China celebrates the Chinese National Day on October 1st every year. The celebration marks the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

For centuries, a succession of different dynasties ruled China,     1     (follow) by the short-lived Republic of China (1912—1949). After a lengthy civil war, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) proclaimed China’s     2     (independent) and established the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

On October 1st, 1949,    3     official victory ceremony was organized in Tian’anmen Square,     4     Mao Zedong, the leader of the CCP, raised China’s first Communist national flag. On October 2nd, 1949, the day of foundation of China was officially declared    5     (be) National Day.

Since 1950, October 1st     6     (celebrate) as a great national festival in China every year and various    7    (activity) and events are organized annually to mark this day.

    8    (present), China’s National Day is celebrated over a one-week period. The 7-day holiday begins from October 1st and runs until the 7th, and this period is called “Golden Week” in China. China National Day holiday is the     9    (busy) travel period in China. Tourist attractions are crowded     10    hotels are fully booked.

No discussion about Chinese culture is complete without mentioning of the Great Wall. It is one of the most amazing     1    (structure) in the entire world. Through more than 2,000 years from the     2    (seven) century BC to the 16th century AD, 19 Dynasties built parts of the Great Wall,     3    (add) up to over 100,000 kilometers. It prevented northern people on horseback     4     attacking people in the south.

The hardships involved in building the Great Wall are beyond     5    (imagine). A Chinese idiom     6    (vivid) expresses the Great Wall, “Efforts joined by many can build the Great Wall.”

Over the centuries, the Great Wall    7    (become) a symbol of strength for the Chinese people. For example, the national anthem, composed by Nie Er,     8    (call) on the people to “build our new Great Wall with our flesh and blood.”

The well-preserved sections we see today were mainly built during the Ming Dynasty (1368

3 . A huge fire broke out on 2 September 1666 in London. The fire, known as the Great Fire of London, was the worst fire in the history of London. It burned down more than three quarters of the old city.

The fire started in the very early hours of Sunday morning in the house of the king’s baker. A strong wind blew the fire from the baker’s house into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.

At that time, most of the buildings in London were made of wood, so it was easy for the fire to spread quickly. By eight o’clock, three hundred houses were on fire. By Monday, nearly a kilometre of the city was burning along the Thames River. On Tuesday, which was considered the worst day, the fire destroyed many well-known buildings, including the old St Paul’s Cathedral.

The fire burned until finally hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire were destroyed to create a firebreak. The fire then died out eventually with nothing left to burn.

4 . Over the course of more than 250 years, the US Postal Service has gone through many changes, including switching its focus from newspapers to package delivery service.

In the early 1830s, the Postal Service focused on delivering newspapers to keep Americans informed and connected. To keep newspaper subscriptions cheap and accessible, the Postal Service charged high prices for letter postage as much as a full-day’s wages. In order to help the expansion of the passenger transportation network in the new nation, the agency often shared the letter delivery with stagecoach lines. Later, it did the same for private steamboats and railroads, even airlines

But the competition for the letter delivery became so fierce that a wave of laws between 1845 and 1851 made the Postal Service the only letter-carrier and set aside an annual budget to support the agency. Helped by lowered rates, letters soon became the agency’s main business.

In 1863, the Postal Service began to experiment with home delivery, instead of just carrying letters from post office to post office. By the dawn of the 20th century, even remote farmers’ letters were dropped into their mailboxes. Since then, home delivery has become a “universal public service (UPS)” that every American deserves to receive at a low price.

By the early 20th century, the Postal Service had set a four-pound limit on mail: Anything heavier was supposed to be left to private companies. But the four largest private carriers secretly cooperated to charge confusing and often terribly high rates. In 1913, the Postal Service eventually took the parcel (包裹) service away from the private carriers.

Now the Postal Service’s only growing business is package delivery fed by the online shopping addictions. Since it is required by law to visit every household six days a week, the Postal Service now offers cheap rates to private companies like Amazon and FedEx to deliver their goods to our doorsteps. However, most Americans think that it is unfair to use taxpayer’s money to help such big private companies to deliver their goods.

With a fascinating past and more than four hundred years of history, St. Augustine is one of the nation’s oldest cities and a     1     (nation) treasure. Located on Florida’s Atlantic coast, it is home to many fine examples of European architecture and wild scenic views.

In 1513, an explorer found this land,     2     he called La Florida. Then, in 1565, a Spanish conqueror(征服者) built a settlement there, and named it St. Augustine.

Apart     3     a 20-year period of English rule, Florida remained ruled by Spanish     4       (govern) until the United States took control in 1821. In the years after     5     (it) founding, St. Augustine was attacked by     6     range of people, the French, the English and the natives. They are said to     7     (shoot) flaming arrows at the city’s defensive building,     8     (set) it on fire. More recently, nature has stricken the city with two hurricanes. Still, St. Augustine     9     (exist)   now.

After the city recovers, visitors shouldn't overlook it. It has suffered much in history. Hopefully, visitors will come and perhaps support the coast recovery while discovering Florida’s     10     (century) of history and miles of coastal beauty.

7 . Zheng He was one of China's most famous explorers. Towards the end of the fourteenth century, his fleet (舰队) sailed to countries far away.

Zheng He had over 300 ships, some of which were over 150 meters long, and could carry up to 1 ,000 people. Besides, the ships carried gold, silver, silk, china and other treasures to give as gifts to the rulers of other countries. Some ships even had earth on board so that the sailors could grow their crops for food.

On Zheng He's first voyage(航海), he set sail across the Indian Ocean. His fleet travelled many days far away from land. One day, they were hit by a storm. All the sailors thought the fleet was going to sink. Then a strange light appeared and after that,the storm passed. The strange light was probably electricity from the thunderstorm (雷雨),but the sailors in Zheng He's fleet believed it was a sign of protection from the gods. With the belief, they were happy to follow Zheng He wherever he led them.

Zheng He completed seven famous voyages between 1405 and 1433. He visited many countries in Asia and Africa. He brought back many gifts from the countries he visited, such as medicines, pearls (珍珠) and strange animals. The most famous of them were a giraffe and a zebra.

In 28 years of travelling, Zheng He had managed to share the glory of China with many different countries. When he died in 1435,the stories of his travels made him one of China's most famous sailors.

8 . The Union Jack is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is so called because it combines the emblems (象征) of three countries — England, Scotland and Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom).

The term “Union Jack” possibly dates from Queen Anne's time, but its origin is uncertain. It may come from the “Jacket” of the English or Scottish soldiers; or from the name of James Ⅰ who originated the first union in 1603, in either its Latin or French form “Jacobus” or “Jacques”； or as “jack” once meant small, the name may come from a royal proclamation (声明) issued by Charles Ⅱ that the flag should be flown only by ships of the Royal Navy as a jack, a small flag at the bowsprit (船首).

The Union Jack was originally a royal flag (when the present design was made official in 1801, it was ordered to be flown on all the King's forts and castles, but not elsewhere); today it is flown above Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle when the Queen is not in residence. On news of a royal death, the Union Jack will be flown at half-mast (下半旗).

The flying of the Union Jack on public buildings is decided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at the Queen's command. The Union Jack is flown on government buildings on days marking the birthdays of members of the royal family, such as the Queen's official birthday, and on the days of the State Opening and prorogation (休会) of Parliament; it is also flown on St David's Day, St George's Day, St Andrew's Day, and St Patrick's Day.

Although the Union Jack originated as a royal flag, it is now also flown by many people and organizations elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Its use as an emblem has extended beyond the form of a flag and the Union Jack is frequently shown on other objects.