Learning English used to be about developing four skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. After all, that’s     1     the exams are designed — with four skills     2    (test) separately. But over the years, educators     3    (come) to realize that these four skills should never have been separated, but practiced all at once. And the best way to do that is, perhaps,     4     public speaking.

According to Mei Deming,     5    professor of English at Shanghai International Studies University, giving a speech in an international language requires a speaker to integrate (融合) knowledge and content     6    (mental) and express the result systematically. This is why the annual China Daily “21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition has been gaining in     7     (popular) since it began in 1996,     8    has worked as a model for developing students’ public-speaking skills in English and provided ideas for English teaching in schools.

    9    China continues to play an important role in global conversations, there will be more chances for young Chinese people to present China and tell attracting stories. And in order to tell Chinese stories     10    (well), we first need to develop a more overall English skill. Working on public speaking is, perhaps, the place to start.

I had always found     1     interesting to talk to foreigners and learn about the cultural differences between countries. Last Saturday, I     2     (meet) a man from France who explained to me     3     the French greeted each other. Now I know the French usually shake hands when they meet     4     they know each other well, they kiss each other on the cheek. When     5     (say) goodbye, they shake hands again. So it is not     6     (usual) for a Frenchman who you greeted several minutes ago     7     (come) and shake hands with you again.

Every culture in the world has its own taboos. It is necessary that we     8     (be) aware of them because breaking a taboo may be an     9     (annoy) experience. For example, in Japan, “4” and “9” are considered to be numbers that are unlucky. We should know this in order not to cause     10     (offend).

Poetry (诗歌),     1     common form of literature, plays an important role in ancient China. At that time, there were no TVs or films, and     2     (write) had not been invented, so people would sit around the fire at night and sing songs. Since nothing was set down, different versions of these songs     3     (create), and each area would have its own rhythm (韵律). As these songs were often quite long, they often had rhyme and rhythm     4     (help) people remember them more easily. While in the     5     (begin) such songs had a very simple format, over time they became more difficult and     6     (pretty). These were no longer the works of amateurs (业余爱好者) sitting around a fire,     7     works of true poets who cared about their art and who sometimes made a living from it.

Poetry plays with sounds, words, and grammar,     8     makes poetry difficult to write but very interesting to read. In fact, the tradition of writing and reading poems     9     (pass) down over the generations.     10     is amazing that now even more people are trying to write poems by themselves!

Thousands of years ago, the West Lake in Hangzhou was connected to the sea. The Qiantang River, not far away from the West Lake,     1    (enter) the sea in the eastern part of this area. The solid material such as sand, stones and mud carried by the river     2    (eventual) settled at the bottom and blocked the connection between the West Lake and the sea,     3     (make) it an inland water.

Since the ninth century AD, the breathtaking scenery of the West Lake in all seasons     4    (appear) time and again in poems, stories and legends.     5     impresses people most is that there are about 630 legends of the West Lake alone. Su Dongpo wrote a poem     6     (praise) the West Lake and compared it to Xizi ,     7    Chinese legendary beauty. From then on, the West Lake got another elegant name — Xizi Lake.

In 2011, West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou was included     8     the World Heritage List. It is now visited by an endless stream of     9    (visitor) from home and abroad. Perhaps some of them will add     10    (they) own stories to West Lake’s wealth of literature.

The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England—many people are     1     (confuse) by what these different names mean. So what is the     2     (different) between them, if any?     3     (get) to know     4     little bit about British history will help you solve this puzzle.

In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, in the 18th century, the country Scotland was joined     5    (create) the Kingdom of Great Britain. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.     6    (final), in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland     7     (break) away from the UK, which resulted     8     the full name we have today: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most people just use the shortened name: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”,     9     means the UK is also often     10     (refer) to as Britain or Great Britain.

【推荐2】阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Dunhuang, located in Northwest Chinn’s Gunau province, was     1     important stop on the ancient Silk Road. Then, what does it look like today?

From December 5 to 8, a micro-variety show, titled “The Dunhuang You Don’t Know”,     2    (release) on social media platforms. Since then, the video aeries has accumulated millions of views online.

Chinese people are familiar with Dunhuang’s magnificent beauty, from the renowned Mogao Grottoes housing rich collections of Buddhis artwork         3     the Crescent Spring (月牙泉), a crescent-shaped lake     4    (surround) by giant sand hills. Yet, the micro series takes the audience on a journey     5    (discover) the uncovered, vivid and vibrant modern lives of Dunhuang. They are displayed from eight dimensions,     6    (include) local cuisine, folk heritage and the guochao,     7     means “native wave” and the use of traditional Chinese elements in fashion.

In recent years, with the rise in     8    (popular) of the guochao trends, contemporary artists have transformed Dunhuang’s age-old art into more creative cultural     9    (product) that appeal to young consumers. In this video series, the distinctive Dunhuang aesthetics (美学) have also     10    (skillful) captured people’s attention through cosmetics, fashion and trendy collectibles.