Next week, I’ll be traveling to Australia to visit a friend over the school holidays and I’m excited to explore this new country. I’ve already researched many iconic sites , 【小题1】 (include) the Sydney Opera House and the Great Ocean Road, and animals like koalas and kangaroos. But as a social study student, 【小题2】 interests me most is experiencing the culture, food, and way of life of Australians and meeting new people. So far, my trip 【小题3】 (take) me to Sydney, where my friend took me to my first open-air barbecue and introduced me to many of the country’s delicious dishes. I’ve learned that many 【小题4】 (type) Australian foods, like the Sunday roast, have British origins, but Asian influences have also led to new food introductions like bean curd and dim sim. I have traveled to Katherine as well , a town in Australia’s Northern Territory, 【小题5】 (learn )about the customs and ways of life of the Aborigines, the native people of Australia. 【小题6】 their population may be small, their influence is still visible, as seen in the Aboriginal meaning of the name of Bondi Beach. The Aborigines’ close connection with nature is seen in their music, like the didgeridoo, which 【小题7】 (make) from a hollow tree branch and requires proper lip vibrations and air blowing techniques to play. I tried playing the didgeridoo but failed. As my trip comes to 【小题8】 close, I am most impressed by the multicultural influences that have shaped the unique Australian culture 【小题9】 (contribute) by immigrants and minorities. The warmth and 【小题10】 (friendly) of the Australian people have made me feel at home and I wholeheartedly agree with the tourism slogan, “There’s nothing like Australia”.

Yellow Crane Tower, 【小题1】 is one of the most renowned towers in the southern area of the Yangtze River, has been located on the top of Snake Mountain for 【小题2】(century) with its highest point lifted into the sky, overlooking a large number of boats on the Yangtze River. White clouds float 【小题3】(gentle) around the tower.

Its cultural significance led to its 【小题4】(make) the symbol of Wuhan city. This excellent architecture 【小题5】(date) back to the Three Kingdoms Period. Due to the ideal location, it was built by Sun Quan, King of Wu, 【小题6】 a watchtower for his army.

During the Tang Dynasty (618— 907) , many popular poems 【小题7】(write) in praise of the tower. These poems endeared(使受喜爱) the tower to the people. It stands 51.4 meters high. The tower’s 【小题8】(appear) is the same regardless of the direction it is viewed from. The roof is covered by 100, 000 yellow glazed tiles(琉璃瓦). With yellow upturned eaves(屋檐), each floor seems to be designed 【小题9】 (look) like a yellow crane spreading its wings as if about to fly.

From the top of the tower, visitors are treated to a wonderful bird’s-eye view of the Yangtze River 【小题10】 the surrounding buildings of Wuhan.

Last December my mother and I 【小题1】(fly) to London. The first thing we did was to go on a bus sightseeing tour.

This is the best way to see all the sights and learn all about the history of a city. By the time the tour was over it was dark. The Christmas lights were very colorful. And 【小题2】 really impressed me was how so many people made 【小题3】(they) way home through the heavy traffic on bicycles. I was looking forward to spending the next day in Oxford Street with all its 【小题4】(amaze) shops. And what 【小题5】 experience that was! We bought a ticket for the underground and could go everywhere very quickly.

We spent all morning shopping and admiring the Christmas displays inside the shops and out in the streets. Then we went to a wax museum 【小题6】(call) Madame Tussauds (杜莎夫人蜡像馆), which had a lot of wax 【小题7】(figure) of famous people. My mother took a picture of me 【小题8】(stand) between Prince Charles and Prince Harry. From there we took a taxi to Buckingham Palace, the home of the two princes, to watch The Changing of the Guard but 【小题9】(fortunate) we couldn’t really see well as there were thousands of tourists waiting 【小题10】(take) photos of the ceremony.