With time    1     (go) by, styles in Western art have changed a lot. During the Middle Ages, the main aim of painters was     2     (represent) religious themes. But it was     3     (evidence) that ideas changed when painters began to paint in a more realistic way. People in the Renaissance adopted a more humanistic attitude     4     life. During this period, rich people     5     (pay) famous artists to paint pictures of themselves, their houses and possessions as well as their     6     (activity) and achievements. By coincidence, oil paints were also developed. From the late 19th century, the Impressionists     7    paintings were thought ridiculous drew     8     (quick) to show how light and shadow fell on objects. Today, they     9     (accept) as the beginning of modern art. On the one hand, some modern art is abstract, but on    10     other hand, some is realistic. It is not easy to predict the painting styles in the future.

Chinese weddings(婚礼) are as much about the happy couple as they are about their respective(各自的)    1    (family) . The weddings are impressive affairs that focus on blessings of happiness.    2     date of the wedding ceremony(仪式)is chosen not by chance. Many couples carefully choose a favorable date     3     (bring)success to their marriage. The ceremony can last anywhere from four hours to three days,     4     depends on how many Chinese wedding traditions are observed（遵守).

The Chinese wedding invitation is     5     (typical) red with a golden Double Happiness symbol,     6     (include) dates for the wedding and names of the bride and bridegroom(新郎和新娘).

While Chinese wedding traditions have modernized(现代化)and no longer involve(涉及) a large procession, the journey to pick up the bride     7     (be) still a lively affair. It can involve the use of firecrackers(鞭炮), playing of drums and gongs,    8     even a lion dance.

Another vital(重要) tradition is called the Chinese tea ceremony(仪式). It     9     (perform) at Chinese weddings to show the new couple's respect, gratitude, and     10    (appreciate) for their parents’ love, support and effort in raising them. A red tea set with a Double Happiness symbol is used for the tea ceremony.

From Edmonton, the train     1     (head) southeast across the great Canadian Prairie. At school, Daiyu and Liu Qian had leant that Canada’s population is only     2     (slight) over thirty-seven million. However, they did not anticipate seeing such an open country, and were truly     3     (amaze). They went through two wheat-growing provinces     4     they saw a bunch of farms that covered a very large area.

As there have been so many different styles of Western art, perhaps the best way     1     (understand) Western art is to look at the development of Western painting over the centuries. This began to change in the 13th century with Giotto di Bondone. His     2     (painting) are set apart from other paintings by their realistic human faces and deep emotional impact. Painters concentrated     3     (little) on religious themes during the Renaissance.

Mark Twain was a very famous American writer. He was good at     1     (tell) interesting stories to make other people happy. But once somebody     2     (play) a joke on him.

One day, Mark Twain     3     (invite) to give a lecture in a small town. After the lecture, he met a young man at lunch. The young man told Mark Twain he had an uncle     4     never smiled or laughed.

“Bring your uncle to my lecture this evening,” said Mark Twain, “I’ll tell some interesting    5     (story)   and I’m sure I can make him laugh.”

That evening the young man as well as his uncle came to Mark Twain’s lecture. They sat in     6     first row of the hall. Mark Twain looked at the old man and told some funny stories, which made people in the hall laugh. But there was still no smile     7     the old man’s face. Mark Twain told the     8     (funny) stories he knew. But the old man still didn’t laugh. At last, Mark Twain stopped. He felt very     9     (disappoint). He was very surprised at the old man.

Some days later, Mark Twain met a friend and told him about his bad experience in the small town.

“Oh,” said his friend, “I know what happened to that old man. He     10     (be) deaf for years.”

China has nearly 5, 000 years of     1     (record) history. However, the history of Chinese furniture is even longer than     2     of its writing, which can be traced back to more than 7, 000 years ago.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, most of the furniture was hand-made using high-quality hardwood     3     raw materials, which are now rare and expensive. Ordinary people often use wood such as pine, elm, and beech, but the quality between the woods     4     (different) greatly.

Classical furniture is mostly made by hand. Modern machines cannot     5     (complete) replace handwork. The shapes carved by the machine are neat but the lines are rigid and lacking in vitality. The most delicate aspect of Chinese classical furniture is the structural part of the work. Combining pieces of wood together,     6     (use) nothing more than the wood itself, is a basic skill of all carpenters in ancient China. It was first discovered in the wooden structure of the Hemudu site     7     the ancestors lived. This structure fully represents the     8     (create) and artistry (艺术性) of humanity.

Ancient Chinese     9     (philosophy) have been expressed in traditional Chinese furniture.     10     (achieve) that, skilled carpenters properly matched the curves and straight lines of the furniture.