Kites nowadays can be seen in parks throughout the world. But     1     is believed that the first kite was invented by the Chinese more than 2,000 years ago. In the beginning, the kites     2     (use) for military (军事的) purposes and defense. Since the Qing Dynasty, kites have been used mostly for     3     (entertain) and celebrations.

For a long time, kites were used only in China and nearby countries. Businessmen     4     visited China took kites to India, Korea and other parts of Asia. Marco Polo was the first person     5     (take) Chinese kites to Europe, after one of his famous trips to China in the 13th century. He was also one of the first     6     (author) who wrote about the kites,     7     (explain) to the Western audience how to use them. They spread from Europe to North and South America as well.

During the 20th century, kite flying festivals became very popular in China. Weifang, Shandong is considered the kite capital of the world and the Weifang International Kite Festival     8     (attract) many tourists from around the world.

Weifang is also home to     9     (famous) Kite Museum in the world. In the Weifang Kite Museum, it is possible to see     10     impressive collection of kites from all periods. Professionals are able to figure out the period just by examining the materials and decorations used.

3 . These days, Fred’s huge skeleton (骨架) was exhibited in the Indiana State Museum. His tusks (长牙) were recently the subject of a research study tracing the life 13,000 years ago of mastodons, distant relatives of modern elephants.

By analyzing the chemicals in Fred’s tusks, a team of researchers was able to construct a detailed account of his seasonal migration patterns. Josh Miller, a paleoecologist (古生态学家) at the University of Cincinnati, is one of the researchers studying Fred. “He has beautifully preserved bones and tusks, which provides a great opportunity for our research,” Miller said.

Mastodons’ tusks generally grow in distinct layers, similar to the tree rings. As a result, the nutrients that build the layers of their tusks can tell us a lot about what they experienced. The team particularly focused their analysis on the variations in two elements in the layers: strontium (锶) and oxygen. The former is the key to understanding where Fred spent his life, while the latter tells us the season he was in any particular region. Then, with some statistical modeling, Miller and his team gained insight into the daily record of Fred’s behavior over ten thousand years ago.

The result indicated that when Fred was young, he would have grown a lot. But there’s a year when his growth is reduced — that’s when Miller’s analysis starts. “Probably like the modern male elephant, a male mastodon is just really obnoxious when growing up to be a bother and often arouses family members’ anger. At that point, the mom and aunts will essentially kick him out of the family”, Miller predicted.

After Fred set off to attend to himself, his tusks reflected where he traveled around. Based on analysis, every summer, Fred would return to mate in Northeastern Indiana, because around this time, his tusks started to show signs of injuries. When competing for mates, mastodons got into huge battles with their own natural weapons, sharp tusks. And that was exactly what brought the story of Fred to an untimely end.

Located in Guanghan city of Southwest China’s Sichuan Province and covering an area of 12 square kilometers. Sanxingdui Site is the remains of the ancient Shu culture, which dates back     1     4,800-2,600 years ago, and is considered to be one of the     2     (great) archaeological (考古的) discoveries in the 20th century. This particular discovery is a strong proof of the     3     (exist) of the ancient Shu State and the integrative pattern of the multi-cultures of the Chinese nation.

In fact, as a cultural site,, Sanxingdui had come into the notice of archaeologists in as early as the 1930s, and     4     (exploration) were made soon. It all began     5     a farmer called Yan Daocheng dug out a number of treasures     6     (accidental) in the spring of 1929. In the summer of 1986, thousands of rare treasures were unearthed from two large newly-discovered sacrificial pits (祭祀坑). The unearthed objects are unique in shape and superior in techniques,     7     (confirm) the extraordinary creativity of the ancient Shu people and their desires     8     (connect) with and understand the universe.

After sleeping for 3,000 years, their awakening has shocked the world. When our eyes     9     (caught) by the creations of the ancient Shu ancestors, it is     10     encounter with a civilization lost for 3,000 years.

Oracle bones (甲骨) were believed to be first unearthed in Anyang, once called Yin, the capital of the Shang Dynasty. Villagers then had little idea of what they had found and sold the bones to drugstores as     1    (tradition) Chinese medicines. The medicines gained the notice of historians. The discovery     2    (follow) by a series of archaeological excavations (挖掘).

Over the past 120 years, major systematic excavations have been carried     3    . A relic site museum has been built at the Yinxu site,     4    (recognize) as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discovering the oracle bones and inscriptions helped explore the cultures of Xia and Shang dynasties,     5     trace the origins of the Chinese civilization.

The content of the inscriptions emphasizes the respect for ancestors and other core Chinese values     6     have been passed on until today. It     7    (appeal) to not only scholars but also those outside the circles of archaeology. Chen Nan, a professor at Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design, has energized the life of these ancient symbols by     8    (feature) them in the biaoqingbao (emoticons) he developed.

“They represent the     9    (clue) to our cultural lineage (传承), ” Chen says. “I feel     10     our responsibility to communicate about the charm of the primitive inscription with the younger generations and foreigners.”

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.

It seems inhuman to care more about a building than about people. That the sight of the Notre Dame's     1    (go)up in flames has attracted more attention than floods in southern Africa which killed over 1,000 has aroused understandable feelings of guilt. Yet the widespread sorrow is     2    (definite)human—and in a particularly 21st-century way.

It is not just the economy that is       3    (globe)today, it is culture too. People wander the world in search not just of jobs and       4    (secure)but also of beauty and history. Familiarity breeds affection. A building     5     whose sunny steps you have rested or in front of which you       6    (take)a selfie with your loved one, becomes a warm part of your memory. That helps explain why the whole world is in deep sorrow.

However, the emotions are less about the building itself than about     7     losing it might mean. Notre Dame is an expression of humanity, having experienced 850 years of political turbulence(动荡)—through war, revolution and Nazi occupation.

And it will be rebuilt. It will never be the same, but that is as it should be.     8     Victor Hugo wrote in The Hunchback of Notre Dame,     9     three-volume love-letter to the cathedral: “Great buildings are the work of centuries. Art     10    (transform)as it is being made. Time is the architect; the nation is the builder.”