The Silk Road

The Silk Road was one of the most important arteries (干线) of trade and culture in the world history.     1    planes and trains brought our world close together, it was the first link that ever connected the East and the West     2    the life blood of international trade in ancient time. Many merchants (商人) have traveled on this route between China and Mediterranean bank area for more than 2, 000 years. The trading activity has brought culture exchange, religions spreading and contrasts to the connected     3    (region) and formed a remarkable culture tie featured by Asian, European and the Mediterranean bank.

Starting from the ancient China capital city Chang’an (Xi’an at present), it stretched more than 7,000 kilometres,     4    (reach) the Mediterranean bank. The route was firstly created by an envoy called Zhang Qian assigned by the king of Han Dynasty to deliver gifts     5    was mainly silk for those local loads in west China area     6     (hold) their loyalty. Since the Chinese highly qualified silk     7    (make) its fame to the western countries, the merchants sought the opportunity of trading Chinese silk along this route and gained a great fortune.

Few people would     8    (real) finish the whole silk route journey, because they just traded certain local crafts such as silk, blanket and carpet, etc. with other merchants. Many people took part and numerous goods     9    (trade) in the great international trade at that time. The main cities     10    the Silk Road had grown larger and more important in helping the trade and merchants.

In Asia, especially the so-called “rice bowl” cultures of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, food is usually eaten with    1    (chopstick).

Chopsticks are usually two long, thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also    2     (make) of plastic or mental. Sometimes chopsticks are quite artistic.    3    (true) elegant chopsticks might be with Chinese characters. Skilled workers also combine various hardwoods    4    metal to create special designs.

Five thousand years ago, Chinese people probably cooked their food in large pots,    5    (use) branches to remove it. Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with branches     6    gradually turned into chopsticks.

Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius, who lived     7    551 to 479 BC, influenced the     8    (develop) of chopsticks. Confucius believed knives would remind people of killings and     9    (be) too violent for use at the table.

Chopsticks are not used everywhere in Asia. In India, most people traditionally eat     10    their hands.

The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on July 26, 2024, will take place on the Seine River. The government     1    (announce) the news last Monday, breaking the long held Summer Games tradition of stadium procession of athletes and officials.

More than 160 boats     2    (load) with athletes, and officials, from more than 200 countries and regions will sail almost 6 kilometers between the Pont d’ Austerlitz and Pont d’ Iena bridges in central Paris. The closing ceremony is scheduled     3    (hold) at, the Les Jardins du Trocadero, an expanse of gardens and fountains which overlook the Eiffel Tower.

“Today is     4     standout moment,” said Tony Estanguet, a three-time Olympic canoe C1gold winner     5     heads up the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee.

Paris 2024 organizers are expecting crowds of 600,000 people for     6     they call the largest-ever Olympic ceremony—ten     7    (time) more than in the Stade de France.

Part of the public will be scattered (分散) along the banks of Seine in ticketed stands while the rest are able to take part     8     free.

French President supported the idea of     9    (arrange)the ceremony on the Seine in July, although some voiced concerns over how to ensure     10    (secure) for such a big event.

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Cold temperature, biting wind, heavy snow and slippery roads are the common challenges     1     trouble or even interrupt winter outings.

The first cold wave of winter     2     (strike) Northeast China since November, causing a temperature drop of 6℃ to 8℃ and snow accumulation of over 30     3     (centimeter). However, for the students and the faculty (全体教师) at Harbin Institute of Technology in Northeast China, who have been severely affected by the recent cold wave and blizzard, their routes have been made easy, warm and safe thanks to the newly built skywalks on the campus. They     4     (comfortable ) move between classrooms, libraries, cafeterias, dormitories and the gym in short sleeves through skywalks all within a 5-minute walk. Some students have even been spotted     5     (enjoy) ice cream while admiring the snowy scenery along the pathways. Praise and     6     (admire) have poured in for the usefulness of the skywalks and the thoughtfulness of the college.

    7     (launch) in 2022, the construction of skywalks on campus is aimed at effectively reducing the impact of extreme weather     8     the campus life and enhancing convenience for both faculty and students. With     9     total length of 1,330.13 meters, the skywalks are built in three phrases. Currently, 881.81-meter skywalks are     10     (access).

Stepping outside the railway station early     1    an autumn morning,visitors are met with the view of the cold air along with the water, forming a thick, soft blanket of fog (雾) over the Grand Canal,the “main street” of Venice. It’s a sight that    2     (welcome) millions of visitors from all over the world since the city became one of Europe’s economic superpowers.

Yet, the breath-taking beauty     3    inspired countless painters, writers and artists over the centuries easily damaged is at risk of being lost forever. The city’s    4     (survive) is threatened (威胁) by rising water levels. The unstoppable increase in sea level has caused flooding    5     (become) the order of the day.

After 1966, the year of the worst flooding in Venice’s history, the Italian Government started a project to save the city.     6     project needing a lot of effort was carried out to protect the lowest areas from flooding. Thirty     7     (year) later, there was an agreement     8     (support) by everyone on the     9     (success) results both of the technical achievements and international cooperation(合作).

But Venice still needs attentive care. The city remains threatened on several fronts— mass tourism, the possible damage of city development     10     a large number of boats.

                                     The Father of China’s Aerospace

Perhaps no other scientist has had a     1    (great) impact on China’s aerospace science than Qian Xuesen. He was a well-respected man,     2     served his homeland with effort, achievement and devotion. Born in Hangzhou in 1911, Qian attended schools in Beijing and Shanghai. In 1935, he went to the US     3     further study and then worked there. After overcoming some difficulties, he     4    (return) to China in 1955, and was put in charge of developing China’s rocket science as well as the space and missile programme.     5    (face) with challenges, Qian didn’t feel discouraged. When     6    (ask) “Can we Chinese possibly make missiles?”, his reply was “Why not?” Under     7    (he) leadership, China developed its own missiles, rockets, and man-made satellites     8    (success). Qian was knowledgeable. However,     9     made him an outstanding and creative scientist was probably his interest in other things like music and drawing, which gave him     10    (inspire) in scientific research. The whole country was saddened by Qian’s death in 2009.

On July 19, 2013, a girl who was coming to 10 signed up on Weibo with the nickname (外号) “frog princess Gu Ailing”,     1     she has posted some pictures of her skiing     2     (compete). The nickname came from Gu’s first helmet when she started skiing,     3     was green and had a crown (冠) and a pink hair pin on it, according to media reports. Gu first went into public view on June 6, 2019, when she     4     (announce) on Weibo that she would represent Team China in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. In the same month, Gu changed her registered nationality from the US to China on the official website of the International Snow Federation (FIS). Due to the sensitivity on     5     (change) nationality and lack of attention on winter sports, Gu did not attract much enthusiasm in the first place. Over the next two years, she won 12 gold     6     (medal) for China. More and more people become familiar     7     Gu, a girl who loves to eat dumplings and Peking roast duck,     8     (particular) when they found out that Gu’s Putonghua with a Beijing accent is “more standard than my own”. And no one in China doubted     9     (she) from a patriotic standpoint. Some have noticed that there’s     10     “Chinese dragon” on Gu’s outfit to win the gold medal.