The Great Wall万里长城

The Great Wall is the world’s longest man-made structure（建筑物）. It looks like a giant（巨大的） dragon. How long is the “dragon”？ It is 21，196.18 kilometers long.

People built the Great Wall in many different time. The oldest part is more than 2，000 years old. It was very difficult to build such a great wall without any modern machines. It’s a miracle（奇迹） created（创造） by the working people in ancient（古代的） China.

In the past， the Great Wall was used to prevent（阻止） the invasion（入侵） of the enemy（敌人）. Today， it has become a popular tourist attraction（旅游景点） all over the world.

Today， the main part of the Great Wall is from the Ming Dynasty（明代，1368-1644）. It starts from the Jiayu Pass（嘉峪关） in Gansu province（省） and ends in Hushan（虎山）， Liaoning province.

There is a great saying， “One who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero（不到长城非好汉）.” I hope that when you have time， you can visit the Great Wall and enjoy the beautiful scenery（风景） there.

It is about 19，950 kilometers from the North Pole to the South Pole. The Great Wall is long enough to connect the two poles of Earth.

Match the answers to the questions：

Where is the Great Wall？" " " " ""It is over 2，000 years old.

How long is the Great Wall？" " " " "It is in northern China.

How old is the oldest part of the Great Wall？" " " " "It is 21，196.18 kilometers.

长城并非只是一道城墙，它还包括了各种防御工事，如关隘、城堡、烽火台等。像山海关、嘉峪关，都是著名的关隘，其建筑结构和防御体系十分精妙。长城上的烽火台可不是随便点火的，白天放烟叫“烽”，夜晚举火叫“燧”。不同的信号代表着不同的敌情。长城并非完全是为了抵御外敌而建，在一定程度上也促进了民族之间的贸易和文化交流。