Li River, one of China’s most famous scenic areas, was listed     1     one of the world’s top ten watery wonders by National Geographic magazine.     2     was even considered one of the world’s 15 best rivers for travelers.

    3     (originate) in Mao’er Mountain in Xing’an county northeast of Guilin, Li River winds its way southeast for about 437 km, passing through Guilin, Yangshuo, Pingle, Zhaoping, and finally     4     ( meet) Xi River in Wulin. It boasts (拥有)the largest and most beautiful scenic area in China and attracts thousands of visitors each year.

The 83-km-long waterway from Guilin to Yangshuo is like a masterpiece. The landscape     5     (decorate) with rolling hills, steep cliffs, fantastic caves, as well as leisurely boats. A poem says, “The river is a green silk ribbon, and the hills are jade hair-pins”.

Cruising (航游) on Li River is always a     6     (please). You can breathe the fresh air, feel gentle breeze     7     appreciate the wonderful landscape on both sides of Li River. In spring,     8     (feel) the mizzle (细雨) fall onto their faces, tourists may stand on the front of a boat,     9     is truly a wonderful experience.

Mostly, the cruise starts from Zhujiang Wharf(码头). After about an     10     ( hour ) drive from Guilin city, a cruiser will then take you to Yangshuo, a beautiful ancient city, to start a wonderful journey.

Horse-face skirt, also known as “horse-faced pleated (有褶的) skirt”, is one of the main skirt     1     (style) of ancient Chinese women. It is not only a kind of clothing, but also a treasure of Chinese culture. Originating in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the horse-face skirt     2     (grow) popular during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) due to     3     (it) functionality and aesthetic (美学的) style. During the Ming Dynasty, deeply pleated versions of the skirt were     4     (extreme) popular. After the development of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the horse-face skirt has gradually become     5     unique dress style.

Today, designers skillfully combine traditional elements with modern design     6     (create) an amazing fashion work, which makes the horse-face skirt shine with new vitality. Wearing a horse-face skirt, as if stepping     7     the time tunnel of thousands of years, we can feel the ancient and mysterious charm. It carries the memory of history     8     conveys the feelings of the nation. In the eyes of experts and fashion industry insiders, traditional Chinese clothing,     9     (represent) by the horse-face skirt, is a significant symbol of Chinese civilization     10     has influenced western fashion for many years. Let’s enjoy the charm of horse-face skirt together, pass on the elegance of the treasure, and dazzle the world.

Dazhai, a village     1     (surround) by mountains on all sides in Guangxi's Longsheng autonomous county of various ethnic groups, which boasts around 66 square kilometers of terraced (梯田形的) fields that have been cultivated for around 2,300 years,     2     (attract) tens of thousands of visitors every year. Its terraced fields follow     3     landform of the mountains, at heights ranging from 300 to 1,200 meters above sea level. So far, from swiftly flowing river valleys to mist-covered mountains, dense forests and steep cliffs, wherever there is water and soil, terraces     4     (dig).

Those in Dazhai are important     5     (representative) of Longji terracing, a well-known type of terrace that can be found all over the county. The highest tier (层) has more than 1,100 levels,     6     (wind) from the foot of the mountain to the top, creating a magnificent landscape     7     resembles a staircase to the clouds. The largest terrace is no more than an acre     8     size, while the smallest only accommodates a handful of rice seedlings (秧苗).

Longji terraces are based on an environmental practice that focuses on harmony between humans and nature     9     the dynamic balance of forests and fields. They are not just beautiful landscapes but also carriers of Zhuang and Yao culture.

Longji terraces are an important model of ancient Chinese water     10     (manage) and agricultural civilization that has been passed down to the present day. Visitors can appreciate the way the Zhuang and Yao ethnic groups have farmed the terraces and how ancestral farming methods have been preserved.

The National Healthcare Security Administration said on Monday that the coverage of China’s basic medical insurance is stabilized at over 95percent. It also said that the quality     1     the system had continuously improved.

Data from the administration show that from 2003 to 2023, the government’s     2     (contribute) to basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents rose faster than the personal part,     3     offers further support for low-income households and other people in need.     4     (specific), if an ordinary resident is insured continuously from 2003 to 2023, the individual contribution is 2,640 yuan (about 371. 9 U. S. dollars),     5     (account) for about 30 percent of the total insurance expenses.

Throughout the years, a total of 744     6     (drug) have been added into the medical insurance catalog, and more than 80 percent of innovative drugs can     7     (include) within two years after entering the market. Currently, the compensation rate for inpatient medical bills     8     (cover) by basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents is about 70 percent. In 2023, individuals     9     (pay) 349.7 billion yuan of the total insurance expenses of basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents, while the government subsidy (补贴) was nearly 697.8 billion yuan. In this year’s government work report, the government committed to improve medical services with     10     patient-centered approach.

China’s “ice city” Harbin in Northeast Heilongjiang Province has definitely become a tourism hotspot,     1    （attract） millions of tourists from home and abroad. Beyond the attraction of ice and snow tourism, the lesser-known     2    （diverse） and rich cultures of local ethnic（民族的） minority groups have also been brought under the spotlight.

At the tourist-packed Central Street, a street famous     3     its Western architecture during different times in downtown Harbin, a group of Aoluguya Ewenki（敖鲁古雅鄂温克民族） people     4    （dress） in their ethnic costumes with seven reindeer（驯鹿） are singing their     5    （tradition） songs while walking down the street. Tourists crowd around them,     6    （excited） taking photos and videos.

The Aoluguya Ewenki is the only ethnic group in China     7     raises reindeer. According to media reports, sometimes people confuse the Ewenki people with the Oroqen people, one of     8     smallest ethnic groups in China. The Aoluguya Ewenki decided to take advantage of the opportunity of Harbin’s booming tourism industry     9    （show） their unique culture and identity to visitors from all over the country.

Since the Aoluguya Ewenki people’s public appearance, more and more local ethnic minority groups     10    （do） the same, with some from other parts of the nation even journeying to Harbin. “If you want to see China’s rich multi-ethnic cultures, you should come to Harbin now,” netizens state encouragingly on social media.

What is the secret of the charm of Yunnan Province? Beautiful scenery, rare plants and flowers, local specialties? These are all part of the answer,     1    they are definitely not everything.

Yunnan boasts not only fabulous natural landscapes, but also fascinating ethnic customs. Among the 25 ethnic groups of Yunnan, the Yi people have    2    unique culture, which over thousands of years     3    (develop) into colourful customs with distinctive features.

The Yi people adore tigers, fire and the colour black. Many festivals have developed from the ceremonies for     4    (worship) these objects. The Torch Festival is the most widely celebrated, with a very strong    5    (religion) element.

The Yi people, who call    6    (they) the “fire nationality”, think fire possesses a superhuman power which can drive away evil and frighten off ghosts.

During the festival, at the entrance to the villages, a grand “torch tower”, made of pine branches and dry firewood and    7    (stand) more than 20 meters high, is decorated with fresh flowers and fruits.

After dinner, as darkness casts its shadow, young and old rush    8    (enthusiastic) to the “torch tower” square.     9    such a brilliant night, all the participants are intoxicated(陶醉的) by the grand spectacle and the atmosphere of celebration.     10     (dress) in splendid costumes, young men and women sing and dance hand in hand around the bonfire to express their gratitude for a life of plenty and good wishes for the coming year.

What is archaeology?

It’s more than just digging and putting things in museum cases.

Archaeology tells the full story of humanity. Archaeology is the study of the human past. What, then, separates it from history? The key is that     1     history primarily uses the written word, archaeologists study the human past through things. Archaeologists use the material     2     (remain) of human societies in order to reconstruct everything.

Archaeologists use every kind of material that has survived into the present day, not just the things that you might expect, such as pottery and stone tools,     3     items such as animal bones and shells and even the microscopic silica deposits (phytoliths 植物化石) that plants produce, which can survive for centuries after plants die. Every tiny piece of evidence gives us     4     insight into how the world used to be, and how people lived, ate,     5     (interact), and constructed their landscape.

Archaeology ranges     6    the splendor of well-known wonders such as Stonehenge, the Terracotta Army and Machu Picchu, to     7     (small) but no less wonderful discoveries.

Archaeology’s relevance is not only in the past, though, it is a fundamental way of understanding the current state of the world.

It takes a huge workforce     8     (understand) the ancient world, people from all backgrounds     9     (work) together in different ways to build up a     10     (comprehend) picture of our shared past. The most known are those who work as field archaeologists.