Han Gan, a famous artist, was born     1    706 and died in 783. He      2      (be) good at painting horses. Born into      3     poor family, the young Han Gan had to help support his family by      4     (work) in a wine shop. One day, Han Gan used a stick to draw pictures on the ground. Wang Wei     5      (see) the pictures and to sponsor (赞助)     6     (he) to study painting.Because of Han Gan’s      7     (year) of hard work, he was chosen to work for Emperor Xuanzong. His way of painting horses was     8     (difference) from other artists. To observe (观察) the horses     9     (good), he even moved to live with the stable workers. The famous poet Su Shi said, “The horses     10     (paint) by Han Gan are real horses.”

3 . Wimbledon is the most important sporting event of the British summer. Since the first tournament (锦标赛) was played in 1877, the competition has become a global sporting event attended by over half a million people, and watched on television by millions.

Although the Wimbledon tennis championship (锦标赛) has been around for more than a century, the sport of tennis has a much longer history. Most experts agree that the modern game has its origins in a courtyard ball game played by French monks in the 11th century.

Much has changed since the first Wimbledon Tournament in 1877. The first champion, Spencer Gore, won a prize of £12;this year the prize money is £630,000. Indeed, success in tennis championships is a very profitable (有收益的) business. 2004 Wimbledon champion, Roger Federer has won nearly $17,000,000 in prize money since 1998. Even more impressive, Serena and Venus Williams have won $30,000,000 between them over the last ten years.

Although Wimbledon has traditionally been dominated by Americans and Europeans, other countries are beginning to produce world-class players. Zheng Jie and Yan Zi won China’s first Wimbledon title on July 9, 2006. They beat Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain and Paola Suarez of Argentina in the women’s doubles final.

In the future all Chinese competitors will be under pressure to do well; their coach, Jiang Hongwei, has gone on record as saying, “My goal is to lift my players into the top 30.”

The Grand Canal of China was first dug in 486 BC, and well developed through the late 6th to early 10th century. From the late 13th until 19th century, with the highest section built and the overall length     1    (shorten), the Canal was turned into a main passage between northern     2     southern China as well as the economic lifeline of the country. Consisting of the Sui and Tang Grand Canal, the Jing-Hang Grand Canal and the Zhedong Canal, the Canal     3    (stretch) over 2, 700 kilometers, crossing eight provincial-level administrative regions and     4    (link) five major water systems. The Grand Canal also connects with the Eurasian Silk Road to the west and extends the water trade route to the east.

The Grand Canal was     5     notable achievement of the ancient Chinese people. Its connection of the political and economic centers played a     6    (centre) role in the political unity, economic     7    (grow) and cultural prosperity of China, and contributed to the livelihood, exchanges and integration of the population along its route.

The Grand Canal     8    (announce) by the State Council as one of the seventh batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level in March, 2013 and registered     9     the UNSECO World Heritage List in June, 2014. This large-scale, living cultural heritage spreads like a huge dragon across the vast territory of China,     10    (it) ripples shining golden scales (鳞片) in the new age.

6 . Try to picture the world before refrigerators. That may be difficult!     1     They may also help store leftovers there after dinner. Yes, life today would be quite different without refrigerators. How did people keep their food fresh before these machines were around?

    2     In cold areas, ancient people could freeze their food. They could then store it in ice and snow. Warmer places allowed for drying food in sunlight. Experts say these early practices gave people the option to settle and form communities.

One advanced method of food storage arose in Persia around 400 BC. People there stored food in structures called Yakhchal, which were buildings made from mud brick to keep ice frozen during even the warmest summer months. During the Middle Ages, people stored meat by salting or smoking it.     3     These foods could then be stored in cool places, like caves, allowing people to save food for difficult times.

Later, buildings called ice houses or ice pits were built upon the idea of the Yakhchal. Such ice houses were very common by the 1800s. At the end of the 19th century, many people kept their food fresh in iceboxes made of wood.     4     Ice delivery businesses grew with more homes requiring ice to store food.

By the 1930s, many people were using electric refrigerators to keep food fresh.     5     Many refrigerators today come with built-in ice makers. Some people even choose smart refrigerators that can help them with meal plans and grocery shopping.

7 . Sometimes shipwrecks（沉船）contain sunken treasure, loads of gold or jewelry. Other shipwrecks are themselves the treasure—the stories of their ill-fated voyages creating a legend that makes them sparkle far more than any gold or precious stones.

The wreck of HMS Endurance, which has finally been located deep beneath the icy seas of Antarctica after being lost 107 years ago, was arguably the most valuable shipwreck ever sought. That’s because its discovery adds another thrilling new chapter to an already fascinating tale of perseverance and survival that has echoed down the decades and still inspires today.

Incredibly well preserved at a depth of almost two miles, the ship is little changed from the day in November 1914 when it finally sank beneath the ice. Endurance became embedded in ice while crossing Antarctica’s Weddell Sea. The video shot by underwater search vehicles shows painted timbers, an undamaged guardrail（护栏）and the name “Endurance” written above the five-pointed symbol of a polar star.

“I tell you, you would have to be made of stone not to feel a bit soft at the sight of that star and the name above,” Mensun Bound, the mission’s marine archaeologist, told the BBC. “You can see a porthole（舷窗）that is in Shackleton’s cabin. At that moment, you really do feel the breath of the great man upon the back of your neck.” Shackleton’s leadership was crucial to getting his men out alive. The reason why Shackleton is still applauded as a great man becomes obvious when you consider what he achieved in the face of disasters and hardships during his 1914-16 expedition. The practicality and humanity he showed in the face of severe situations was arguably praised.

9 . Once Popular Sports in Ancient Capital Xi'an

The ancient capital Xi'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi province is holding the National Games. As the capital of 13 dynasties throughout Chinese history, the ancient city has never been far from sports. Starting from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, the city has held many sports events.

Cuju: Origin of modern soccer

Cuju was an ancient Chinese competitive game involving kicking a ball through an opening into a net. As the ancestor of soccer, it first appeared in the renowned ancient Chinese historical work Zhan Guo Ce（“Strategies of the Warring States”）, which describedCuju as a form of entertainment among the general public. Later, cuju was commonly played in the army for military training purposes, during the Han Dynasty.

Jiaodi: Chinese-style wrestling

Sumo, known as Japan's “national sport”, actually started in ancient China. Sumo was called jiaodi or jiaoli in ancient times. Ancient jiaodi,a Chinese-style wrestling, was performed by athletes wearing ox horns and wrestling with each other imitating wild oxen. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, jiaodi was highly favored by emperors. In the Tang Dynasty, jiaodi was part of military training and a kind of entrainment and athletic sports.

Jiju: Ancient polo

Jiju is a sport which uses a stick to hit balls while riding on a horse, pretty similar to modern polo. It was popular in the royal court and among common people in the Tang Dynasty. There were many fields for playing polo in the court and it was also a major military training program in the army. In the Tang Dynasty capital, there were formal polo courts, such as the stadium pavilion in Chang' an palace.

Archery

During ancient times, the origin of archery was closely related with hunting and defense. Ancient archery was not only an athletic event,a military training program, and an entertainment activity, but also part of education. As early as in Zhou Dynasty, the archery was listed as one of the six practical disciplines, also called the Six Arts, becoming an important and competitive form.

10 . Pizza is almost everyone’s favorite food. Recently, it has even received recognition from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)!

    1    

Pizza has been a part of Italian culture for centuries. In the 1700s and the 1800s, the city of Naples in Italy was an independent kingdom, known for its large working class. Pizza began as a “poor man’s food”— as a way to feed poor people quickly and at a low cost.

In 1889, King Umberto Ⅰ and Queen Margherita visited Naples, which had by then come under a unified Italy.       2     . The queen’s favorite turned out to be pizza topped with cheese, tomato, and basil — it is no surprise that it came to be known as Pizza Margherita!

When Italians from Naples moved to the United States, they brought more than just their desire for a better future.     3     , and pizza became popular in the United States before it did in Italy — the country where it was born. It was only after World War II that Italians picked up on pizza.

The art of pizza spinning.

The skills for pizza making have been passed down in the city for generations, and those who know them are called “pizzaiuoli”.     4    ; they need both talent and practice to learn to prepare, roll, and bake the dough (面团) properly.

According to UNESCO, about 3,000 pizzaiuoli work in Naples right now. In the city, there is also a pizza museum and an academy in which 120 students each year can train to become pizzaiuoli themselves.     5     . Some shops even celebrate by handing out free slices of pizza on the streets of the city.