Dunhuang, an oasis (绿洲) in the Taklamakan Desert, used to be a major stop along the Silk Road, but is now mainly a fascinating tourist destination.

Those interested     1     Dunhuang’s colorful history will be attracted by the Mogao Caves, one of the city’s main attractions. The entrance to each cave     2     (block) by a locked door, which can only be opened by expert guides. Behind these doors are caves of all     3     (size) — from very small to absolutely huge. The caves contain thousands of priceless manuscripts and silk paintings, which, upon their discovery, drew much     4     (attend) to the area.

Also, there are few things as special as walking across the desert oasis at sunrise.     5     (catch) this incredible scene, you must rise early. It’s bitterly cold. But as the sun rises atop the golden dunes (沙丘) and paints a     6     (true) picturesque scene, all your efforts pay off. Sunset is a popular time for a camel ride. Get off the camels     7     walk up a rather steep dune overlooking Crescent Lake. From this position,     8     (regard) as the best one, the incredible sunset is awe-inspiring.

No trip to Dunhuang is complete without visiting the Dunhuang Museum,     9     it’s possible to put all of the city’s historical sites into proper historical context. The museum is expansive,     10     (contain) many original artworks. Here, you are bound to be amazed by Dunhuang’s rich culture.

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).

A 10-year-old boy, Vidyun R Hebbar, has won a prestigious (有声望的) international wildlife photography competition for his shot of a spider     1     (make) its web in the light of a passing tuk tuk. The fifth grader,     2     started taking photographs at the age of three, lives in Bengaluru and     3     (enjoy) capturing (捕捉) everyday city creatures that are often overlooked. He found this tiny tent spider, with a leg span of less than 15 mm, in its web in     4    gap in a wall at the local theme park. A passing tuk tuk provided the     5    (color) backdrop to set off the spider’s web, a network of tangled threads that formed a dome and made it difficult for prey (猎物)     6    (escape).

You never know where that award-winning image is going to come from. “The judges loved this photo from the beginning of the judging process,” said Dr. Natalie Cooper. “It is a great reminder to look more     7    (close) at the small animals we live     8     every day, and to take your camera with you everywhere.”

Vidyun     9     (win) at the age of 10. His photograph also earned him the overall title of Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year, which is open to     10     (photograph) aged up to18. The famous awards celebrate the beauty of our natural world, including habitats, animal behaviour and extraordinary species.

The 38th Qinhuai Lantern Festival Lights Up China

On the evening of February 2, the 2024 “Light Up China” event, the 38th annual China Qinhuai Lantern Festival lighting ceremony,     1    (begin) at the Bailuzhou Park in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. The Qinhuai Lantern Festival,     2     is also known as the “Jinling Lantern Festival”, is a folk cultural activity spread in Nanjing in history. It is usually held during the Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival every year. It is the most famous lantern festival in China and it is included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.

With the Bailuzhou Park, the Confucius Temple Scenic Area and the Laomendong District serving     3     main display venues, this year’s Qinhuai Lantern Fair has set up 7 exhibition areas with 330 lantern installations.

    4    (compare) to previous years’ lantern festivals, one of the major highlights this year is the remarkable “the Year of the Dragon” theme. For instance, at the front of the Linxing Gate of the Confucius Temple in Nanjing, the lantern display features twin dragons winding around pillars, blowing out dragon pearls, symbolizing auspiciousness (吉祥) and reunion. Meanwhile, the Bailuzhou Park takes     5    (inspire) from the “Illustration of Lanterns in the Shangyuan Festival” as its creative theme, showing     6     total of 68 sets of lanterns in various sizes and forms, recreating the splendid scene of observing lanterns during the Ming dynasty as described in the ancient artworks.

The Lantern Festival in Nanjing this year not only celebrates the traditional customs of the Lunar New Year but also highlights the city’s cultural heritage and     7    (innovation) spirit, drawing visitors from across the nation     8    (participate) in the joyous celebrations.

A local elderly person said to a news reporter     9    (proud), “It has the reputation of No. 1 Lantern Festival in the world and the Qinhuai Lantern Festival     10    (be) the best in the world. It is the only large-scale comprehensive lantern festival in China that integrates lantern exhibitions, lantern festivals and lantern markets.”

The Wandering Earth is China’s biggest sci-fi film to date.    1    (direct) by Frant Gwo of My Old Classmate and starring Wu Jing of Wolf Warrior 1 and 2, The Wandering Earth was one of    2    most anticipated films of 2019. The film is based on a short story by Liu Cixin,    3     flagship work The Three Body Problem was     4    (original) supposed to receive the cinematic treatment before production issues shelved the movie.

The film    5     (release) on Feb. 5, 2019. It is set in a future Earth, whose inhabitants prepare to escape from the solar system as the sun expands into a red giant phase,    6    (threaten) to engulf (吞没) Earth in flames. As the expanding sun changes the climate of the earth, the governments of the world unite    7    the leadership of the UN Security Council to build massive engines to push the planet out of the solar system and towards nearby Proxima Centauri. At the same time, the    8     ( resident) of Earth move to underground cities for the thousands-year-long transit.

However, just as the Earth begins on    9     (it) journey across the galaxy, it gets trapped in the gravity well of Jupiter—after which it’s up to Wu Jing’s character Liu Peiqiang, his father, his son, his adopted daughter, and a number of Chinese soldiers and scientists    10     (save) the world.

Figure skating     1     (come) a long way since its beginning. Back in the 18^th century in the UK, the sport was popular among the people in the highest social class.     2     (gradual), more skating enthusiasts from Germany, the United States and Canada     3     (follow) suit. In the 1860s, Jackson Haines,     4     US ballet dancer and skater, used more artistic moves to make the sport less formal, earning him the title of “the father of modern figure skating”.

Skaters wearing eye-catching trousers, tights or skirts perform     5     (vary) movements. Skaters can compete     6     individuals, pairs or groups. Skaters need to complete two components; short program and free skate.

Figure skating requires the athletes to focus on both technical and performance     7     (aspect) of skating. “A really good skater needs to be able to look effortless when they perform their elements. Without     8     (strong), courage and years of practice, it’s really hard     9     (achieve) that goal and make an emotional connection with audience.” Olympic gold medalist and US retired skater Scott Hamilton told CNN. “And that’s     10     I liked about it.”