【推荐1】It took brave European explorers less than 300 years, between 1420 and 1713, to establish that all the seas of the world formed an enormous and continuous ocean. This discovery encouraged them to _____ into areas which hadn’t been charted until then. With the discovery of new lands, new trade routes were _____. In many parts of the world, colonies and settlements were established and many odd-looking products were brought back to _____, arousing great interest and _____ wealth.

It was probably the irresistible desire for wealth that _____ persuaded Europeans of the fifteenth century to _____ their legendary dangers and explore further out into the open seas. They were also _____ by the love for their countries. Many explorers wanted to serve their kings and countries as well as gain personal _____ from their exploring.

The most effective way of gaining wealth was through _____. Silk, gold, silver and ______ stones, and more importantly spices, such as gingers and peppers, were the most profitable trade goods in Europe. Spices were of the greatest ______ because they enabled the Europeans to make their winter diet of salted meat more delicious. These items were ______ mostly from the East by a difficult overland route. The Italian ______, who bought goods from the Arabs of Alexandria, controlled the trade along this route. Other countries of the Mediterranean ______ the wealth which this trade generated and they were ______ to discover new routes which would allow them to share in it.

【推荐3】Do you like history? Ancient history can seem so far ________ daily life, ________ when you just learn it from a textbook. Lists of dates and people and pictures of places ________ little interest ________ you’re studying for an exam. But going to locations and seeing famous structures for yourself make history come ________. Pictures may be worth a thousand ________ , but the real thing is worth much more! You will be in awe (惊叹) when you visit Xi’an, one of China’s oldest cities. Rulers of several dynasties including Zhou, Han, Sui and Tang made Xi’an their ________. An ________ wall surrounds the city center, originally built during the Tang Dynasty but ________ in the Ming Dynasty. The wall has 18 gates, and several allow ________ to the city. The South Gate is the most spectacular (壮观的) and has recently been beautifully ________. Two museums near the south gate ________ treasures from the city’s past.

One of the main reasons why people visit Xi’an ________ 35 kilometers from the city. They go to see the burial site of Emperor Qin Shihuang. He wanted an army to ________him in the afterlife, so he had craftsmen create 8,000 terracotta soldieries and horses. These were buried in pits(深坑) ________ Qin’s own tomb. About 2,000 ________ the 6,000 warriors and horses buried there have been unearthed. Visitors walk on a walkway ________the pit to view row upon row of soldiers. It’s an amazing ________.

There is much more ________ to discover in Xi’an. And it’s much more exciting than reading about it in a ________!

【推荐1】On Lake Pitkajarvi, Pasi Widgren made an image of a fox that measures 90 meters from head to tail. For the sixth year in a row, the 40-year old building designer in Finland has ________ a very large work of art on the ________ lake. Widgren lives near the lake. He ________ a shovel (铲子) to create the artworks on ice. They melt from sight over time or ________ under snow.

Widgren made his first ice picture in the ________ of 2016. The idea to make such pieces came to him ________. He visited Lake Pitkajarvi on December 4. He tested the ________ of the ice after he arrived to ________ it was strong enough to walk and ________ on. It was about 10-15 centimeters thick. After four hours of work, Widgren was ________.

He then walked up a hillside about 150 meters above the lake to get a good ________ at his large artwork. He took some pictures to mark the ________.

However, several days later the image was harder to ________ because it then snowed a little. But its lack of permanence (永久) was not a ________ for its creator. He hoped the artwork would make people happy and move them to go for a walk in what he called “beautiful nature”. “It’s important to me that making this kind of art doesn’t leave any ________ on nature, ” Widgren said.