With about half of the vast country covered in wilderness, China is the world’s third most species-rich country. Therefore, China’s     1    (achieve) in biodiversity conservation and wilderness protection are important to the future of global biodiversity conservation.

The vital biodiversity,     2    (combine) with a large population, has led the government to reconsider its protected area system and transform some wilderness areas such as the rainforest in Hainan     3    formal national parks. The new national park system will make it more practical     4    (preserve) habitats and species. The aim is to preserve biodiversity and ensure a     5    (harmony) relation between humans and nature.

The national parks cross China’s vast ecosystems, from the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park in the south     6    the Hainan gibbon—a critically endangered species lives, the Giant Panda National Park, the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park, the Wuyi Mountain National Park to the Sanjiangyuan National Park on the Qinghai-Tibet Platau—    7    source of the Yellow River, the Yangtze River and the Lancang River. The diversity of species and habitats under protection     8    (reflect) in these parks’ names.

The national parks are open to all. Visitors can make reservations online in advance     9    book on the spot. They should acquire a little local knowledge to get     10     (they) ready for the amazing trip and maximize their enjoyment.

Recently, Guangzhou has successfully hosted the “Understanding China” International Conference 2023, the 5th World Media Summit, and other significant events, once again highlighting its role as    1    window for the world to comprehend China’s high-quality development. So,     2    Guangzhou? Let’s find out.

    3    (gain) a deeper understanding of China, one must experience its history and culture. With a history of over 2, 000 years and a rich cultural heritage, Guangzhou offers a variety of historical and cultural    4    (treasure). In this city, you can sip a cup of coffee while watching Cantonese opera in Yongqingfang or taste Cantonese dim sum while gazing at Western-style architecture on Shamian Island.

Economy is another crucial aspect in understanding China. In recent years, Guangzhou has    5    (active) participated in the Belt and Road international cooperation, gradually    6     (establish) a comprehensive, multi-level, and wide-ranging pattern of opening-up. As a thousand-year-old commercial city known for the Canton Fair, Guangzhou has drawn    7    (globe) attention with its open genes and prosperous economy.

Connecting with the world also requires a highly    8    (develop) transportation network. Guangzhou has constructed a modern three-dimensional transportation system that links airports, seaports, railway ports, and digital ports, providing easy access    9    both domestic and foreign participants.

Guangzhou’s openness, inclusiveness, vitality, and innovative spirit make it an ideal choice for hosting international events, which, in turn,     10     (help) the economic and social development of the city.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a health care system in which patients     1     (treat) with natural plant, animal, and mineral remedies (药物). It is assumed, for a person to be healthy,     2     yin and yang forces should he in balance. Imbalance causes illness or injury. TCM is about     3     (restore) the balance between yin and yang forces in patients. It has been a major part of traditional Chinese culture and continues to play     4     vital role in medical treatment in China today.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 80 percent of the world's population depends for its primary health care needs    5     medicines from plants and animals. This is especially true in countries where traditional medicines are     6     (wide) used.

Increasingly, however, modern medicines also contain substances from animals and plants. Given growing populations, increasing wealth, and the spreading    7     (popular) of natural remedies around the world, the demand for these medicines and remedies     8     (rise) now. The rising demand,     9     (combine) with reduced habitat, has caused an alarming increase in the number of plant and animal species used for medicinal purposes at risk for many years. For instance, TCM uses about 1,000 plant and 36 animal species, including the tiger, rhinoceros, and sea horse,     10     are all in danger.

The Grand Canal is the oldest and longest man-made waterway in the world with a history of more than 2,500 years,     1     construction started in the Spring and Autumn Period. The 1794 kilometers’ waterway is 22 times     2     length of the Panama Canal. It is a golden waterway second only to the Yangtze River in China. The Grand Canal runs from Zhejiang to Beijing     3     (pass) through six provinces and two municipalities and connects five main river systems.

The canal     4     (function) as the backbone of the ancient empire’s inland communication and trading systems. Grain, salt,     5     (log) and silk were transported along the canal to all directions. Scores of towns along the banks developed, contributing     6     (huge) to ancient China’s economy. The canal enormously promoted economic interaction and cultural exchange between the north     7     south, which ensured the country’s     8     (stable).

In 2014, it was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. In 2019 China issued a plan     9     (construct) national cultural parks for the Grand Canal. During the last 2 years, building the Grand Canal national cultural parks     10     (recognize) as a key task in the 14th Five-Year Plan. In future, cities along the Grand Canal will form a new cultural belt, green belt and tourism belt.

2024 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese calendar and it is the first time that the Oxford English Dictionary (OED)    1     (include) the term “Chinese dragon” in its dictionary. The Chinese dragon has two definitions in the OED, with the first one about its physical image and the second one on its figurative and allusive (典故的) nature.

Emperors in ancient dynasties were dressed in a Dragon Robe, a traditional silk-woven costume with dragon designs,     2     (symbolize) imperial power and authority. Jade Seals (玉玺), often     3     (carve) with dragons, also symbolize the authority of the emperor.

Contrary     4     the Western dragon, the image of the Chinese dragon, despite undergoing constant changes, has represented various’ positive     5     (quality) including prosperity, authority, strength and good fortune.

In ancient Chinese belief, dragons     6     (associate) with the control of the weather, particularly rain. The dragon’s ability to bring rain was seen as crucial for agriculture, which made it     7     positive symbol for the fertility of the land.

With the rising China Chic trend and the country’s booming cultural creative industry, the Chinese dragon in folktale is now     8     (common) seen in creative products such as tear-off calendars, dolls, dragon-themed jewelry as well as the “dragon blind boxes”     9     appeal to young consumers.

Whether it is through the hands of a national-level intangible (非物质) cultural heritage inheritor     10     the hands of a Generation Z “blind box” designer, the Chinese dragon carries forward the Chinese cultural spirit.

The power of Chinese emperors rose and fell with their control of the Grand Canal. Today, this waterway is shorter than it was once,     1     it is still the longest man-made river in the world.     2     (important), the Grand Canal continues to provide a vital cultural and economic link for modern China.

The original Canal system began around the year 605,     3     China’s emperor Yang realized that he needed a better way to move food and feed his army, so the emperor ordered the construction of the first section of the Grand Canal,     4     (connect) those existing canals, lakes and rivers.

For more than a thousand years, goods     5     (transport) along the Grand Canal. Even today the country’s watery highway plays an important economic role in China. Boats continue to carry tons of coal, food and other goods     6     Hangzhou and Jining. However, local governments eager to increase     7     (tour) and city development have torn down almost all of the older canal-side buildings. In 2005 a group of citizens proposed that the historic Grand Canal be made     8     UNESCO world heritage site, hoping this status would protect both the waterway and the architecture around it. With UNESCO status officially     9     (grant) in 2014, the world’s greatest engineering accomplishments continue to link north and south China for     10     (century) to come.

A Tsinghua professor is leading authority on tackling global warming and public attention has been drawn     1     him for his clear message, Yang Feiyue reports.

Global warming, carbon footprints, the 2-degree limitation for temperature     2     (grow)...all those abstract terms are     3     (vivid) brought to life in Guan Dabo’s lecture.

In addition to his academic research and teaching work, the climate change economics professor from the Department of Earth System Science at Tsinghua University,has made a speech to     4     public.

“I’m a strong believer in environmental protection     5     (be) up to every individual,” Guan says.

His speech last year on I Am A Scientist, a multiplatform series of online articles and videos organized by the China Association for Science and Technology,     6     (enable) the audience to better understand how carbon consumption matters and relates to their own lifestyles.

“Since the industrial revolution, the burning of fossil fuels     7     ( release) much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. If we want to reduce the risks, we need to limit global warming to 2     8     even 1.5 degrees by the end of this century,” he adds.

In 2000, he chose     9     (pursue) environmental management with science at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. “I am naturally drawn to the environment,     10     is closely connected to our life,” he says.

The Ancient City of Pingyao, originally named “Gu Tao”,     1    (construct) during the Western Zhou Dynasty. In order to defend from invaders (入侵者), a wall was built     2     the city in 1370. More than 300 years later, gate towers were built     3    (celebrate) a visit by Kangxi Emperor.

The three most historic sites in Pingyao, often referred to as the city’s Three Historic Treasures,     4    (be) the ancient brick-made city wall and the Zhenguo and Shuanglin temples.

The first of these historic treasures, the ancient city wall is 6,163 meters long and separates the city into two parts — an old city enclosed within the walls     5     the newer modern section of the city. The old town still looks as it     6    (do) during the Qing Dynasty, with antique streets and buildings along     7    (age) roads. Walking along the alleyways, one can appreciate the symmetrical (对称的) design of the city and     8    (it) stylish man-made cave houses. In the northeast corner of the city is the second treasure: Zhenguo Temple. Its Wan Fo Hall is the third oldest wooden building in China and houses numerous     9    (value) painted sculptures. The third treasure is Shuanglin Temple. Built during the Qi Dynasty, the temple boasts more than 2,000 painted clay statues     10     were created during the Yuan and Ming dynasties.

Perhaps the finest nature writer of the Twentieth Century, Rachel Carson (1907-1964)     1     (remember) more today as the woman who challenged the idea that humans could obtain mastery over nature by chemicals, bombs and space travel than for her studies of ocean life.     2     (work) for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington, DC,     3     (primary) as a writer, she was always aware of the effect that humans had on the natural world. All her books were physical explanations of life, all     4     (fill) with miracle of what happens to life in and near the sea.

Carson wrote about how islands were formed, how     5     (current) change and merge (融合), how temperature affects sea life,     6     how erosion (侵蚀) affects not just shore lines but fish populations and tiny micro-organisms. But how, she wondered, would the educated public be kept informed of these challenges to life     7     (it)? In Silent Spring, she asked the hard questions about whether and why humans had the right to control nature; to decide who lives or     8     (die), to poison or to destroy non-human life. In showing that all biological systems were dynamic and by urging the public     9     (question) authority, to ask "Who speaks and why?" Rachel Carson became a social revolutionary, and Silent Spring became the handbook for     10     future of all life on Earth.

The first-ever online marketplace for allotments(菜地), AllotMe, has unveiled plans for rapid     1     (expand) after securing more than 250, 000$ from investors. Proposed in May last year by Conor Gallapher, the plan seeks     2     ( address) the shortage of available garden space in response to rising demand in towns and cities, particularly in London,    3     there are waiting lists of up to 40 years for allotment sites.

Known as the “Airbnb for Gardens”, AllotMe has grown in popularity, with more than 100 hosts     4     (list) underused space to grow fruit and vegetables across the UK. Some users have already successfully rented space from hosts for more than a year. Now Conor     5     ( prepare) a summer campaign, AllotMents 2.0,to increase the number of plots (小块土地) listed by more than 2000percent.

“AllotMe     6     (found) as interest in garden space in cities increased during the pandemic, but     7     highly limited supply ,” says Conor. “People are telling us that this is a service they want and we’ll continue our mission to revive underused space in cities by providing a     8     ( true) sustainable solution that encourages people to grow their own and eat more healthily ,too.”

Conor adds that AllotMents 2.0 will focus on encouraging hosts to think about how the platform can enable     9     ( they) space to work for them, whether that’s earning money to spend on other things, managing outdoor space they can’t     10     helping the environment through passive sustainability.