Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London. Its sound so well known     1     it has often been used in films. The Clock tower was completed in 1859 and the Great Clock started on 31 May，with the Great Bell’s strikes     2       (hear) for the first time on 11 July. It celebrated its 150th anniversary on 31 May 2009, during     3     celebratory events took place. The tower has become one of the most outstanding     4     (symbol) of both London and England.

The Clock Tower you see today is not the first tower to be built in Parliament’s ground. The     5     (origin) tower was built in 1288- 1290 during the reign of King Edward I. Unfortunately     6     big fire destroyed most of the Palace of Westminster. Architects     7     ( invite) to submit their designs and Sir Charles Barry’s was successful. Reconstruction of the Clock Tower began in September 1843.    8     was designed in the Victorian Gothic style.

With time passing by, the top of the clock tower is leaning one-and-a-half fee off a level positionand     9     (get) worse each year now, partly as a result     10     decades of underground excavation.

China plans to release one or two giant pandas into the wild. So far the spot     1     (select) in east China s Jiangxi province. It will be the first time to release a gaint panda into the wild outside southwest China’s. Sichuan Province,     2     13 pandas had been released by the end of last year.

An expert meeting was held in Jiangxi, where it was decided that pandas would be transported from Sichuan. Then they will be released into the Jiangxi Guanshan National Nature Reserve. The nature reserve     3     (have) a mild climate and a quite good ecosystem, with abundant bamboo     4     (resource) and little human interference, which is good for giant pandas to reproduce.

Researchers also     5     (brief) introduced the research method to experts. The method includes     6     giant panda reintroduction program, The reintroduction program refers to     7     (release) captive-bred (圈养繁殖的) pandas to their past distribution areas. They will live in these areas after wild training     8     (rebuild) the wild population. Researchers will obtain     9     (value) data. And the data shows how pandas adapt to the environment and climate after they stay at the wild habitats.

The program has high research value for studying some problems. Why did pandas die out in their historical distribution areas? How did climate changes influence the current panda population? The program will also help expand the distribution range     10     giant pandas. Besides, it can reduce the extinction risks of their wild population.

The Dragon Boat Festival has been marked by eating zongzi and racing dragon boats for thousands of years. It     1     (fall) on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese lunar calendar in honor of Qu yuan,     2     is said to have committed suicide by drowning himself.

Qu was minister of the state of Chu     3     (locate) in the present-day Hunan and Hebei provinces during the Warring States period. He was upright, loyal and     4     (high) respected.     5    , he was fired from office due to his suggestion to fight against Qin in cooperation with other states. During his stay in other states, he wrote many poems to express his strong love for his country. When Chu     6     (defeat) by Qin. He realized     7     he could do about it was nothing. Qu jumped into Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month.

After the     8     (dead) of Qu Yuan, people of Chu went to Miluo River to mourn (悼念) over the great poet they loved so much. People threw eggs and rice wrapped in leaves     9     the river to feed the fish to keep them away from Qu Yuan. Now the Dragon Boat Festival has become a       10    ( tradition) festival for the Chinese people.

Giving is the greatest kindness. Kindness is to the soul     1    sunshine is to the crop. Winston Churchill once     2    (observe) that “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” Through selfless service, volunteers are the glue that holds a community together. Many activities     3    (volunteer) aid the elderly, disabled and children. No one is     4    lonely island in the sunshine of joyful giving.

Moreover, volunteering is a two-way street of giving and receiving. Sometimes we get     5    (lock) into the “rat race” of life and the     6    (certain) of success discourages us. However, volunteering can be an escape from the routine of life.

Given the significance of volunteerism, it’s time we     7    (roll) up our sleeves and extend a helping hand. In respect     8    my own experience, I work as a volunteer at the local animal shelter,     9    I continue taking care of my furry friends. I hope my efforts can inspire people around me to devote     10    (they) to volunteerism and create a circle of virtue we need.

Known as the "Vegas of China”,Macao, while filled with luxury and world-class entertainment, also    1    (offer) many landmarks that define the city's unique and fascinating history. The first episode of "Landmarks of Macao” takes you to arguably Macao's most famous landmark-the Ruins of St. Paul's,    2    both the city's Chinese tradition and the Portuguese culture have been greatly preserved.

No trip to Macao could be complete    3    visiting the Ruins of St. Paul's. The Ruins of St. Paul's refer to the facade(外墙)of    4    was initially the Church of Mater Dei(圣母大教堂). First    5    (build) in 1580, the Ruins of St. Paul's is the iconic site of Macao. Originally made of wood, the structure    6    (burn) down in a fire during a typhoon in 1835, with only the beautiful granite (花岗岩)facade remaining and the grand stairs of 68 stone steps    7    (lead) up to it. A steel stairway allows    8    (tourist) to climb up to the top of the facade where you can enjoy a panoramic(全景的)view of    9    whole city as well as the delicate stone carvings.

In 2005, the Ruins of St. Paul's was    10    (official) listed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, the facade of the Ruins of St. Paul's functions symbolically as the Holy Land to the city and the site is noted as one of the “eight new scenic spots” of Macao.

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.

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.

Cultural TV programs experienced a come-back at     1     start of the Chinese New year in 2017. Since its broadcast, the program, Readers,    2     (become) a hit. Broadcast on China Central Television (CCTV) over the weekend, it is bringing fresh     3     (enthusiastic) for literature in China. Readers set out to interpret the power and values behind     4     (tradition) Chinese culture. The weekly talk show, produced and hosted by the famous TV personality Dong Qing, invites people from all walks of life to read poems, essays and books they like or wrote. Readers has brought the almost-lost habit     5     reading aloud back into the public spotlight,     6     allows the audience     7     (appreciate) the beauty of language. The participants also     8     (active) share stories from their own life,     9     (explain) reasons why particular pieces touched their hearts or shaped their lives. In the show, poems can     10     (adapt) into songs. So far this program has been considered one of the most popular shows in China.

There are various reasons why people write poetry. Some poems tell a story     1     describe something in a way that will give the reader a strong     2     (impress). Others try

    3     ( convey) certain emotions, Poets use many different     4     (form) of poems to express     5     (they). In this text, however, we will look     6     a few of the simpler forms. Some of the first poetry     7     (write) in English is nursery rhymes. Children learned these when they were very young. Nursery rhymes like     8     one on the right are still a common type of children’s poetry. They delight small children     9     they have strong rhythm, rhyme and a lot of repetition. This     10     (make) them easy to learn and recite. By playing with the words in nursery rhymes, children learn about language.

The Great Pyramid was built nearly 5,000 years ago for a king    1     (call) Khufu. It is on the west bank of the Nile River.    2    (actual), all the pyramids along the Nile River are on its west bank. The ancient Egyptians thought of the rising of the sun as the beginning of life and the    3    (set) of the sun as the end of life. This is why their bodies    4    (bury) on the west of the Nile.

    5     is very hard to realize how big the Great Pyramid is. It has over 2,300,000 pieces of stones, most of    6    weigh two and a half tons. Some even weigh fifteen tons. Without machinery, the ancient Egyptians cut, moved     7    lifted these stones. Almost all the stones came    8    the east bank of the Nile, and they were taken across the river in boats. It took more than 100,000 people twenty years    9    (build) the Great Pyramid.

The Great Pyramid is over 450 feet high today. Each of the    10    (side) of the Pyramid is 755 feet long. It is about twenty-minute walk all the way around it.