【推荐2】语法填空

Although English is not as old as Chinese, it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English     1    (speak) are always making new words and we should be able to know where most words come from.

Sometimes, however, no one may really know where a word comes from. Did you ever think about why hamburgers     2    (be)called hamburgers,     3    (especial) when they are not made of ham? About a hundred years ago, some men went to America     4    Europe. They came from a big city in Germany     5    (call) Hamburg. They did not speak good English, but they ate good food. Some Americans saw them eating round pieces of beef. Never had they seen such a strange way. They couldn't help     6    (ask) the Germans what it was. The Germans did not understand the question and answered, "We came from Hamburg." One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea. He made up     7    mind to do something new. He cooked some round pieces of the beef like     8    the men from Hamburg ate and     9    (sell) it quite a few countries around the world.

Whether this story is true or not, it certainly is     10    (interest).

【推荐1】Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The Year of the Ox is coming. In China, you will find various ox figures     1    (make) of gold, wood, plastic, paper, shell and stone on sale in stores and on streets     2    (celebrate) the return.

    3    why was the ox chosen to be one of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs?

Centuries ago, most people earned their living     4    farming. The ox was used to help plow, cultivate and carry heavy goods.

The ox has long had a significant place in Chinese culture. Ancient Chinese poets and writers frequently described the ox in literature. In the Classic of Poetry,     5    (old)   the existing collection of Chinese poetry, the animal was mentioned in nine out of the 305 pieces.

The ox is considered a symbol of diligence and earnestness in Chinese culture. To this day, the phrase “the spirit of ox” still refers to conquering anything that may present     6    as an obstacle. The spirit is highly praised and many people follow it as their work ethic. When someone achieves a great accomplishment through hard work, people often use “niu”,     7    (mean) “awesome”, to describe him or her.

Seldom     8    oxen bully the weak or fear the strong. They work hard and make sacrifices.

This is reflected in a couplet from a poem by Lu Xun(1881—1936): “Fierce-browed, I coolly defy a thousand pointing fingers; Head bowed, like a willing ox I serve the children”,     9    fully expresses the poet’s loyalty to the people.

So naturally, often those who were born in the Year of the Ox     10    (expect) to be hardworking, reliable and loyal. “They never seek to be the center of attention and do not look for praise,” the website China Highlights noted.

【推荐3】阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

New Year paintings are a special art form in Chinese folk culture. The paintings get such a name because they are     1     ( most) posted during the Chinese New Year for     2     ( decorate ) the houses and they are also accepted as a symbol of New Year’s greetings.

New Year paintings appeared around the Tang dynasty, replacing the previous door pictures and believed to be able to protect the     3     (resident) and drive away ghosts. In the Song dynasty the New Year paintings     4     (create) on a large scale.     5     the printing techniques improving, the content and forms of New Year paintings became various. The development of     6     (they) matured in the Ming and Qing dynasties when the art reached its heyday (全盛期).

There are many     7     ( tradition) printing methods of New Year paintings,     8     ( include ) woodblock printing, stone-block printing and so on.     9     is reported, woodblock-printed New Year paintings are     10     most popular and interesting ones, according to a recent survey.