Xixi, located less than five kilometers from the West Lake in the west of Hangzhou, is China’s first national wetland park. The area covers about 10 square kilometers and it     1     (be) around for more than 1,500 years, although it was only recently reopened     2     (offer) visitors a chance to escape from the concrete of the city. Despite its growing popularity,     3     wetland’s winding waterways, thick greenery and wide     4     (variety) of wildlife guarantee its peaceful spots in nature.

Wetlands themselves are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems,     5     (act) as natural green lungs, water purification (净化) systems and flood control. But wetlands are     6     (serious) threatened by environmental pollution worldwide nowadays. More than 200square kilometers of wetland in the country have disappeared every year     7     average in the past decade, the China Institute for Marine Affairs warns. The wetlands of the Yellow and East China seas have lost up to 90 percent of their natural function, the institute reports,     8     makes the 226 plant species, 50 kinds of fish and aquatic (水生的) animals as well as 126 kinds of birds in Xixi even     9     (valuable).

Xixi’s native vegetation,     10     (water) by six crossing rivers, consists of subtropical mountainous swamp (沼泽) and evergreen forest.

Xu Xiake was born in 1587.     1     (he) parents were rich landowners. Yet he gave up a     2     (comfort) life, and decided to explore the mountains and rivers on foot.

China has more famous explorers. There was: Zhang Qian, who traveled into Central Asia during the second century BC, opening a trade road that became     3     is known as the Silk Road. Or Zheng He, the sailor who in the 15th century sailed as far away as Africa. Yet these explorations     4     (support) by governments. Xu was totally different.

“On the surface, Xu’s travels can neither be classified as great affairs of state     5     great adventures that changed the course of history,” writes cultural historian Cheng Pei-kai. “Xu travelled to satisfy his own     6     (curious).”

Scholar Julian Ward agrees, describing the lonely Chinese wanderer like the Middle Kingdom’s version of John Muir: “Deep in love with nature and eager to find freedom     7     worldly concerns, Xu was a man addicted to     8     (see) and describing the landscape.”

“The few coins     9     (slip) from a hole in my pocket while I was climbing a mountain in Yunnan. When I finally managed to the town, I sold all my clothes, bought myself a bottle of wine and a good dinner     10     (celebrate) my survival,” the dreamy explorer wrote in his diaries, which mix details of geology, geography and botany with such personal travel experiences.

Chinese comedienne and actress Jia Ling, known for her bubbly persona and her bright smile,     1     (be) pretty low-key in the past year-and-a-half. The plus-sized star recently revealed that she was losing weight for    2     upcoming role during her gap time.

Jia Ling has lost 100 kilograms for her new movie YOLO. From the exposed photos, Jia Ling looks like a    3     (whole) different person. In the early teasers for YOLO,     4     follows a complete homebody who takes up boxing, audience caught glimpses of Jia Ling's dedication    5     her role as a boxer. However, it wasn’t until the movie's release    6    viewers truly got to witness the extent of her transformation.

This version of Jia Ling is both familiar and unfamiliar. She still has that familiar dimple smile, but now she possesses strength and resilience that she has never had before. Her defined abdominal muscles are clear and beautiful, making     7     hard to imagine that this is the same Jia Ling we once knew.

    8     (slim) down from 100kg to 50 kg can’t be achieved overnight. Jia Ling has proven through her actions that if you can't bear the pain of discipline, you will have to accept the mediocrity of yourself. She is unwilling to settle for mediocrity and has chosen to challenge herself,     9     (determine) to exchange sweat and effort for her glamorous transformation today. Her path to success has been filled with hardships and challenges, but she has never given up on her demands and pursuits for herself.

She shows us through her actions that regardless of the circumstances, as long as you have determination and    10     (perseverant), you can definitely achieve success. She not only brings us laughter and touches our heart but also conveys a positive and uplifting energy.

Some people might be of the opinion that heritages    1     (be) not necessary in the modern world. Maybe for some people they aren’t, but for most of us, being able to explore our heritages gives us many    2     (benefit).

Personal heritages can serve as connection with our past. For example, we might have some of the toys that belonged    3    our ancestors. As a part of our families’ heritages, they are important because they tell us where we come from.

It is true that knowing our personal heritage doesn’t    4     (full) define us. However, it can help us find our starting point in life. It can even help us find out the direction in which we wish to go. For example, if we happen to have people in our families    5    have done great things, we might find that we want to further    6     (they) achievements.

Understanding the cultural heritages, such as homegrown music styles, widely    7     (celebrate) festivals and unique cooking methods, allows us    8     (identify) with other communities that have a similar background. Cultural heritages can actually provide us with a sense of belonging and unity within a group. In a sense, the more globalized the world becomes,    9    more important it is not to lose forever these    10     (tradition) roots (根).

The recent hit in China is all about Harbin, Helongjiang. Numerous netizens have expressed their longing for this northern ice city,     1     (enthusiastic) declaring, “Harbin, I’m coming!”

Among those highlights,     2     journey of 11 kids from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has melted hearts across the Internet. Chinese netizens have been eagerly following their adventures online.

Fondly (深情地)     3     (describe) as “Little Tangerines (柑橘)” for their orange-colored coats, the kids also visited China’s northernmost town,     4     they sang the national anthem. The firefighters there had prepared snow sculptures and snowmen, eagerly expecting the     5     (arrive) of the “Little Tangerines”. Mr. Liang, the leader of the group, confirmed their coming in Mohe.

This study tour, under the spotlight of the entire Internet,     6     (draw) a lot of attention. The parents are grateful for the concern shown by netizens and the care provided by friends in the Northeast China. They feel more     7     ease with everyone’s collective support.

    8     was reported that the residents organized a fleet of about 300 private vehicles,     9     (provide) free rides to tourists. Despite the city’s freezing climate, its residents work diligently     10     (create) a warm environment for their guests.

Zhang Jiacheng has lived his life in a village for more than sixty years. Zhang spends his days     1     (look) after his apple farm. His work is     2     (entire) physical, including planting and watering trees and picking fruit. Now his work, though, is sort of different from the one     3     it used to be: Livestreaming (直播).

When I visit Zhang’s land in mid-September,     4     66-year-old farmer is preparing to pick up apples in his fields. The branches (树枝)of his apple trees     5       (weigh) down by red delicious fruit.They can produce 30,000 kilograms of apples each year.

    6       (help) the villagers make their fortune, the government began offering free courses in 2013 to teach villagers how to use the internet to enlarge their businesses. Over 20,00 people have attended     7     (class) covering different topics from e-business to livestreaming.

“Before taking the livestreaming class, I was making 4,000 to 5,000 yuan per year,” Zhang says. “Now,     8     makes me excited is that I can earn 200,000 yuan each year.”

To be frank, the change is     9     (surprise) and tells us the advantages of using technology to connect farmers in the country and other workers with more people.

Now, using social media such as Taobao’s livestreaming, Pinduoduo, Douyin, these workers can help sell their crops across the country, which contributes     10     the developing of the villages.

Zu Ti of the Jin Dynasty was a man who had with great ambition. When he was young, he had a good friend     1     (name) Liu Kun. They had such a deep friendship     2     they stayed together every day and got up at the same time every morning.

One day, when they were sleeping. Zu Ti heard the rooster crowing (鸡鸣) . He woke up Liu Kun and said, “How about     3     (get) up to play swords (剑) as soon as we heard the rooster crowing from now on?” Liu Kun was still     4     (sleep) . But he agreed with him     5     (joyful) . From then on, they got up and played swords once the rooster began crowing. They kept their word and never gave up no matter     6     cold in winter or hot in summer. Hard work     7     (pay) off. After a long period of hard study and training, they finally became the all-rounder. And they both did excellent jobs to their country.

The idiom “to rise with the rooster” teaches us that with ambition and hard work,     8     (succeed) is possible. When we can discover our shortcomings     9     time, it is not too late to try. But if you are not willing     10     (work) hard, you will not be able to achieve a career after all.

Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park in Gansu is the best representative of China’s colorful Danxia landform. With a wide     1     (various) of landforms, this enormous park covers     2     area of 510 square kilometres.     3     (extend) along the northern part of Qilian Mountain in west China, it was said to be part of The Great Silk Road. At one time, Marco Polo arrived in China through this area.     4     (former) a provincial park and scenic area, it     5     (become) a national geopark in November 2011.

The site is characterized by amazing landforms, including     6     (drama) natural towers, deep valleys and impressive waterfalls. These landscapes have helped to conserve broad-leaved evergreen forests, and host many flowers and plants, about 400 of     7     are considered to be rare or     8     (threaten).

The most representative spots in the park such as the Seven-color Screen and the Colorful Sunset look like a rainbow hanging in the distance. However, scenes are totally different on the edge of the hills. The colors there turn into yellow and grey like shells in the sun. Scenes are even more breathtaking     9     sunrise and sunset when lights and shadows     10     (cast) on the hills paint this region with unique beauty.

Harmony is a core value of China’s Hehe culture, which is    1     (wide) appreciated in modern Chinese society.

The term “Hehe” (和合)     2     (consist) of two Chinese characters that have the same pronunciation but different meanings: the first means harmony, and the second means convergence. In short, Hehe culture involves    3     (seek) common ground while reserving differences, and it means harmonious coexistence and coordinated development. Liuchixiang, a 2-meter-wide alley in Anhui’s Tongcheng City, is a location in China    4    has its own story of harmony.

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi over 300 years ago, high-ranking official ZhangYing received    5    letter from his family in Tongcheng, his hometown. In their letter, they told Zhang that they had quarreled    6    property boundaries with their neighbor, Wu, and asked for help.

Zhang replied to their letter with a poem: “A letter is written, just for a wall.     7    it moves a meter, what harm is done? The Great Wall still stands tall today, yet    8    (go) is its builder, Emperor Qinshihuang.”

Enlightened by his reply, the Zhang family decided    9     (bring) their walls back by approximately one meter. Deeply moved by their generosity, the Wu family also brought their walls back by a meter, and the two households created a 2-meter-wide alley between their homes for passersby.

The alley is now a popular    10     (attract) that is traversed daily by locals.

Whenever you have to write a paper, a letter, or any other document for work or school, you probably head toward the computer. Now, most people reach for     1     (keyboard) faster than they pick up pens. In a Scottish primary school, however, Mr. Norman Lewis is taking a different approach. He feels that neat handwriting     2     (be) still an important skill, so he has his students write not only by hand but also     3     old fashioned fountain pens.

Fountain pens     4     (use) in schools long ago and have been regaining popularity lately because they are refillable. Today, a writer     5     (simple) throws an empty pen away and gets     6     new one.

So far, Mr. Lewis is pleased with the results of his experiment. He reports that his students are taking more care with their work, and their self-confidence has improved as well. He is happy with the     7     (improve) he sees in his students’ writing     8     in his own writing. He knows that computers are here     9     (stay) and that they will not disappear. However, he believes that the practice with fountain pens helps students to focus, to write faster, and they can feel proud of     10     (they).