here is one in China.

The National Nature Reserve of Guangdong Nanpeng Islands in Guangdong Province was established in 2003. It     4     (cover) a total area of 35,679 hectares. It became the fifth national-level marine nature reserve in Guangdong, as well as the first one in the eastern region of Guangdong, in 2012. In 2015, it     5     (recognize) and included in the International Important Wetlands Directory.

The main focus of the reserve is to protect the unique underwater natural landscapes, the ecosystems of the nearby     6     (coast) waters, the rare and endangered marine animals, the various fish species and their habitats, as well as the marine biodiversity.

Researchers have discovered 1,308 marine species in the area, including 772     7     (economic) significant fish, shrimp, crab, mollusk, and algae species. The reserve is home     8     more than 21 identified rare and endangered wildlife species in water, among     9     nine species such as the Chinese white dolphin and the nautilus are classified as first-class protected animals at the national level, while     10     (variety) of other 27 species, such as the common bottlenose dolphin is classified as second-class protected animals.

The giant panda is unique to China.     1     (cover) the areas of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu Provinces, Giant Panda National Park protects the pandas’ natural living space. This giant national park     2     (include) sixty seven panda reserves (保护区), which are home     3     about 1,340 wild giant pandas as well as many other endangered animals, such as Sichuan golden monkeys and snow leopards.

Among the panda reserves in the national park. we     4     (high) recommend Wolong Nature Reserve and Ya’an Bifengxia Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre, because of     5     (they) large numbers of pandas, beautiful natural environment,     6     being easy to reach from Chengdu. Right now, there are more than 100 pandas in the Wolong base and more than 60 at Bifengxia. Wolong Nature Reserve is the only place     7     you can see pandas at night.

Giant panda volunteer programs in the panda bases give you     8     unique experience with pandas and you will have a chance     9     (make) special cakes for them, etc. Contact us for details about these panda programs.

Giant Panda National Park is     10     (suit) for animal lovers, especially panda lovers, You can visit it all year round. Wolong is about a 2-hour drive from Chengdu; Bifengxia is about a 3-hour drive from Chengdu.

A complete skeleton (骨架) of an animal, which was later confirmed to be that of a giant panda, was unearthed at     1     end of 2021 in Xi’an. It was the first time in history that giant panda remains had been unearthed from a tomb     2     (date) back to the Western Han Dynasty.

The skeleton had well-developed teeth, and was placed within a neatly     3     (lay) brick structure facing towards the direction of the tomb, with its tail pointing westward. After comparing the skeleton     4     existing giant pandas’, researchers discovered that it     5     (actual) belonged to a giant panda.

The researchers thought this giant panda might have originated from the forests on the northern side of the Qinling Mountains, where the climate was possibly     6     (warm) than today.

Back in 1975, a buried giant panda     7     (discover) near the tomb of Empress Bo. Researchers said that it is not yet possible to conclude that Empress Bo had a special     8     (prefer) for giant pandas. It appeared to be a royal garden feature.

Besides the giant panda, the remains of other rare animals were also found in the tomb,     9     reflects the belief in the Han Dynasty that people would live a life in the underworld, similar to that when they     10     (be) alive.