Though once secluded (与世隔绝的), even inaccessible, Kazakhstan today welcomes intrepid travelers with open arms.

Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked (内陆的) country, and the     1     (nine) largest in the world. The country is one of the most economically advanced in Central Asia, thanks to     2     (it) abundant oil reserves and other valuable minerals.

Even for some     3     (experience) travelers, Kazakhstan is still     4     unfamiliar state. While home to the raw beauty of the steppe (草原) and mountain scenery, there are no yurts (蒙古包) like in Kyrgyzstan     5     Mongolia. The country also has a fascinating history of medieval (中世纪的) Islamic architecture.

But for those     6     have stepped foot in the country, its most     7     (attract) features are its unique landscapes and freedom.

Panfilov Park in the eastern-center of Almaty has plenty     8     places of interest that offer a whistle-stop tour of the city’s history. Not far behind the     9     (large) of them is the yellow, green and red Tsaristera Ascension Cathedral (大教堂), a visually attractive structure that is claimed to be one of the tallest wooden     10     (build) in the world.

National parks are places to be treasured—places     1     the country locks away the very best it has to offer for everyone to enjoy. Not all famous national parks are on land. One good example is the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Australia.     2     (stretch)over 2,300 kilometers, the Great Barrier Reef is considered one of the natural     3     (wonder)of the world. The park was created in 1975 to protect the reef from overdevelopment and fishing. Unfortunately, the biggest danger to it is global warming,     4     park management cannot stop.

3 . The following properties which the World Heritage Committee has decided to include on the List of World Heritage are in danger according to Article 11 (4) of the Convention (公约).

Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Virunga National Park, covering an area of 790,000 ha., includes an outstanding diversity of habitats, ranging from swamps and steppes (沼泽和平原) to the snowfields. Mountain gorillas are also found in the park.

Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley (Afghanistan)

The cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley stand for the artistic and religious developments which from the 1st to the 13th centuries characterized ancient Bakhtria. The area contains a number of Buddhist monastic ensembles (佛教寺院), as well as strong buildings from the Islamic period.

Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve occupies about one-fifth of the Ituri forest in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reserve contains threatened species of primates and birds surviving in the wild. It also has some amazing scenery, including waterfalls on the Ituri and Epulu rivers. The reserve is inhabited by traditional nomadic pygmy Mbuti and Efe hunters.

Historic Center of Vienna (Austria)

Vienna developed from early Celtic and Roman settlements into a Medieval and Baroque city, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It played an important role as a leading European music center, from the great age of Viennese Classicism through the early part of the 20th century.

In 2016, Shennongjia made it onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. It     1     (contain) a naturally-balanced environment that allows the many and various species to live and prosper. It is also one of the rare locations in the world     2     scientists can observe in real time the ecological and biological processes that occur as the plants and animals develop and evolve. The most impressive aspect of Shennongjia is the local people,     3     take things from nature without causing damage.

5 . It’s safe to say Yellowstone National Park is still looking good at the ripe old age of 150. The park, which stretches into Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, is known for its unique natural scenery, bountiful wildlife, and deep history. It also helped usher (引领) in the broader national park movement in the U.S., according to Chuck Sams, the director of the National Park Service.

“We now celebrate something much bigger than the park itself —the beginning of the national park idea, an idea that spread through the country and around the world, inspiring governments to protect natural and cultural treasures ‘for the benefit and enjoyment of the people,’” he said in a statement.

Yellowstone is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states. Bears, wolves, coyotes, moose, and a large population of small animals can be found in the park. It’s also the only place in the U.S. where bison (野牛) have lived continuously since prehistoric limes. It was looking risky for a period in the 1900s, when die animal was hunted down from a previous high of tens of thousands to less than two dozen. This bison conservation effort continues to this day.

Yellowstone shut its gates in March 2020 due to coronavirus concerns and remained closed for nearly two months. But the park broke attendance records after it reopened. The park reported 4.9 million recreation visits in 2021 — up 28% from 2020 and making it the busiest year on record, July 2021 was die most-visited month in Yellowstone’s history and the first lime visitation exceeded l million visits in a single month. It’s Yellowstone’s natural beauty and deep history that brings millions of visitors each year.

“Yellowstone’s 150th anniversary will be an important moment in time for the world,” said Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly. “It’s an opportunity for us to reflect on the lessons of the old days while focusing our efforts to strengthen Yellowstone and our many partnerships for the future.”

7 . One of Prague’s most famous sights, the Orloj, the third oldest clock in the world, has been stopped. It is set to undergo months of restoration (修复)that will see the return of several, but not all, of its original parts.

Perhaps no other clock better proves the genius of the early pioneers of time keeping than the Orloj. Marking the minutes and hours is only one of the many measurements it provides.

The 607-year-old astronomical clock tracks Old Bohemian time, when the new day begins with sunset; Babylon time, which tracks the day from sunrise to sunset; Central European time, which is marked with a hand in the shape of the sun; and Star time, measured by the way the stars appear to move because of the earth’s movement.

A calendar dial (刻度盘)notes the days of the week, month and year, and a zodiacal ring (黄道环)shows the path of the sun and the moon through the sky. But, it is the astrolabe (星盘)that is the heart of the clock’s mechanical (机械的) operation. It tracks the position of the sun, the moon and stars, and has been a necessary tool for astronomers.

Over the centuries, the clock has been damaged and repaired, but, always returned to fully working order. Its longevity has inspired a number of sayings. One is that when the clock stops running, the Czech land will be thrown into war and privation (贫困). Another holds that who ever tries to affect the machine will die or go crazy.

Skala, who has been a clock master for 25 years, said he was honored when asked to take care of the Orloj eight years ago. Asked whether he believed the sayings, Skala smiled. “I didn’t believe the stories,” he said, “or else I would never be able to work on the clock.”

Over the last 100 years, many dinosaur egg fossils(化石)     1    (find), but finding one with a well-preserved embryo(胚胎) inside is extremely rare. A dinosaur embryo     2    (date) back to 66 million years ago was recently discovered in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province. The    3    (perfect) preserved fossil is helping researchers understand the link between modern birds and their dinosaur ancestors.

The egg,     4    was named “Baby Yingliang”, is placed in the Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum in Fujian Province. The creature     5    (measure) 27 centimeters from head to tail, and it lies inside a 17-centimeter-long egg. Its position within the egg indicates that these dinosaurs developed     6    birdlike position close to hatching, according to the study published in the journal iScience in 2021. 

Paleontologists believe it belongs to a toothless dinosaur     7    (call) Oviraptor. They had varied beaks(喙) and body sizes,     8    they can adopt a wide range of diets. Team member Steve Brusatte from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, told China Daily that this little dinosaur looks just like a baby bird in its egg, providing more evidence that many features of today’s birds first evolved in their ancestors.

Dinosaur embryos are some of the rarest fossils and most of them are incomplete with the bones dislocated. The embryo is preserved     9    great condition and helps us answer many questions about dinosaurs’     10    (grow).

Gulangyu Island, off the coast of Xiamen, Fujian, was certificated a world heritage site by UNESCO. Every year,     1     (million) of Chinese people visit Gulangyu Island     2     (enjoy) its natural delights and the     3     (combine) of foreign and Chinese architecture.

The recognition of this beautiful and     4     (cultural) remarkable island is     5     honor. But the fact that it is a heritage site means much more than that. The word “heritage” refers to the     6     (value) things we inherit from the past. And there are over 1,000 UNESCO’s world heritage sites,     7     (make) a rich tapestry (织锦) of memories, both natural and man-made. Just     8     a time machine, they take us back to our ancestors and even earlier, enabling us to wonder at both the natural world and human history.

Gulangyu Island and every world heritage item are worthy of care and protection. Since they came into existence, they     9     (remind) us of our rich and various cultural significance, and the things that made us     10     we are.