China is well-known for its long and amazing civilization. Many factors make it possible, one of     1     is the Chinese writing system.

Starting as a picture-based language, written Chinese dates back several thousand years to the use of longgu—animal bones and shells with     2     (carve) symbols on them. By the Shang Dynasty, the symbols had become a highly developed writing system.    3     time went by, a wide variety of dialects and characters came into being because of geographical     4     (difference). Later on, Emperor Qinshihuang united the Chinese people and culture,     5     (lead) to the singular (单一的) development of the writing system. As a result, Chinese people, regardless of location or dialect, now almost have no     6       (difficult) in communicating in writing.

Written Chinese also serves as a great way     7     (connect) China’s present with its past.Because of it, people can read the classic works written in ancient times. People think highly of the Chinese writing system     8     feel proud of the Chinese calligraphy, which is     9     art form enjoying great popularity now.

As China is becoming stronger and more powerful, recently, the number of international students learning Chinese     10     (increase) rapidly.

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

Chopsticks are usually two long, thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. Sometimes chopsticks are quite artistic. Truly elegant chopsticks might     2     (make) of gold and silver with Chinese characters. Skilled workers also combine various hardwoods and metal     3     (create) special designs.

The Chinese have used chopsticks for five thousand years. People probably cooked their food in large pots,     4     (use) twigs (树枝) to remove it. Over time,     5     the population grew, people began cutting food into small pieces so it would cook more quickly.

Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs which     6    (gradual) turned into chopsticks.

Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius,     7     lived from roughly 551 to 479 B.C., 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, for example, most people traditionally eat     10     their hands.

Poetry (诗歌),     1     common form of literature, plays an important role in ancient China. At that time, there were no TVs or films, and     2     (write) had not been invented, so people would sit around the fire at night and sing songs. Since nothing was set down, different versions of these songs     3     (create), and each area would have its own rhythm (韵律). As these songs were often quite long, they often had rhyme and rhythm     4     (help) people remember them more easily. While in the     5     (begin) such songs had a very simple format, over time they became more difficult and     6     (pretty). These were no longer the works of amateurs (业余爱好者) sitting around a fire,     7     works of true poets who cared about their art and who sometimes made a living from it.

Poetry plays with sounds, words, and grammar,     8     makes poetry difficult to write but very interesting to read. In fact, the tradition of writing and reading poems     9     (pass) down over the generations.     10     is amazing that now even more people are trying to write poems by themselves!

The Yellow Crane Tower is one of the Four Great Towers of China.     1     (sit) at the top of Snake Hill, on the banks of the Yangtze River, this symbolic building is one of the     2     (great) landmarks in Wuhan. There are a number of legends     3     tell how the Yellow Crane Tower came into being. One of them is the story of a wine merchant named Xin. It is believed that one day,     4     immortal being (神仙) pretended he was a poor man and got into Xin’s wine store. Xin, showing no judgement,     5     (offer) the man some free wine. The poor man came back day after day for several years and Xin always welcomed him with the same     6     (warm). One day, as the poor man left the store, he took some orange peel and drew a picture of a crane upon the wall. He said if he clapped his hands, the crane would come down from the wall and dance for him.     7     (surprise), what the poor man said was true. The dancing crane brought     8     much business to Xin that he soon became a very wealthy man. About ten years     9     (late), the immortal being came back to Xin’s store, called out the crane and left with it.     10     (honor) him and the crane, Xin built the Yellow Crane Tower.

Many people are     1     (confuse) about the meaning of the names: the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain and England.     2     (solve) this puzzle, it is necessary for people to know a little bit about British.

In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales     3     (join) to the Kingdom of England, followed by the country Scotland in the 18th century. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, in the 20th century, the     4     (south) part of Ireland broke away from the UK,     5     resulted in the full name we have today: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”, meaning the UK is also often referred to     6     Britain or Great Britain.

Even though the four countries     7     (belong) to the United Kingdom work together in some areas, such as using the same flag, sharing the same currency and military     8     (defend), they also have some differences. Anyhow, the United Kingdom has     9     long and interesting history to explore     10     it can help you understand much more about the country and its traditions.

Many people are     1     (confuse) about the meaning of the names: the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain and England.     2    (solve) this puzzle, it is necessary for people to know a little bit about British history.

In the 16^th century, the nearby country of Wales     3    (join) to the Kingdom of England, followed by the country Scotland in the 18th century. In the 19^th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, in the 20th century, the     4    (south) part of Ireland broke away     5     the UK, resulting in the full name we have today: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”,     6     means the UK is also often referred to as Britain or Great Britain.

Even though the four countries     7    (belong) to the United Kingdom work together in some areas, such as using the same flag, sharing the same currency and military     8    (defend), they also have some differences. Anyhow, the United Kingdom has     9     long and interesting history to explore, which can help you understand much more about the country and     10    (it) traditions.

Many people are usually     1     (puzzle) by the meaning of the different names of the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, and England. Getting to know a little bit about British history will help solve this puzzle.

In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, the country of Scotland became part of the Kingdom of Great Britain in the 18th century. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added       2     (create) the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland broke away,     3     (result) in the full name we have today.

The four countries use the same flag, referred to as the Union Jack, as well as share the same currency and military     4     (defend).     5     , they also have some differences.

London is the capital of the UK with     6     history dating all the way back     7     the Roman times and — with almost nine million people — Europe’s     8     (large) city. Almost everywhere you go, you will     9     (surround) by evidence of the four different groups of people       10     took over at different times throughout history.