A piece of fossil sponge (海绵) that formed during the early Cambrian period was recently discovered in Changde, Hunan Province.

The     1     (discover) fossil sponge can date back to 540 million years ago. It ranges around 4 centimeters in     2     (high) and 3.5 centimeters in width. Paleontologist (古生物学家) Zou Hesi told the Global Times that the size is giant for a sponge from that period of time.

“Sponges become bigger and bigger over time; another fossil piece     3     (date) back to around 300 million years ago was also recently discovered in Ireland, for example. It was about 50 centimeters,” Zou told the Global Times. Found near the Cliffs of Moher, the piece     4     (name) as “Cyathophycus balori”. It is so far the largest known fossil sponge in the world.

    5     4-centimeter Chinese piece was unearthed     6     (unexpected) during a field survey that local researchers were conducting in the Taoyuan District, Changde. Tong Guanghui, a research fellow at the Hunan Museum of Geology,     7     (tell) the media that the team found a piece of rock on their way     8     research destination in the town of Sanyanggang.

“So we stopped, and used a geological hammer     9     (examine) the piece. It was unearthed in such a complete condition,     10     made us all thrilled about the discovery,” said Tong.

The earliest Chinese kites     1     were made of wood were called muyuan (wooden kites) They date as far back as the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) at least two thousand years ago. After the     2     (invent) of paper, kites began to be made of this new material, paper, and this paper kite is called zhiyuan.

The method of making a kite can be divided into three parts. Firstly, use thin bamboo strips (条)     3     (make) a kite frame (框架), and according to taste, kites can have     4     (attract) shapes like a dragonfly, a swallow, a centipede or a butterfly. Secondly, glue paper onto the framework. The paper     5     (require) to be thin. Finally, decorate the kites     6     colorful paintings and ribbons.

Although the basic method remains the same, styles of kite making are presented     7     (different) in every place. The kites in the “World Kite Capital” of Weifang in Shandong Province are well known for     8     (they) fine materials, painting, sculpture and flexible flying movement. One of these kites, which was over 300 meters long and in the shape of a centipede with a dragon’s head, won the     9     (one) place in the International Kite Festival held in Italy. This kite is now shown in the Weifang Kite Museum. Every year, the World Kite Festival will be held there and is expected to draw many fans with a love for     10     (fly) kites.

4 . Walled Cities Of The World

There are numerous historical walled cities across the world, whose walls date back several centuries. These walls were fortification (碉堡), a necessity throughout medieval eras for defense. They have been preserved as historical monuments and popular tourist attractions in the modern time.

York, England

The city of York is a medieval city situated in the north of England. Historically, the city was ruled by the Romans, Angles, and the Vikings before being incorporated as part of the Kingdom of England in 954. Located in the city are walls built in 71 AD which have been restored and extended with time.

Xi’an, China

The city of Xian is one of the oldest cities in China. It prospered economically as the eastern last station of the Silk Road. The existing walls were originally built in 770 BC and reconstructed in the 14th century under the Ming Dynasty. The walls are well preserved and are a major tourist attraction in the city.

Quebec City, Canada

Quebec City was a colonial (殖民地的) town which was fortified by the settling Europeans. The walls began to be built in 1608 under both British and French regimes (政权). A fort was constructed by the British as an additional defensive measure and remains undamaged to date. The city’s fortifications were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Mexico City, Mexico

Historically, the City of Mexico gained importance as the Aztec Capital. The Spanish then drove out the Aztecs and rebuilt it as the Spanish Capital. The walls protecting the city were built in 1521. Mexico City is also home to numerous colonial-era buildings which together with the walls are major tourist attractions in the city.

6 . A huge fire broke out on 2 September 1666 in London. The fire, known as the Great Fire of London, was the worst fire in the history of London. It burned down more than three quarters of the old city.

The fire started in the very early hours of Sunday morning in the house of the king’s baker. A strong wind blew the fire from the baker’s house into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.

At that time, most of the buildings in London were made of wood, so it was easy for the fire to spread quickly. By eight o’clock, three hundred houses were on fire. By Monday, nearly a kilometre of the city was burning along the Thames River. On Tuesday, which was considered the worst day, the fire destroyed many well-known buildings, including the old St Paul’s Cathedral.

The fire burned until finally hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire were destroyed to create a firebreak. The fire then died out eventually with nothing left to burn.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is Alaska’s annual sporting event. The race starts in Anchorage and finishes about 1800km later in Nome,     1     is a small village on the west coast.

In the late 1800s, gold was discovered in many places throughout Alaska. And Iditarod became the     2     (large) place in Alaska with over 10,000 people calling it home. During the summer, the mail, people , and supplies were brought to Iditarod on boats. However, in the winter the rivers were covered with thick ice , and as     3     result, the only way in or out was by dog sled(雪橇).

The need for a winter transport link to and from Iditarod and the     4     (distance) goldfields meant that the dog sled trails(路线) were very important. They were     5     (careful) mapped and maintained. However, by the 1930s, these trails had fallen out of use as specially designed planes started supplying the remote settlements.

That’s when a local woman decided     6     (raise) awareness about the Iditarod trail and its    7     (important) to Alaska’s history. In 1967, she     8     (organize) a short race of about 40 km around the Anchorage area. After that, the race was gradually extended to the full 1800 km.

During the race, mushers(赶狗拉雪橇的人)and their teams of dogs have to brave freezing temperatures, terrible storms, and even dangerous wild animals. An average team will take twelve days to complete the race. These hardships are tough for both mushers     9     dogs , but they are one of the     10     (reason) why the Iditarod is so famous.

In the middle of the 19th century, the British were busy     1     (explore) the four corners of the world. Explorers would return in their sailing ships with stories of     2     (attract) places and people. They would also bring back samples(样本) of newly discovered animals and plants     3     had never been seen in the western world before. In 1840, gardens at Kew Park in southwest London were developed so these newly discovered plants could grow.     4     (make) them flourish (茁壮成长) in England’s cold and frosty weather, special buildings     5     (design) at that time, and they could maintain the correct heat and humidity(湿度). One was called the Temperate House.

Opened in 1863, the Temperate House was one of the very first     6     (glasshouse) to be built. It has been home to some of the rarest, most exotic(奇异的) and threatened plant species in the world. The Temperate House, whose walls are made from squares of glass,     7     (cover) 4,880 square metres. This allows the sunlight and     8     (warm) to flood in whenever the sun is shining. It was closed to the public in 2013 and 500 plants were taken out of the building and rehoused.     9     has taken over five years to replace much of the original iron and woodwork. The Temperate House has reopened now. The 500 plants that were taken out have been put back,     10     9,500 plants being added.

10 . Balmoral Castle

Balmoral Castle, which started in the late 1300s. is the private residence of the Queen. It has remained a favourite residence for the Queen and her family during August and September.

Some 85,000 people visit Balmoral each year, and the estate maintains and restores footpaths throughout the property for visiting hikers.

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world. The castle was the inspiration for the Royal family’s surname.

William the Conqueror built the castle in 1080 and it has remained a royal palace for over 900 years. Windsor is the oldest royal home in Britain and, covering 13 acres, it’s the largest castle in the world that is still lived in.

Each year, the Order of the Garter ceremony is held at Windsor Castle, and the Queen occasionally hosts a “dine and sleeps”, for politicians and public figures.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

Founded as a monastery (修道院）in 1128, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is The Queen’s official residence in Scotland. It was also the home of many Scottish royals.

The Queen holds receptions, state functions, and investitures(授职仪式）within its walls, and each year during Holyrood Week Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip invite 8» 000 Scottish guests to the Garden Party.

St. James Palace

St. James’s Palace was built between 1531 and 1536 and was home of kings and queens of England for over 300 years. The palace was built by Henry VU on the site of the Hospital of St. James, Westminster. After the destruction by fire of the Palace of Whitehall in 1698, all monarchs until William W lived at St. James's for part of the time.