【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。

Learning any language is hard, but learning English can be     1     (especial) difficult. Why? Because     2     (native) of English-speaking countries use the language in ways that textbooks could never cover.

Here’s     3     example: you happen to hear Briton calling someone a “wazzock”. But what exactly is a wazzock? This word, as a matter of fact, means a foolish person, though there’s nothing     4     would help you guess that. There are many strange terms like this in British English—the Oxford English Dictionary would be much     5     (small) than now without these strange usages filling its pages.

How can these strange words be explained? Part of the answer is the British sense of humour. Britons don’t like to take things seriously,     6     this is clear through many British words and phrases. For example, “spending a penny” means     7     (use) the bathroom. It means the days when people had to pay a penny to use a public toilet.

In an interview, British linguists (语言学家) David Crystal showed these strange words     8     (begin) in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, which was a great age for the theater, when Shakespeare and other writers worked hard to keep up with the need for new plays. The theater’s popularity also created an     9     (excite) to invent new words.

These strange words certainly make     10     more interesting to learn English, though they may not fully come across to non-native speakers.

Chinese was formally announced an     1     (office) language of the United Nations World Tourism Organization on January 25.

That means the organization will use the Chinese language,     2     will improve China’s soft power in global tourism and, by extension, the cultural domain (领域). It will advance the growth of China’s tourism,     3     (encourage) other countries to adopt its policies. Also, tourist places in China will get more exposure. Consequently, the number of people learning Chinese will     4     (significance) grow.

There are two main reasons     5     that. First, Chinese cultural and tourism authorities     6     (promote) Chinese culture for long. As far back as in 2006, Spring Festival was listed as a national cultural heritage (遗产) and given special protection. Now, there are numerous influential festival lists in the world and almost all of them list the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. Many even list     7     at the top. Second, the year-on-year growth in the number of Chinese tourists before 2020 has played     8     important part in promoting the Chinese language and culture. Globally, Chinese faces have become common at scenic spots. That has a lot to do with China’s improving economy and the constantly rising per capital income (人均收入).

With China’s comprehensive capability (综合实力) increasing, it     9       (expect) that its influence in other soft power domains will also grow in the years     10    (come).

In China, the history of people planting and using bamboo dates back to as far as 7, 000 years ago. As early as the Shang Dynasty, bamboo was used for food, clothing, housing, transportation, musical instruments and even weapons. Since then it     1     (use) in many aspects of people’s daily lives.

The     2     (apply) of bamboo in science and technology is thrilling. In 51 BC, Li Bing, in Sichuan,     3     (lead) the local people in building the Dujiang Weirs, the first irrigation (灌溉) network in the world, in     4     bamboo played an important role. The world’s oldest water pipe was also made of bamboo. During the Han Dynasty, the people in Sichuan     5     (success) sank a 1600-metre-deep well with thick bamboo ropes. This technology did not spread to Europe     6     the 19th century, and it was by using the technology     7     the Americans drilled the first oil well in Pennsylvania in 1859.

In Chinese culture, bamboo is well-known as     8     of the “four gentlemen” in plants. To many distinguished men, bamboo is a symbol of goodness and honesty. It is always closely     9     (connect) with people of positive spirits. Bamboo culture always plays a positive role in encouraging people to hold on when     10     (face) tough situations.

Orville and Wilbur Wright were the two American brothers that invented the first airplane.They started out as bicycle repairmen.Soon，they became interested in different types of machines and began to learn     1    the machines worked.They observed birds flying     2    (get)ideas，as well as read about other inventors' attempts to make aircraft.In 1900，the brothers completed their first design of a kite glider(滑翔机) and tested     3    in North Carolina.They tested kite gliders both with and without     4     pilot.

Finally，in 1903，the first engine­powered Wright Flyer     5    (invent)．The“Wright Flyer I”had a gas engine and wooden propellers(螺旋桨)．After they     6    (continue)improved it upon earlier designs，the brothers successfully received a patent(专利) in 1906     7    their Flying Machine.

Modern airplanes today are very different     8    the first Flying Machine.They fly faster，are much larger, and have television sets built in for passengers'     9    (enjoy)．Some planes have seats     10    lie flat to become beds and on the very newest planes，passengers can even use the Internet!

The “One Belt One Road” strategy proposed by President XiJinping has drawn public attention to Silk Road. Silk Road refers to the old overland trade route,     1    was formed in the Western Han Dynasty. This route stretched 4, 350 miles from Chang’an to western China, central Asia, and even to Europe,     2    （make）these have better communications in diplomacy, business and culture.

China was the first country       3    （produce）silk fabric. This skill reached a     4    （fair）advanced level in the Zhou Dynasty. As a major export to Europe, “silk”     5     (use) to name this great route by a German geographer, Ferdinand von Richthofen. China’s silk was introduced into western       6    （country）through this old trade route. People were not familiar with this product at the beginning, and made many guesses at how     7    was produced. According to the record, the idea that silk was picked from trees was widely accepted by folks in Europe.

Clothes made of this fabric were always best sellers, and were considered       8     social status symbol. Even the gorgeous Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, was also a big fan of the silk. This fascination led to an     9    increase）demand for this product, and promoted the       10     (develop) of this trading route.

Astronomy is the oldest science     1    （know）to man. Thousands of years ago man looked at the stars and wondered about the heavens. But man was     2    （limit）by the six planets that he could see only     3     his eyes alone. The Greeks studied astronomy over 2,000 years ago. They could see the size colour, and     4    （bright）of a star. They could see its place in the sky. They watched the stars     5    （move ）as the seasons changed. But the Greeks had no tools to help themselves study the heavens. Each new tool added to the field of astronomy helped man reach out into space. Man knew a little about the moon     6     there were telescopes.

He did not know that the planet called Saturn had     7    （ring）around it. His sight was     8     limited that he could not see all the planets. In the early 1700s, people thought there were only six planets. Before the spectroscope, man did not know what kind of gases     9    （be）around the sun or other stars. Without the radio-telescope, we did not know that radio noises came from far in space. Today, astronomy is a     10    （grow）science. We have learned more in the last fifty years than in the whole history of astronomy.

Poetry is never far away from our daily lives. Many of us grew up reciting classic poems, learning to enjoy this beautiful art form that's able to use just a few lines     1    (express) such rich meanings.

The Chinese Shijing, which dates back to the Western Zhou Dynasty, has a     2    ( long) history than the Homeric Epics(荷马史诗). Even today, classic poems     3    (love)by a lot of people.

To recognize the special     4    (able)of poetry and get its creative spirit, World Poetry Day is held by the United Nations on March 21 each year to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression.

The Chinese Poetry Congress(中国诗词大会) showing classic poetry is     5    (extreme)popular. The competition saw over 100 hopeful participants taking part in     6    number of challenges. The participants,     7    ages range from 7 to 70, include students,farmers, teachers and foreign competitors with an interest     8    Chinese literature.

And even TV series involving poetry are very     9    (success). For example, in The Legend of Zhenhuan, one of the drama's most moving songs was adapted from a poem     10    ( write)by Wen Tingyun of the Tang Dynasty.