Longmen Grottoes

Set on the banks of the Yi River, 12km south of the current Luoyang City, the Longmen Grottoes are ranked first of the Four Great Grotioes in China, together with Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Yungang Grottoes in Datong and Mount Maiji Grottoes in Tianshui. They were also listed in the World Cultural Heritages and Relics by UNESCO in 2000.

    1     (Locate) between the Xiangshan Mountain and the Longmen Mountain, with the YiRiver flowing below, the Longmen Grottoes are     2     (harmony) with mountains, forests and rivers displaying a peaceful atmosphere. Viewing it at a distance, it looks like     3     natural gate, which gave it the name “Yi Que (the gate of the Yi River)”. According to legend,     4     Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty climbed on Mount Mang north of Luoyang, he was very pleased and ordered the eastern capital     5     (build) here with its palace gate opposite the Yique. Thus, it came to be named, Longmen Gate.

Longmen Gate also houses     6     (rough) 2860 stele inscriptions (碑刻), making     7     a treasure for ancient calligraphy study. In total, more than 100,000 Buddhist statues and niches     8     (carve) into the cliffs by ancient Chinese people ranging from the largest one, the Vairocana Buddha with a     9     (high) of 17.14 meters,     10     the smallest one of 2 centimeters.

Wandering in the Longmen Grottoes, one is amazed by the delicate carving skills, deep Buddhist culture and great art achievements of Chinese people.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) said a large atlas moth (皇蛾)     1    (find) on a garage (车库) was identified as the first atlas moth ever documented in the United States.

The department said     2     university teacher took place photos when he found the large moth resting on the wall of     3    (he) garage on July 7. State officials     4    (careful) examined the photos and     5    (confirm) the insect was an atlas moth, one of the world’s largest species of moth.

Atlas moths are native     6     the tropics (热带地区) and have never been documented in the United States.

“This is an     7    (attract) type of insect because it is so large,” said Sven-Erik Spichiger from the agriculture department. “Even if you don’t keep an eye out for insects, this is one that people will get their phones out and take a picture of — they are that striking.”

    8    (researcher) said they are now trying to find out if the moth is part of a population in Washington. They are asking anyone     9     discover s a similar insect     10    (report) it to pestprogram@agr.wa.gov .

“We hope residents will help us learn if this was a one-off escapee or whether there might be a population in the area,” the department said.

In the wake of a 6. 2-magnitude (震级) earthquake,     1     is vital that lines of communication remain open, and the temporary post stations in Jishishan county, the epicenter (震中) of the earthquake that struck on Dec 18, have played     2     crucial role in ensuring packages get in and out.

Ma Hailong, 32-year-old resident from Dahejia town in Jishishan county,     3     (lose) his home in the quake, but despite this, he was excited that he was able to send and receive packages just three days     4     the tragedy struck. He initially thought that postal services, especially     5     (delivery), would be suspended after the earthquake, which occurred just seconds before midnight on Dec 18.

Temporary post offices were set up in nine quake-hit towns and are now open for all postal services. In addition, six postal routes in the county remain open, and 24 delivery routes have resurned     6     (operate). The Dahejia post office reopened in a tent on Dec 20,     7     (receive) more than 2, 300 pieces of mail in two days,     8     were all delivered to residents in the quake-affected area. The temporary post office has also opened a green channel     9     financial services, handling the delivery of mail from courier (货运) companies such as SF Express in the disaster area.

To facilitate donations from various sectors of society, Gansu branches of China Post and the Postal Savings Bank of China     10     (open) special pathways for the earthquake-stricken area in Jishishan.

Chinese netizens recently expressed     1     (amaze) at a map online clearly marking the country’s historic relics (文物). The map     2     (make) by Wu Yunjie, who was born in the 1990s.     3     (interest) in history, Wu would often spend his spare time travelling around the country, when he was in college, and     4     (explore) ancient sites.

In 2020, he started collecting information on cultural relics and uploaded the data to the mapping software. As many historical sites in rural areas cannot be located     5     (specific) , Wu did a lot of field research. “The job is rather difficult     6     I have much joy in it．I’m happy to make people more aware of the huge and rich historical heritage (遗产) from China’s long history,” he said.

Now, the map     7     (include) nearly 10,000 relics or museums. Many valuable temples, bridges and towers     8     have been lost in the country are also shown on the map. One post online said “The ancient tower around my house on the map! I can’t wait to visit     9    .”

However, in Wu’s eyes, the map is just     10     step forward, as it records a very small part of the cultural relics in the country, and he still has a long way to go.

Climate protection strategy is fascinating the globe during the 19th Asian Games, not just athletic talent .    1     (boost) climate cooperation, China, with the centuries old history and unique culture, is using green measures. Hangzhou city has adopted a     2     (practice) eco approach. The emphasis of the Asian Games     3     (be) on “green, intellectual, frugal, and civilized” contests, reflecting a trend toward more ecologically friendly and sustainable practices in major events.

Avoiding fireworks during the opening ceremony promotes environmental awareness. Traditional fireworks displays are fun     4     pollute the air. The Asian Games intend to exhibit a     5     (commit) to sustainability while providing an engaging and memorable experience     6     all guests by replacing this event with digitally powered visual effects and sound presentations. The Asian Games’ eco friendly licensed items include backpacks     7     (make) from recycled bottles and frisbees from rice husks (谷壳). As all Asian Games venues and facilities employ green energy, the event’s green elements demonstrate China’s recent green transformation and     8     (it) responsibility and promise to meet the dual carbon goals.

The Games Village gave residents a “Low Carbon Account” as part of the green measures. Carbon points     9     (use) in promoting low carbon habits including p late recycling, green commuting, and plastic-free purchasing. Points could be traded for low-carbon Olympic mascots and other prizes. China continues to carry out a climate change policy, develop     10     better carbon market, and participate in global climate governance. China aims to peak and neutralize carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and 2060.

For those looking to escape the concrete jungle, maybe it’s time to dive into the bamboo forests of southern Sichuan.

A natural forest that people in Sichuan province tend     1    (visit) is the Southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea in Yibin. The 120-square-kilometer Bamboo Sea is the     2     (large) bamboo park in China and its average temperature seldom drops below zero degrees Celsius in winter     3     many parts of the country are covered with snow and ice.

Known as one of the country’s 10 most beautiful forests, it     4    (be) a popular tourist attraction since the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon     5    (shoot), there in 2001.

Two years later, the bamboo forest received world-wide     6    (recognize) as a bamboo reserve in December 2003,     7    (become) the fourth tourism destination in China to be granted Green Globe 21 certification.

The Bamboo Sea covers Changning and Jiang’an, two counties     8     the authority of Yibin. Amazed at its vast expanse, Huang Tingjian,     9     poet from the Song Dynasty, described it as “bamboo waves”. As Huang was an     10    (influence) man of letters, his description gave rise to the forest’s popular nickname—the Bamboo Sea.

With more and more scientists saying we no longer have a climate problem but a climate emergency, the call for all hands to be part     1     the solution is bringing people of all     2    (age) to be ready. Leslie Wharton, spokesperson for Elders Climate Action(ECA), is in the midst of organizing a     3    (grow) number of “old hands” into a nationwide network of people who, instead of just talking, are getting together     4     (close) and taking action.

In 2014, after attending one of Al Gore’s Climate Reality training workshops, Paul Severance, a member of Elders Action Network(EAN), started ECA, which     5     (hold)its first in-person conference in September 2015 in Washington, D. C., with other climate activist groups. “That’s how I got     6     (involve),” Wharton says. “I was there in 2015 and I just felt such a community, such energy and support and focus, that I was just overwhelmed. At the end, I was given a form that asked if I would be willing to be     7    volunteer. I said yes.” Although most ECA members are in     8    (they) 50s through 80s and even 90s, some are as young as 18.

ECA’s mission is to reach out to older individuals and let them join, so they can use their expertise, experience and knowledge     9     (help) build a sustainable future. Those things can provide the support, encouragement, initiative     10     energy to get more and more people out there doing whatever they can do, right where they are.

Anji, a small county in East China’s Zhejiang Province,     1     (receive) over 28 million tourists every year. There are more than 300 coffee shops there,     2     in terms of population density has surpassed that of Shanghai. “A cup of coffee bridges the gap between the big city and the small county,” said Han Jie, a Shanghai tourist who     3     (temporary) escaped the large city and came to Anji over the weekend. In Zhejiang,     4     increasing number of coffeehouse owners are venturing into rural areas to meet the demands of a growing population of young and adventurous coffee enthusiasts.

    5     (locate) in the bamboo forests of Penghu Village in Anji , a café called Waterfall Coffee has gained popularity     6     social media influencers. Visitors can not only taste coffee on the cliff halfway up the mountain, admiring waterfalls in the distance,     7     enjoy boating on the lake with an excellent view.

The outdoor café, the Deep Blue Coffeehouse, has received 350,000 tourists in less than a year, with the highest daily number of visitors     8     (reach) 8,000 people. By far, the small coffee shop has fueled the rural economy of Hongmiao Village in some way, causing university students     9     (cooperate) with the local government in organizing a start-up fair, with the aim of attracting more university     10     (graduate) to start business in the village.

With full preparation from both China and the US, the giant panda family Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their 3-year-old son Xiao Qiji arrived safely in China on Thursday due to the ending of the agreement between the two     1     (country). After returning, they     2     (transport) to the Wolong National Nature Reserve, according to China Daily. The news immediately became     3     hot topic on China’s social media platform, with nearly 43 million netizens     4     (express) their joy and excitement.

    5     (prepare) for their returning, China selected senior workers to travel to the US     6     advance to take part in the panda’s feeding and help US experts in conducting behavior training and daily check-ups. What’s more, indoor animal houses, feed processing rooms and outdoor exercise areas were set up in the reserve for their isolation (隔离).

Giant pandas are rare and endangered wild animals,     7     are beloved by people around the world, and they also serve as ambassadors for     8     (culture) exchange between China and other nations. In the future, China     9     (continue) to strengthen cooperation with others, to     10     (active) contribute to the protection of endangered species such as giant pandas and the promotion of friendship between Chinese and the rest of the world.

Jiezi Ancient Town is located in Chongzhou, Sichuan Province. “Jiezi” means small street. In the Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties, it was called “Hengqu”,     1     means across Weijiang River. Due to wars, the lively town turned into     2     street along the river in 1615 in the Ming Dynasty. The local people set this street a new name “Jiezi Chang” for marketing. Hence, it got “Jiezi”.

The town has a     3     (combine) of mountains and water, and travelers can enjoy elegant natural scenery and historical sites in the same visit. It is famous for its ancient bluest one roads, ancient houses and locals who have lived here for     4     (generation). The best way to explore it is    5     (simple) wandering around the old streets     6     (discover) the old shops with old books, handmade straw shoes, old furniture. Immerse (沉浸) yourselves in the old time and relax your eyes by     7     (overlook) the beautiful mountains.

Visitors can see a wealth of relic sites     8     (distribute) around Jiezi Old Town. It features Guangyan Buddhist Temple, Fengqishan Scenic Spot, Primitive Forest, Millennium gingko tree, well-preserved Qing-dynasty street and 32 temples. Jiezi Ancient Town also proudly serves     9     the birthplace of Tang Qiu, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, who     10     (adopt) the pen name “Gourd Ladle (瓢)”, the special container of his poems.