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Yangzhou is a cultural city with a long history of about 2,500 years. There were three golden times in the history of Yangzhou. It took shape in the Han Dynasty, developed in the Tang Dynasty, and reached its top in the Qing Dynasty.
Lots of famous people travelled there and left many poems describing the beauty of Yangzhou. Li Bai once sailed down the Yangtze River to Yangzhou to see off his friend, and wrote a wildly loved poem. Xu Ning wrote about Yangzhou in his poem for its "two thirds of the natural beauty under heaven". Du Mu's poem, "The Twenty-four Bridge shined in the bright moonlight", made the Twenty-four Bridge well-known.
In history, Yangzhou was a famous and open city. In the Tang Dynasty, it was the biggest city in South-east China. Over 10 thousand foreign traders lived in Yangzhou then. Jianzhen from the Daming Temple in Yangzhou went to Japan to spread Chinese culture. Now his sculpture is preserved in Japan as a state treasure. Marco Polo, a well-known Italian traveller, once stayed in the city. His Travels of Marco Polo gives lots of descriptions of Yangzhou.
Yangzhou's culture is a window of the culture of our nation. Now, the people of Yangzhou are working together to make the city more beautiful.
词汇
take shape 成形;有了模样 describe /dɪˈskraɪb/ vt. 描述
spread /spred/ v. 传播 sculpture /ˈskʌlptʃə(r)/ n. 雕像
preserve /prɪˈzɜːv/ vt. 保存 description /dɪˈskrɪpʃn/ n. 描写
句型
It took shape in the Han Dynasty, developed in the Tang Dynasty, and reached its top in the Qing Dynasty.它形成于汉朝,发展于唐朝,并在清朝达到鼎盛。
理解
1. How many foreign traders lived in Yangzhou in the Tang Dynasty?

2. What attracts you most in Yangzhou?

1. Over 10 thousand.
2. 示例：Its long history and the beautiful poems describing it.

1. 定位到文章第三段，根据“Over 10 thousand foreign traders lived in Yangzhou then.”（句中then指代前文提到的唐朝），可得出答案。2. 本题为开放性题目，结合文章中扬州的悠久历史、文人创作的诗词、知名景点等内容作答即可，答案不唯一。