The Great Wall of China with a total length of over 5,000 kilometers is one of the greatest     1     (wonder) of the world. The Great Wall starts from Jiayuguan in Gansu Province in west China and     2     (end) at Hushan Mountain in Liaoning Province in     3     east. The Great Wall stretches from west to east like a giant loong,     4     (wind) its way across mountains, through deserts and over valleys. It was built continuously over more than 2,000 years originally     5     (protect) the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by     6     (vary) nomadic(游牧的)groups. One of the most famous is the wall     7     was built between 220-206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains, and the majority of the existing wall     8     (build) during the Ming Dynasty.

The Great Wall is not only a brick wall, but also one of the world’s greatest historical architectural works. It played a significant role     9     Chinese history. The Great Wall has been a symbol of Chinese civilization,     10     it has become one of the most famous scenic spots in China, attracting tourists from all over the world.

Later, the Ming Dynasty     1     developed relations with these regions. Between 1405 and 1433, seven large fleets sailed west on voyages of trade and exploration. These fleets were a sight to behold and were in a     2     of their own at that time. …African     3     families sent gifts such as giraffes as gestures of friendship in return for gold, silk, and spices. Although China     4     from further expeditions after 1433, these land and sea routes remained active     5     between other, cultures for centuries.

To write his own medical text, Li Shizhen referenced over 800 medical texts, countless books on history and geography, and works of literature. He even studied the complete works of many ancient poets, from     1     he selected a surprising number of verses about medicine. However, the greatest issue he encountered was the widespread     2    (inconsistent) in the use of drug names. Realising the importance of field research outweighed     3    of extensive reading, in 1565 Li travelled far and wide into the mountains and wilderness. He covered what are today’s provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu, and many other places.

After over a decade of field research, Li     4    (successful) completed the first draft of his masterpiece, Bencao Gangmu, or the Compendium of Materia Medica in 1578. He revised     5     work at least three times right up until his death in 1593.

Since its first publication in 1596, the book     6    (receive) world-wide recognition. British naturalist Charles Darwin acknowledged the book     7     an “ancient Chinese encyclopedia.” In 2011, the book    8    (list) on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. In 2017, an international conference was held in Beijing     9    (celebrate) Li’s 500th birthday.

Today, there are a     10    (grow) number of international exchanges centering on Li Shizhen and his book, and many people around the world can still find the wisdom of human development in this ancient classic.

One sunny day in the late spring of 353, a party took place with 40-some poets, scholars, and artists     1     (play) a drinking game by a river in Lanting, or the “Orchid Pavilion”, a hilly southwestern suburb of Shaoxing. They floated cups of wine in the flow of the stream.     2     the cup stopped in front of a guest, he had to compose a poem.

A total of 37 poems     3     (write) that day, but it was the foreword to the poetry collection by famed calligrapher Wang Xizhi, titled “Preface to the Poems Collected from the Orchid Pavilion”, that made this party one of the best     4     (know) in Chinese literary history. In 324 words, Wang described the event while expressing his passion     5     life. The naturally-flowing strokes, a product of his outstanding skills and the     6     (inspire) of the moment have led the “Preface” to be regarded     7     (wide) as the best semi-cursive calligraphy(行书) work ever.

Today, visitors can go to the “Orchid Pavilion” area,     8     elegant garden complex on the former site of the party,     9     includes a calligraphy museum, a pavilion, and a pond, all     10     (surround) by thick bamboo forests. In downtown Shaoxing-a world of alleyways, green canals, ancient bridges and graying whitewashed houses, one can also visit a number of scenery sites connected with Wang’s stories from his time there.

10 . Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed a Sphinx statue (狮身人面像) with a smiley face near the Hathor Temple, one of the country’s best preserved ancient sites. The smiling Sphinx is much smaller than the famous Sphinx in Giza, which is 20 metres high. The stone work of art, believed to be a stylized representation of an ancient Roman emperor, was found inside a two-level tomb near the temple in southern Egypt.

Next to the beautifully and accurately carved Sphinx, researchers had found a Roman stone written in hieroglyph (象形文字). Once fully translated, the stone may unveil the identity of the sculpted ruler, who could be Emperor Claudius.

The smiling Sphinx is among a series of discoveries announced over the past few months. The country has uncovered major archaeological discoveries in recent months, primarily in the Saqqara cemetery (墓地) south of Cairo as well as in Giza, home to the only surviving structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Recently, Egypt announced the discovery of a hidden nine-metre passage inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, which may lead to the actual burial room of pharaoh (法老) Khufu, or Cheops. Further south, in Luxor, archaeologists had discovered a 1,800-year-old complete residential city from the Roman times.

Hathor Temple, about 500 kilometres south of the capital Cairo, was home to the Dendera Zodiac, a heavenly map which has been displayed at the Louvre in Paris for more than a century. Since Frenchman Sebastien Louis Saulnier took it out of the temple in 1922, Egypt has been attempting to get it back.

Some experts see such announcements as having more political and economic weight than scientific, as Egypt is counting on tourism to revive its vital tourism industry in a severe economic crisis. The government aims to draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028.