Mao Zedong wrote a poem in 【小题1】 he dreamed of “Walls of stone to hold back clouds and rain till a smooth lake rises in the narrow gorges”. Now his dream has come true. The power of the Yangtze River, which is the world’s third 【小题2】 (long) river, has been harnessed by the Three Gorges Dam.

The dam is nearly 200 meters high. It is the largest hydro-electric power station and dam in the world and 【小题3】 (cost) more than any other construction project in history. Sun Yat-sen, 【小题4】 was the leader of the 1911 Revolution, first suggested the ides of a dam 【小题5】 the Yangtze River in 1919. Three quarters of China’s energy is produced by burning coal. In 1993, China used 1.2 billion tons of coal for heating and generating electricity. 【小题6】 (unfortunate), burning coal causes serious air 【小题7】 (pollute) and increases global warming. The dam will generate electricity equal 【小题8】 about 40 million tons of coal without causing so much air pollution.

The Three Gorges area is one of the most beautiful 【小题9】 (area) of China and the project has flooded some of China’s most famous historical sites, including the Qu Yuan Temple, the Han Watchtower and the Moya Cliff carvings. Besides, the reservoir has flooded 2 cities. But now the people who have moved from their homes are living 【小题10】 happy new life.

Dujiangyan is the oldest man-made water system in the world, and 【小题1】 wonder in the development of Chinese science. Built over 2,200 years ago in 【小题2】 is now Sichuan Province in Southwest China, this 【小题3】 (amaze) engineering achievement is still used today 【小题4】 (irrigate) over 6,000 square kilometres of farmland, take away floodwater and provide water for 50 cities in the province.

In the Warring States Period of ancient China, Li Bing, the 【小题5】 (govern) of Sichuan, found that the floods, happened frequently in the rainy season, and water storage was short during the dry season. Therefore, 【小题6】 (base) on the geographic features of the MinJiang River, and without doing any damage to the 【小题7】 (nature) environment, he built a special structure dam known as Dujiangyan to direct water and divert floods and sand. Thanks to the dam, the region would no longer be 【小题8】 (flood) during the rainy season, and water supply would be sufficient in the dry season.

Dujiangyan 【小题9】 (function) for more than 2,200 years. Even the earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 【小题10】 the Richter scale (里氏震级) in 2008, which happened near the dam, didn’t destroy it. Dujiangyan reflects the idea that the land water and people can live in harmony.

The Longji Rice terraces, 【小题1】 (build) by the local ethnic groups between Yuan Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty, have different colors in different seasons. Thousands of 【小题2】 (visit) are attracted to come here every year to admire this great wonder created by people and nature working together. The terraces could not only increase the areas where they could grow rice 【小题3】 catch the rainwater and prevent the soil from 【小题4】 (wash) away.

What is the most 【小题5】 (significance) is that people have worked in harmony with nature! The terraces are 【小题6】 (clever) designed. There are hundreds of waterways, along which rainwater 【小题7】 (move) down the mountains and into the terraces. The sun heats the water and turns it into gas, 【小题8】 forms clouds from which rain falls down onto the mountain terraces once again. These terraces also provide a perfect environment for birds and fish, some of which feed 【小题9】 insects that can harm the rice crops. Today, local people use modern methods 【小题10】 (maintain) the terraces, and they attract lots of visitors all over the country.