The kite is believed to have originated (起源) in China. Since its     1     (invent), there have been many changes to the kite by various cultures around the world. The kite you probably flew as a kid looks     2     bit different from the ancient Chinese kites and even the kites of modern China.

Kites     3     (create) in the early Warring States Period by Mozi and Lu Ban. Kites were often made     4     (look) like the shapes of birds.     5     (main), they were used for military purposes. The first Chinese kites were used for measuring distances,     6     was useful information for moving large armies across     7     (difficulty) areas. They were also used to calculate (计算) and record wind readings and provided a unique form of communication similar     8     ship flags at sea.

Chinese kites usually represent symbolic creatures as well as legendary figures. Some have whistles designed to make unique sounds while     9     (fly). We can divide them into two types: large and small kites. In size they can range between 4 centimeters     10     75 meters across. Today, you will see people flying small kites with children in many Chinese parks. You can also see adults flying the larger kites and using more advanced methods with larger ropes to support the great size.

Sima Qian, one of the greatest historians in Chinese history, was born in either 145 or 135 BC.    1    (influence) by his father, who was also a historian, Sima Qian took an interest     2     history when he was a child. He learned Chinese classics from great literary masters, and at the age of 20, he began travelling extensively across the country. He interviewed the local people to get     3     wide range of information. Learning and travelling were exactly     4     helped him in his later career as a historian.

His father's dream was that one day he could write a great masterpiece recording what had happened in history. After his father died, Sima Qian     5     (succeed) his father as Grand Historian, which facilitated his access to,     6     (office) books and files. However, his work proved difficult, because     7     (sort) out all the available resources and checking facts of historical materials required painstaking efforts, His chief concern was whether he could do his job more effectively and     8     (efficient).

As he carried on with his work, something awful happened to Sima Qian. He was put in prison,     9     he suffered a lot of pain physically and mentally,     10     , he was not defeated. He never forgot about his father's dream, in good times or bad times. After more than 10 years of hard work, the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian), his masterpiece, was completed.