Taklimakan Desert, which(locate) in the middle of Tarim Basin in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region，is China's largest desert. It is also known as the world's second largest shifting-sand desert(cover) an area of over 337, 000 square kilometers.
Sand dunes(沙丘) inlarge desert are usually over 100 meters in height and some are even(high). Because of the wind, the sand dunes are always moving forward, enveloping farms and villages，which(serious) threatens the existence of oases (绿洲) the survival of the local people. Over the past few decades, efforts (make) to fight against desertification. Windbreaks and sand fixation forest belts have been built to improve the ecological environment. Local people have planted poplars and rose willows with the help of experts. There are some placespeople can even grow corn now. A cross-desert highway has also been constructed to link Luntai and Minfeng counties. Thanks to these efforts, the place has witnessed a(n) (improve) in the living conditions of the local people. Now it's home to many species of birds，and (it) rainfall is increasing as well.
