Lang Ping, the head coach, once declared that the goal of the team was to raise our national flag and listen to the national anthem on top of the podium.

Every historic championship doesn’t come easy, and each victory was the hard work of the team, bit by bit. When people watch the China women’s national volleyball team play, they see a commitment     1     excellence.

In 1981, the China women’s national volleyball team     2     (lead) by player Lang Ping created the first miracle of China’s World Cup. The team defeated the Japanese national team with 3 to 2 at the 3rd World Women’s Volleyball Cup in Osaka, Japan. That’s the first world title for China women’s national volleyball team. Everyone     3     (shock) by this news.     4     the news was broadcast, people burst into joyful tears. Their victory was     5     result of all the former volleyball players’ efforts. A famous coach from Japan was invited to China to help train the China women’s national volleyball team.     6     (see) the     7     (player) conscientiousness and spirit and the support from the Chinese people, he exclaimed, “I’m sure that the China women’s national volleyball team will become strong!”

In 1984, Lang Ping endured pain from appendicitis (阑尾炎)     8     (finish) the competition and win remarkable gold with her teammates in the Los Angeles Olympic Games. She shot to fame and earned the nickname “Iron Hammer”. She said. “At that time the pain didn’t matter. Our slogan is no fear of     9     (hard) and no fear of death. We fear no death, let alone other difficulties.” So the proud head coach of Japanese national team said, “Defeating Chinese national team is equal to blocking the Yangtze River. Both are     10     (possible).”

The annual League of Legends World Championship, commonly referred to as “Worlds,”     1     （feature）qualifying professional teams from across the globe competing over a prize pool of $2,225,000. On Saturday, Chinese team defeated South Korean team and     2     （eventual）won the 2021 League of Legends World Championship in Iceland. The Chinese players     3     （award）the world champion for the first time in history. Due to the pandemic, there was no     4     （admit）to the live competition this year, but millions of audiences tuned in online to watch the game.

The International Olympic Committee is introducing new events     5     （make）the games attract more young people, so why not go further and let national teams compete at video games?

In fact, compared with most mainstream sports, electronic sports     6     “Fortnite” are more popular. But     7     critics may consider is that e-sports are not proper sports. Some of them even offer moral objections, too. In their opinion, they are     8     （violence）. Prince Harry has even called for "Fortnite” to be banned for this reason. Surely, at a time of global disharmony, it is a bad idea to make simulated（模拟的）killing     9     Olympic sport. The Olympics aim to promote peace.

Yet video games are highly competitive, with professional leagues     10     （head）for packed stadiums.

In October 2017,Margaret called a number that she believed belonged to (属于)her grandson Barry,and when he didn't pick up, she     1    (leave) him a voicemail. The person she had called Callie Hall,called Margaret back to let her know she had the wrong number, but over the next couple of     2     (month),Margaret made the mistake a few more times.

"She called about once every two weeks to check in on Barry-whether he needed his shirt repaired     3     anything else he may need,"Hall said."I would call her back to let her know it was till me and we would chat(聊天）a little each time.”

After trying to wish Barry     4     happy birthday on December 19. 2017, but again calling Hall,Margaret     5     (final) worked it out. However, that didn't stop her continuing to call Hall--this time     6    purpose.

"This time the voicemail said,'Hello,Callie!' " Hall said." I worked out Barry's number.Thank you for being my friend. Love you ,later. "

From that day forward, they began to form a real     7     (friend). Hall still let Margaret's phone calls go to voicemail because she enjoyed     8     (listen) to her messages later when she needed to brighten her day. But she would also be happy     9     (call) Margaret back so the two could chat. Hall was suffering from an illness. and     10    (they) chats began providing her with encouragement during difficult times"

Gestures can     1     (use) to express people’s thoughts and opinions in their interactions     2     other people, but in different countries the same gesture may have different meanings. For example, in some countries, looking into the eyes of the person you are talking to     3     (be) a way to display interest, but in many Middle Eastern countries men and women should avoid     4     (make) eye contact. In most countries,     5     (shake) one’s head means “no”, and nodding means “yes”. By     6     (compare), in Bulgaria and southern Albania, the gestures have the opposite meaning. In countries     7     France and Russia, people may kiss their friends on     8     cheek when they meet. Elsewhere, people favour shaking hands, bowing from the waist, or nodding the head when they meet someone else.

All in all, body language     9     (vary) from culture to culture, but it is safe     10     (follow) the golden rule— When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

All around the world, families celebrate special days together. Traditions for these days     1    (be) very different. Some of them may surprise you.

Families in most countries have a special day to celebrate mothers. In Serbia, this day is on     2     second Sunday before Christmas. On that day, children sneak（溜）into their     3    (mother) bedroom and tie her feet with ribbon（丝带）so that she can’t get out of bed. Then they shout, “Mother’s Day, Mother’s Day! What will you pay     4    (get) away?” Then the mother gives them small     5    (treat) and presents as payment so that the kids “free” her.

In China, they say that babies are one year old when they are born. After that, all children celebrate their birthday on New Year’s Day because that’s when they grow a year     6    (old). Actual birthdays     7    (celebrate) with a big family meal. The tradition is that the “birthday boy” or “birthday girl” should fill their mouth     8     as many long noodles as they can     9     then eat them. This is     10     in Chinese culture, long noodles are a symbol that people will live long.

People have been exploring the secrets of ancient Maya civilisation for     1     (age). It is the lack of modern technology in Maya society     2     makes its achievements mysterious. The Maya built     3     (impress) palaces and temples without the use of wheels and metal tools. They knew a lot about mathematics and astronomy. What’s     4     (much), they invented a writing system, which was so complex that no one has been able to interpret it completely. Its civilisation was     5     its peak by 700 AD. But it began to mysteriously decline within just a couple of generations.

People are searching for the reason why Maya civilisation     6     (collapse). Researchers have different opinions about it. Maybe it is due to a natural disaster or a deadly disease. Some research seems to show that the Maya people themselves may have played     7     role in their downfall. Turning wetlands into fields for agriculture, they reduced     8     (they) ability to cope with natural disasters. Therefore, a series of droughts occurred around 900 AD,     9     (lead) to food shortages, conflicts and     10     ( eventual) the downfall of the cities.

The rise and fall of this civilisation not only give us the mysteries of the Maya but also leave us thinking about our own past, present and future.