Have you ever heard of the Silk Road? Do you know what an important role it plays in the whole world? Did you visit any famous places along the road? Although it's called the Silk Road, people bought and sold much more than silk. The Silk Road went through Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. It was 6,500 km from Xi'an to Rome.

My dad is very interested in the Silk Road and he has told me many things about it. Last summer, my family got away for a holiday and went to some places on the road.

We started at Lanzhou and went on to Wuwei. Wuwei was a very important city on the Silk Road. It connected (连接) three main cities in the area. In ancient times, it was also a capital. Although it's now a modern city, you can get a feeling of history when you visit it. We saw lots of very old stone monuments and people there were very proud of their city's long history.

The next stop was Jiayuguan. It's on the edge (边缘) of the desert, and was also an important place on the Silk Road. It was a busy city with a lot of people coming and going. Even today, it's a city that many business people travel through. An important part of the Great Wall was also built here.

After that, we went on to Yumenguan. I first found out about Yumenguan in the famous poem written by Wang Zhihuan. It was in the Gobi Desert and was the only connection between Central Asia and China. I wonder how people ever made it through the hot desert so long ago.

This trip wasn't just a scenic (观光的) journey. It helped me understand the history of the area and see how people from different places influenced (影响) each other in many ways.

The Sahara is the largest desert in the world. It covers 11 countries inNorth Africa and is over 9 million square kilometres. It is a very difficult place to survive. Here is some advice for you.

Take warm clothes and a blanket(毛毯). You will need a hat, long trousers and a thick sweater to keep you warm at night. During the day, cover your body, head and face. Clothes protect yourself from the sun and keep water in your body. You will also need a warm blanket at night. It can get cold rapidly.

It's important to stay out of the sun during the day. Make a hole under your car and lie there. This will keep you cool and help you sleep.

Find a warm place to sleep at night. A small place near a tree or a rock will be the warmest. But be careful before you decide where to sleep.Hazardous animals like snakes also like to sleep in these places. Look carefully for animals before you lie down, or they may hurt you.

Finland, a small country located in Northern Europe along the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland, is a beautiful place to (参观).

Winter is the most popular season in Finland. The (太阳) , disappears for months in the northernmost part of the country. People have to wear very heavy (外套) to keep warm. The white snow, bright moon and stars, and—if you are (幸运的) enough—the colorful Northern Lights. Create the (著名的) and surprising light and magical scene. One of the best ways to experience the scene is to sleep in a (玻璃) hut, surrounded by nature. You can just stay (在……里面), warm and comfortable, looking at the night sky and waiting.

The air quality in Finland is the best in the world according to the data from WHO. As 75% of the country is covered by forests, people can connect with nature (容易地). Finnish people often enjoy the small things in (日常的) lives, like just sitting quietly by a lake. So if you have the chance to Finland, just take a deep breath, hike in the forest or simply (休息) on a smooth rock by the sea.

Gala Village lies in Tibet. It is famous for its beautiful peach blossoms(桃花) in spring. A large number (介词) tourists all over the country go there during March and April. They enjoy (冠词) beautiful blossoms and the good environment. And the village serves the tourists well and tries to make (they) feel at home.

The village is much (good) than before. In the past, its people cared little about the environment. They made a living by (cut) down trees. In 2011, the village decided to develop tourism. Some villagers (村民) were (pick) out to provide tourist services. Those villagers went to receive training at two (school) before they started working. Over the last ten years, as tourists get better travel experiences in Gala Village, its people have made more money (连词) lived a better life.

Now, the villagers plant about 13.3 hectares (公顷) of trees every (year). They are doing all they can to make their hometown greener. They (strong) agree that they should protect the environment while developing tourism.

There are lots of places of interest to visit in Henan. One of the  famous places is the Red Flag Canal (红旗渠) in Linzhou which was  on the side of cliffs (悬崖) of the Taihang Mountains.

The area was very dry with low rainfall because of  geographical conditions (地理条件). The local people used to live a hard  because of the shortage of water. So they decided to dig a canal to change the situation. They planned to take water  the Zhang River to Linxian county. The Red Flag Canal was started to build in the 1960s. The whole project took ten  to complete. It was really hard work. People used  tools to dig the canal, completely by hand. Now it has  helped the local people by bringing water to them and serves as the lifeline for the county.

Nowadays, some parts of the Red Flag Canal are open to tourists. Every year thousands of students  the Red Flag Canal Museum. While they move along and cross over the canal, they will learn  the spirit of "Red Flag Canal" is and know how great the Chinese people are.