The problem with     1     (learn) history by key dates and moments is that it gives us a spotlit view of the past — bright stars of major events twinkling against a giant — but dark and mysterious night sky of history.     2     a result, we lose the sense of the context of major events, and the ways in     3     our history — and our world — have been, and still are, connected.

So we set out to find out     4     was happening elsewhere on October 14, 1066 as the Battle of Hastings was raging.

The Norman knights were also expanding into Sicily and mainland Italy, while the migration of Seljuk Turks from Central Asia was about to threaten the Byzantine Empire,     5     (eventual) leading to the call for the First Crusade.

But my     6     (favor) moment in 1066 is from China, where Sima Guang began writing his monumental history of China,     7     (know) as the Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government.

Frances Wood, a former head of the Chinese section at the British Library     8     (dig) out an early manuscript of this work. Wood explained how this history     9     (suppose) to be of use to those in charge — by setting in context the     10     (decide) made by China’s leaders in centuries past (403B. C. -207B. C. ) and by analyzing the moral virtues of their actions.

Where the Sidewalk Ends is a book full of fascinating poems written     1     Shel Silverstein. It contains more than 100 of all kinds of poems-some are happy, some are funny and some are     2     (excite). Each poem comes with a nice drawing by the author     3     (he). Some of the pictures are very silly.

My favourite poem     4     (call) Snowman. It is about     5     happy snowman, which always wants to see July. Other animals say that he will melt (融化) by then. But the snowman wants to see July so     6     (bad) that no matter what other people say, it does not bother the snowman one bit. This poem never says if he actually sees July. So you can only guess.

Another poem I really like is Santa and the reindeer. This poem is about Christmas. Santa has to give     7     (variety) presents to the children while one of his reindeer is always asking what’s for him. I guess Santa gets really annoyed because he puts a flea (虱子) in the reindeer’s ear. And the next thing you know, they fly away and are ready     8     (continue) their journey through the world handing out presents to all the children     9     have behaved well.

This book is fun to read because of all those unique poems. The     10     (character) of this book do many unusual things such as selling sisters, talking to fish and a lot more.

8 . When I was 18, my older brother bought me my first mountain bike. I_______my first ride at Sand Canyon. We_______a long and winding road beginning at the mountaintop, and I was_______because I’d never seen mountains that big.

The trail_______at 10,000 feet, dropping 4,000 feet over 12 miles. This ride seemed extremely_______, with sandy roads and high-speed sections that seemed to go on forever.

It took us three hours to get to the_______, but for those three hours, I_______nothing but the trail. On the trail, I forgot about all the awful memories and longed to experience that feeling again.

I loved the_______of rushing past trees and focusing on the next challenge. Biking helped me appreciate the little_______of overcoming a sandy road or________a jump. Biking on trails helped me connect with the natural world.

Mountain biking also gave me the courage to pursue further________and earn a master’s degree in sociology. I wanted to help others discover the sense of________I had found in the biking community and see themselves reflected in stories about the sport. So I________an online collective called @pedal2thepeople that highlights people who bike. I’ve also become a free photographer, and I love to include bikers in my________storytelling.

I am________to my brother for introducing me to this incredible activity that has given me life-changing insight.