The United Kingdom or the UK     1     (make) up of four countries. They are England,Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It has     2    interesting and long history. Wherever you go in the country, you will be surrounded by     3    (evident) of four different groups of people who took over at different times throughout history. The Romans,     4     great achievements included building towns and roads, came in the first century. Then in the     5     (five) century arrived Anglo-Saxons who introduced the English language and changed the way people built houses. The Vikings came in the eighth century. They     6     (leave) behind lots of new vocabulary and also the names of many locations across the UK. The last group, the Normans, conquered England in the 11th century. They had castles     7     (build) all around there. The Normans were in fact French, so many French words     8     (slow) entered into the English language.

The UK is a     9     (fascinate) mix of history and modern culture. If you keep your eyes open, you will be surprised to find that you can see both its past    10    its present.

Britons are well known     1     the amount of tea that they drink. The average person in the UK consumes around 1.9kg of tea annually. Tea     2     (drink)by all sections of society. But tea does not grow in Britain. The vast majority of tea is grown in India and China.

At the beginning of the 1700s，the amount of tea     3     (arrive)in Britain increased gradually. At first people drank the tea       4     (exact)as it was in China. They soon discovered that it mixed really well with a little milk and sugar，giving the drink a special British characteristic.

In the 1800s tea was still a product       5       (enjoy)only by people with money. At this time they began to have“afternoon tea”. This involves drinking tea with a snack around 4 p.m. to avoid feeling     6     (hunger) between lunch and dinner. It is a tradition that is still going today     7     has become less popular in recent times. Tearooms—shops     8     you could buy and drink tea—started to appear across the country. At     9     start of the 20th century，Britons began to make tea in their homes whenever they felt like it.     10     (kettle)became essential in every kitchen.

England became England, the land of English-speaking people, at the beginning of the Middle Ages.     1     that it had been the home of Iron Age Tribes known as Celts, and for a time, part of the Roman Empire. Then beginning in the 400s AD, tribes from the north, known as the angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes,     2     (move) in.

The most famous leader of this time period in England was Alfred the Great. Alfred lived in Wessex, the kingdom of the West Saxons, which     3     (locate) in the southern part of England. He was a good leader     4     made his kingdom stronger. He created a system of defenses (防御),     5     (call) burhs, across the country. He reorganized the army so that his men     6     have time to fight and time to farm. Alfred’s efforts protected his people from the Vikings and allowed Wessex to grow. Eventually the rulers of Wessex would rule all of England.

Alfred also made other improvements. He made laws for his people. He encouraged learning and translated several important books     7     his Saxon language. This was     8     modern people think of as the start of the language we call English today.

Two important pieces of literature from that time period are the anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Beowulf, both     9     (write) in old English. Old English lasted through most of the Middle Ages. Middle English came in during the late Middle ages and modern English began about the time of the renaissance.

England and English got their names, not from the Saxons, but from one of the other tribes, and Angles. The original name of England must have been     10     like Angle-land (only in old English of course).

Huishan clay figurines (泥人) are one of China’s most famous folk arts, having a history     1     (stretch) back over a thousand years. The craft originated in the Southern Dynasties and reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty. During the Qing, an artist made five clay figurines for Emperor Qianlong and     2     (reward) with high praise from the royal family.

Huishan figurines differ from     3     of other localities in that they are always small and always feature a big head. They divide into two types — mold-pressed (模板印制) and hand-crafted. The     4     (cheap), mold-pressed figures often serve as children’s toys while the hand-crafted pieces are more original and delicate.

The characters come     5     (large) from legends and Chinese opera     6     (plot). Da A Fu, a cute boy holding a fish, is the most popular figure in Huishan clay art. Legend has it     7     a god, disguised as a boy, beat a fierce lion and     8     (save) the children in Huishan.

    9     (express) appreciation, local people started to make clay figures of their boy savior Da A Fu. One-third of the overall figure is taken up by Da A Fu’s large head,     10     a face round as a full moon and big ears reaching down to his shoulders. It is an image implying happiness and good fortune.

Nigeria is a country in West Africa. It has     1     population of over 180 million, making it the most populous country in Africa. Nigeria is famous     2     crude oil, music and fashion.

Last year I volunteered in Nigeria for 7 months. My role was to set up youth clubs in primary and secondary schools. The purpose of the youth clubs was     3     (teach) children life skills such as teamwork, science and maths. It was a(n)     4     (enjoy) experience. I got to help other people and learn about Nigerian culture first-hand. In particular I learnt about Nigerian clothing and languages.

As well as     5     (wear) Western clothing, such as jeans and T-shirts, Nigerians also wear traditional clothing. Traditional clothing     6     (be) bold with bright colours, eye-catching patterns (图案) and unique shapes. Nigerians wear traditional clothing on Fridays and Sundays, and for special occasions like weddings. They either make the clothes themselves or have them     7     (make) by a tailor (裁缝).

The official language in Nigeria is English. English     8     (introduce) to Nigeria when Nigeria became part of the British Empire in 1901. English is     9     (main) spoken in big cities. Outside of these cities people speak lots of other languages. In fact, there are over 500 languages     10     are spoken in Nigeria. These languages come from different ethnic (种族的) groups.