The Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It     1     (build) originally to protect the city     2     the Tang dynasty and has now been completely restored (修复). It is possible       3     (walk) or bike the entire 14 kilometers.

We accessed the wall through the South Gate. The wall is 12 meters high and from here you can see streams of people moving inside and outside the City Wall.

After     4     (spend) some time looking at all the defensive equipment at the wall, we decided it was time for some action and what     5     (good) than to ride on a piece of history!

We     6     (hire) our bikes from the rental place at the South Gate. My bike was old and shaky     7     did the job. It took us about 3 hours to go all     8     way around the Xi’an City Wall. Supposedly you can do it in two hours, but we stopped at the different gates and     9     (watchtower) to take pictures or just to watch the local people going about their     10     (day) routines.

It doesn’t impress like George Washington’s plantation on the Potomac, but Lincoln’s home in downtown Springfield, Illinois,     1     （prove）irresistible to visitors since it opened to the public. Beautifully restored（修复）to its 1860 appearance, the house was Abraham and Mary Lincoln’s home for 17 years. In 1844 they bought it     2     $1,200 and some land from Charles Dresser, who performed their     3     （marry）ceremony in 1842.

When the house was built, it was much     4     （small）than it is today. Mary’s niece wrote, “The little home     5     （paint）white.” It was sweet and fresh. Mary loved it. She was extremely pretty, and her house was a reflection of     6     （she）, everything in good taste and in perfect order.

Although Mary loved flowers,     7     she nor her husband was known as a gardener. A long- time neighbor said they never planted trees and only kept a garden for one year. Mary’s sister, Frances Todd Wallace, often came over     8     （plant）flowers in the front yard.

    9     Lincolns enlarged the house to a full two-story in 1856 to meet the needs of their growing family. Three of the four Lincoln sons were born here. After Lincoln was elected President of the US in 1861, they rented the house and     10     （sell）most of their furniture.

The home of the future won't be     1    (complete) different and we will be living in houses and flats just as we do today.     2    (build) in different shapes, no two homes will look the same. People will be able to buy “house kits” containing a basic house structure, with adjustable walls, doors and windows. They will put together the different parts     3     (create) the home they want.

Space holidays will develop in the future, but these holidays won't be for everyone because they are     4     (expensive) than holidays on the earth. Short space trips will develop first, then the space hotels will go around the earth     5    it will be possible to have a longer vacation. By     6    end of the next century, there will be holiday centres on the moon with leisure facilities for families.

According to the laws of physics, the earth is going to    7    ( appear) some time in the future. This isn't going to happen tomorrow but scientists predict that it will happen in five billion years when our sun    8    (explode).     9     a result,we will have to explore the universe and find another home. At some point in the distant future, either we stay on the earth and die with it,or we leave and move to another planet. There won't be any other    10    (choose).

Columbus was born in a port city of Italy in 1451. As a teenager, he loved sailing and showed great interest in geography,     1     encouraged him to begin his career as a seaman.

Columbus insisted on searching for a direct sea route to the East Indies     2     sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. After continuous efforts, he received support from the King and Queen of Spain. On 3 August 1492, he set off from Spain with three ships     3     (carry) about 90 sailors. Regardless of many challenges he met with on the voyage, Columbus managed     4     (keep) everyone out of danger with his knowledge and bravery across the ocean and     5     (final), on 12 October, people on the ships     6     (spot) land in the distance. Columbus called the natives living on the islands Indians because he believed that he was in the East Indies,     7     actually the place they had reached was America.

Between 1493 and 1504, Columbus found more land later. His major     8     (contribute) is that he “discovered” the New World and     9     (he) discovery encouraged explorers such as Captain James Cook to explore and discover more vast areas of the world. His voyages opened     10     new chapter of the Age of Exploration, a period which saw many important geographical findings. This period also allowed for an international exchange of ideas and cultures.