2 . Over ______ years ago, people from Northern Asia went to America. Today, we call these people Indians (印第安人).

The Indians went to America ______ the weather began to change. Northern Asia became very cold. Everything froze. They _______ move. How did the first Indians go to America? They walked.

Later, Columbus (哥伦布) found the New World in 1492. At first, only _______ people went there with Columbus. They travelled to America _______. Then more and more Germans and Italians went to America. Most of them took almost no money with them. They went to America to find a better life.

3 . In ancient Egypt, women did not go to work. They stayed and worked at home. Many Egyptian men were farmers. Some men were builders or fishermen. Other men worked as artists. Some other important persons did not do any farming.

The weather in Egypt was very hot. Ancient Egyptians did not wear many clothes. Men, women and children often wore simple robes made of thin cloth. On their feet they wore light open shoes. People including women, shaved hair from their heads to keep cool.

Children in ancient Egypt grew up to do the same jobs as their parents. Girls stayed at home with their mothers. They learned to look after the home. Boys worked with their fathers. They learned to do jobs their fathers did. They only went to school to learn to write if they wanted to become a scribe.

Many of the games played by ancient Egyptians are similar to games we still play today. Children played racing and jumping games. They also played ball games and with wooden toys. Older children played a game like chess.

The king of Egypt (the pharaohs) hand enough power to master their country. The people thought that pharaoh was a god. He owned everything. Everyone had to do what he told them to do. The pharaohs built huge tombs. When a pharaoh dies, he was buried in the tomb. The tombs were often in the shape of pyramids. When a pharaoh was buried, he was surrounded by treasure and by things to help him in the next world, such as food, clothes, furniture and weapons.

5 . Libraries give kids a quiet and safe place to read and learn. For over 100 years, libraries have played an important role in Americans’ education. But how are these book-filled buildings changing with the times? You may be surprised to find out.

Benjamin Franklin famously founded (创建) America’s first lending library in 1731. But the public library system (系统) got its biggest development in the American history in the late 1800s. Businessman Andrew Carnegie donated millions of dollars to help build free public libraries across the country. Between 1886 and 1919, Carnegie’s donations helped build 1,679 new libraries.

Carnegie believed that libraries could offer the chances to Americans, young and old. He knew that the more libraries there were, the more people would have opportunities to read and use books, speeches and news. 

If you can easily find a public library in your community (社区), you’ll get more chances. After all, the United States has 9,225 public libraries. Today, libraries keep growing. Seven tenths of the libraries have free Internet. It provides much more information and opportunities (机会) to ask for jobs online.

Libraries are also teaching kids about the fun of reading. The new program Read! Build! Play! adds reading into playtime. As kids listen to a book that is being read aloud, they use Legos (乐高积木) to build images (图像) from the story happily. Today’s libraries are always looking for creative programs to bring people into the library.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “The doors of wisdom (智慧) are never shut.” As long as the doors of public libraries are open, what he said is most certainly correct!

6 . Fire was discovered many thousands of years ago. The first time humans saw fire was probably when a tree was destroyed by lightning(闪电). Humans soon learned how to make fire. They probably made the first fire by rubbing (摩擦) two sticks together.

Fire was very important to humans. They needed to keep warm at night. They used fire to cook food. They used fire to keep enemies and wild animals away. In some parts of the world fire was used to send messages. The Indians in America, for example, used fire to make smoke(烟雾) as a message. In some other countries people lit fires to warn their friends of danger.

Fire was also used to give light. Before the invention of the oil lamp(灯), humans burned sticks to get light.

One man even used fire to tell the time. He invented a candle clock. He made a candle that took exactly twelve hours to burn. Then he marked this candle in twelve equal(相等的) parts. He lit the candle and could tell the time by counting the number of parts left of the burning candle. But the candle clock did not always work well. If there was a wind blowing on the candle, it burned too quickly.

10 . Most children are introduced to a study of history early in their school life by hearing stories of people who lived in other times and places. They learn that the world has not always been e    1     as it is today. Later in the elementary grades a more formal study of this subject may include local history, n    2     history, world history, and contemporary history (现代史) or current events. Most schools in the United States r    3     pupils to take one year of United States history in grade 7 or 8, and a    4     year in grade 11 or 12. Other history courses, such as ancient history and English history, are sometimes offered as selective course.

Various m    5     are used to add to the information given in the regular history books used in a course. Students may increase their knowledge of history by watching filmstrips, picture slides, and films. The class may take a field trip to some historical places, visit a museum or an art gallery, or p    6     a play that dramatizes (将……搬上舞台) a historical event. Other interesting p    7     include making collections of coins, stamps, or objects from a particular period or country, making scrapbooks (剪贴簿), and constructing models of buildings or historical scenes. Older children especially enjoy reading historical novels that describe vividly a period in the past.