Cities are    1     (excite) and wonderful places to live. I have always enjoyed     2     (live) in them, as there is so much     3     (do) and see. There are museums, cinemas, theatres, art galleries, parks, clubs and many other places where people can meet and exchange     4     (idea). But there are times     5     I need the peace and quiet of the countryside. Cities are     6     (interest), and they can be beautiful,     7     they are never beautiful in the way that the countryside is. By this I mean that they do not have the     8     (beautiful) of nature, trees and hills, lakes and streams. I love cities, but sometimes I need to get out into the countryside. I think that there     9     (be) many people who feel     10     same way.

8 . For six hundred years, the Tower of London’s most exotic (异域风情的) prisoners were animals.

The Menagerie (动物园) began as a result of kings exchanging rare and strange animals as gifts. In 1235, Henry III was delighted to be presented with three wildcats by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. These inspired him to start a zoo at the Tower. Henry’s ‘wildcats’, although described as leopards, were probably lions. These are the ancestors of the three lions that still appear on the England football team’s shirts today.

In 1252 the lions were joined by a white bear probably a polar bear — given by the King of Norway. In 1255, the King of France sent the first elephant ever seen in England and people flocked together to see the novel (新奇的) sight. Sadly, the elephant died two years later.

Poor treatment and cramped conditions meant many of the animals did not survive for long. But the Menagerie continued to grow. Edward I created a permanent new home for the Menagerie at the western entrance to the Tower in what became known as the Lion Tower. The terrifying sounds and smells of wild animals must have both impressed and scared visitors.

By 1622, the collection had been extended to include three eagles, two pumas, a tiger and a jackal, as well as lions and leopards, who were the main attractions.

However, the end of the Menagerie came in the 1830s. Campaigners had begun to raise concerns, and the animals were expensive, occasionally dangerous and a nuisance to the guardsmen. The Duke of Wellington sent 150 of the beasts to a new zoo in Regent’s Park, today’s London Zoo.

Despite Alfred Cops’s best efforts to carry on, several further incidents including an escaped wolf and a monkey that bit a guardsman’s leg convinced King William IV to shut down the Menagerie for good in 1835. The remaining animals were sold to zoos and travelling shows and the Lion Tower was later pulled down.

9 . A national park is an area set aside by a government for the preservation of the natural environment. The national parks in the United States and Canada center on the protection of both land and wildlife.     1     And those in Africa primarily protect animals.

It is widely thought that the idea of a park or nature reserve under state ownership started in the United States in 1870.     2     Yosemite, Sequoia, and General Grant National Parks were established in the United States in 1890. And the U. S. National Park Service (NPS)was created in 1916 to manage the parks.     3     In addition to national parks, the system included national preserves, seashores, historic parks and sites and so on.

Partly following the American example, movements supporting national parks sprang up in many other countries.     4     . And Canada set up its first three national parks in the mid-1880s. The establishment of modern national parks and nature reserves gained momentum (动力)only after World War I or, in some cases, after World War II in Europe. Great Britain established the administrative machinery for both national parks and nature reserves in 1949.     5    

But interest in parks came later in Asia and Latin America than it did in the Anglo-American countries and Europe.

10 . Whether you like history or simply learning something new, these four museums are worth paying a visit to.

Located in New York, the Tenement Museum showcases the stories of the immigrants and migrants (移民) who came to America between the 1860s and the 1980s. See how they pursued the “American dream.” Their determination and endless desire to carve out a better life not only reflects the depths of the human spirit, but also how America came to be the country it is today.

Located in Washington, D.C., the National Museum of the American Indian contains one of the world’s largest collections of native artifacts (手工艺品), photographs and documents. Featuring both ongoing and temporary exhibits, the museum documents many ways American Indians integrated into American history and culture.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson features eight galleries filled with interactive exhibits that tell the stories of black Mississippians and their fight for equality from 1945 to 1976. You’ll hear the stories of Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Vernon Dahmer, and you’ll also hear about many men, women and children who fought to be recognized as equals. Artifacts include a “colored” entrance sign, the gun used to shoot Evers, a burned cross, and a button from the 1966 March Against Fear.

In New Orleans’ No. 1 attraction, the National WWII Museum, visitors can see why World War II was fought, explore key moments such as D-Day and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and put themselves in the shoes of those who had to make difficult decisions during the war. You even can take a 4D journey through the war in “Beyond All Boundaries.”