Since 1972, more than 800 cultural sites that are thought to be of special importance to human history and culture【小题1】(add) to the World Heritage Site List. The Taj Mahal in India and the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China are two of the best known【小题2】(example).

The Taj Mahal,【小题3】 was built between 1631 and 1648, is【小题4】(obvious) a masterpiece of architecture. It took more than 20, 000 workers and 1,000 elephants【小题5】(complete) the project. Building a Taj Mahal was a labour of love. It was built in memory of the emperor's beloved wife. If the Taj Mahal is a【小题6】(celebrate) of the heart, then the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are【小题7】monument to the mind and spirit.【小题8】(build) by several emperors between 1368 and 1915, the Imperial Tombs represent Chinese cultural and historical values.

Human life lasts only a short time【小题9】art and culture last forever. The UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites programme attempts to preserve the best of human history. Masterpieces such as the Taj Mahal and the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties remind us【小题10】what we can achieve at our finest, and inspire us to live up to our great past in the future.

Yuelu Academy is one of the “Four Best Academies in the whole country”. It 【小题1】 (be)well-known since Song Dynasty.

Located at Hunan University in Yuelu Region Changsha County, Yuelu Academy, 【小题2】 has a three-kilometer distance to the downtown, is listed as the national AAAA scenic area, national key Scenic Spot, national civilized tourism demonstration site and important heritage site under state 【小题3】 (protect). The floor space of the academy is more than 31,000 m² and the construction area 【小题4】 (reach) 11,000 m².

During 【小题5】 (it) thousand years, Yuelu Academy has been much popular for the famous people it has fostered (培养). 【小题6】 1916 and 1919, young Mao Zedong lived at the Banxue Room in Yuelu Academy several times to work on the revolutionary activities in seek of the truth of 【小题7】 (save) the Chinese people. From then on, a number of Yuelu 【小题8】 (teacher) and students set themselves to the revolutionary work in the new democracy and caused a profound and everlasting influence to Chinese history.

In addition, the academy is also 【小题9】 (real) famous for the elegance of the environment and beauty of the architecture. Nowadays, it serves as 【小题10】 ancient heritage museum for demonstrating the ancient academy education and architectural style.

Those who haven’t been to the Mu Us may not have an opportunity to do so. The desert is disappearing from【小题1】 map as it has been turned into an oasis(绿洲)!

The Mu Us 【小题2】 (stretch) over 42,200 square km between Shaan Xi and inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, lying north of the Great Wall. In Mongolian, “Mu Us” means barren land 【小题3】 nothing can grow.

However, the area was no desert in ancient times. It used to be grazing land 【小题4】 (sufficient) supplying grass and water for sheep and cattle. Since the Tang Dynasty, it began to degrade because of excessive farming and overgrazing and 【小题5】 (year) of war.

In modern times, the Mu Us, the fourth 【小题6】 (large) desert in China, began to move southward and passed the Great Wall, 【小题7】 (attack) Yulin (Shaan Xi province). Local pastures(牧场) faced serious desertification, salinization and degradation, and the villagers had to move as the desert advanced. By the time People’s Republic of China 【小题8】 (found), Yulin had only 0.9 percent of forest cover. It became an urgent task 【小题9】 (block) the sands.

Thanks to greening, the desert is poised to disappear. The feat(丰绩) wouldn’t have been achieved 【小题10】 national anti-desertification policies and the efforts of generations of eco-warriors.