The Silk Road was a network of trade routes     1    (connect) China and the Far East with the Middle East and Europe.     2    (establish) when the Han Dynasty in China     3    (official) opened trade with the West in 130 BCE, the Silk Road routes remained     4     use until 1453 CE, when the Ottoman Empire boycotted (抵制) trade with China and closed them. Although it’s been nearly 600 years since the Silk Road     5    (use) for international trade, the routes had a lasting impact on commerce, culture and history that resonates even today.

The Silk Road may have formally opened up trade between the Far East     6     Europe during the Han Dynasty,     7     ruled China from 206 BCE to 220 CE. Han Emperor Wu sent imperial ambassador Zhang Qian     8    (make) contact with cultures in Central Asia in 138 BCE, and his reports from his journeys conveyed valuable     9    (inform) about the people and lands that lay to the West. But the transport of goods and services along these routes     10    (date) back even further.

Pearl Harbor is a U.S.naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, which was     1    scene of a destructive surprise attack by Japanese forces     2    December 7, 1941.Just before 8 a.m.that Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked on the base,     3    they managed to destroy or damage nearly 20 American naval ships,     4    (include) eight battleships, and over 180 airplanes.More than 2,000 Americans     5    (die)in the attack, including common people, and another 1,000 people     6    (wound).The day after the attack, President Franklin D.Roosevelt asked Congress     7     (declare) war on Japan. 

During the Pearl Harbor Attack in 1941 the USS Arizona sank with a     8     (lose) of more than 1,000 men.A white concrete and steel structure now spans the remains of the     9    (sink) ship, which was dedicated as a     10    (nation) memorial on May 30, 1962.Present facilities at Pearl Harbor include a naval shipyard, supply centre, and submarine base.

VR (virtual reality), just like its name,     1    (mean) reality that is not real. Though you know the sensory information    2    (surround) you is not real, part of your brain believes it is and acts     3    (according). VR can be used in many fields, education, for example. It helps students understand many complex situations such as the universe     4     micro world. In medicine, VR can help surgeons practice operating on a virtual “twin” before operating     5     the real person. It can also help train new surgeons.

VR has a     6    (vary) of applications in our daily life. Some game systems allow players     7    (put) on a special headset and they will enter virtual environments and play against either real or virtual     8    (opponent). VR is being introduced to help people see exhibitions in museums, do shopping and selecting travel destinations. In either case, VR will help people make more     9    (inform) choices.   

Though there are some barriers for the development of VR, it is promising. Especially during this age     10     technology is developing fast, everything is possible.

An eastern bluebird sits on a branch, patiently watching the ground below. Suddenly, it spots a beetle. The bird spreads     1     blue wings, flies to the ground, and quickly eats the small insect. Then the     2     (color) bird returns to the branch     3     (wait) for its next snack.

Eastern bluebirds can     4     (find) in the eastern parts of North and Central America. The eastern bluebird is the state bird of New York and Missouri. These birds can often be seen in trees or on fences, looking at the clearings (空地) and searching     5     food.

These birds are skilled    6     (flier) with incredible vision. They can spot       7     insect on the ground from 60 feet away. Eastern bluebirds often sing,     8     (use) their voices to stay in touch with other members. They also use sounds to warn enemies to stay away from their small, cup-like nests    9     are usually built inside old woodpecker holes. Most baby eastern bluebirds     10     (simple) leave the nest about three weeks after they hatch out (孵化), but some stay to help their parents with the next batch of eggs.

The passage is mainly about the     1    (different) between Alan’s life before and after he stopped     2    (use) his smartphone. Alan was a smartphone addict,     3     spent too much time     4     the phone. Then an accidental incident     5     (make) him want to live without a smartphone for a week.   At first he felt     6     (lose) and anxious. As time passed, he felt free and     7    (alive) than before and began     8     (appreciate) the beauty in life with     9     own eyes instead of through his camera.     10    (final), it dawned on him that life beyond smartphones is richer and more beautiful.

Scientists       1    (study) gene technology for decades, and although great progress       2    (make), many difficult problems remain unsolved.   We human beings     3    (find) ways to cure various diseases. Although many ways     4    (find) to cure lots of diseases, there are still many that cannot be cured, such as cancer. We     5    (search) for the secret of longevity, and even though people     6    (be) able to live longer than ever before, we still hope it even longer.

According to a recent American study, food allergies (过敏) are becoming more and more common,     1     (particular) among children. About 8% of those under 19 have developed an allergy. That means     2     total of 6 million children suffer from allergies in the USA.

The foods that are mostly responsible for such allergies     3     (be) milk, eggs, peanuts, fish, nuts and wheat. But why are food allergies increasing? Experts give the     4     (reason). One is that everything is too clean. Our body does not have the training     5     (fight) off attackers. Besides, genetic (基因的) engineering has changed most of the food we eat today.

Although a food allergy can begin     6     any age, most allergies start in childhood. Some allergies go away when you grow up, like milk or egg allergies. Others, like fish or nut allergies, are probably with people in     7     (they) whole life.

In fact, at least one third of the children     8     (affect) are allergic to more than one kind of food. They have trouble staying     9     (health) and getting the right diet. Therefore, parents     10     children have allergies should always have some drugs with them. These drugs act quickly and let children breathe better.