2 . 课文内容填空

Many people are confused about the     1    (mean) of the names: the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain and England.     2     (solve) this puzzle, knowing a little bit about British history will help.

In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales     3    (join) to the Kingdom of England, followed by the country Scotland in 18th century. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.     4     (final), in the 20th century, the southern 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 which     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.

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The United Kingdom has a long and     1    (interest) history to explore,     2     can help you understand much more about the country and its traditions. Almost everywhere you go in the UK, you     3         (surround) by evidence of four different groups of people who took     4     at different times throughout history. The first group, the Romans, came in the first century. Some of     5    (they) great achievements included building towns and roads. Next, the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the fifth century. They introduced the beginnings of the English language, and changed     6     way people built houses. The Vikings came in the eighth century and     7    (leave) behind lots of new vocabulary, and also the names of many     8    (locate) across the UK. The last group were the Normans. They conquered England after the well-known Battle of Hastings in the 11th century. They had castles     9    (build) all around England, and made changes to the legal system. The Normans were French, so many French words     10    (slow) entered into the English language.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

What comes to your mind when you think of music in Austria? You might think of Mozart or the film The Sound of Music, but Austrian music started off quite     1     (different).

One of the earliest types of Austrian music may not seem like music at all. Yodelling, a form of singing that alternates (交替) in pitch (音高) between low and high,     2     (be) thought to have begun as a way for animal owners in the mountains     3     (call) their animals. Even today, yodelling     4     (use) in pop, rock and country music.

In the 18th century the Austrian royal family drew many famous musicians to Vienna, making     5     a centre for musical innovation and performances. Some classical composers even used     6     (tradition) Austrian folk songs or tunes in their works.

Opera has also been popular in Austria. Not only rich Austrians     7     regular citizens flooded into Vienna to attend performances. Even today, there are operas     8     (perform) every year at the St. Margarethen Opera Festival, in a very unusual location: a quarry (采石场). They all take place in the open air under the stars,     9     (take) advantage of the quarry’s unique acoustics (音响效果).

Austria has a long and rich musical history, from folk songs and dances     10     classical symphonies and operas. The sounds of Austrian music are everywhere.

8 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（仅限 1 词）或括号内单词的正确形式（不多于 3 个词）。

The Silk Road is in fact a relatively recent term. These ancient roads had no particular name until in the mid-19th century, a European    1    (name) the trade and communication network the Silk Road. Since then the term    2    (accept) globally.

In the nineteenth century, a new type of travellers stepped onto the Silk Road, who were eager    3    (look) for adventure. Researchers who came from many countries travelled through the Taklamakan Desert,    4    is now in Xinjiang, to explore ancient sites along the Silk Road,    5    (lead) to many discoveries and studies, and most of all, a renewed interest    6    the history of these routes.

Today, many historic     7    (building) and monuments still stand, marking the passage of the Silk Road through hotels, ports and cities. What's more, the remarkable network is reflected in    8    large number of cultures, languages, customs and religions that have developed for many years along these routes. The passage of merchants and travellers of many    9     (difference) nationalities resulted not only in commercial exchange, but in a widespread and continual process of cultural interaction.    10    ( obvious) , it has become a driving force in the formation (形成) of diverse societies.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

By the Shang Dynasty (around 1600-1046 BCE), these symbols     1     (become) a well-developed writing system. Over the years, the system developed into different forms, as it was a time     2     people were divided geographically,     3     (lead) to many varieties of dialects and characters. This,     4    , changed under Emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BCE).

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

In China, the history of people planting and using bamboo can date back as far as 7000 years. As early as the Shang Dynasty, bamboo was being used in ancient people’s daily lives. It was used for food, clothing, housing, transportation,     1     (music) instruments and even weapons.

The     2     (apply) of bamboo in science and technology is thrilling. In 251 BC, Li Bing, in Sichuan,     3     (lead) the local people in building the Dujiang Weirs, the first irrigation network in the world, in     4     bamboo played an important role. The world’s oldest water piper was also     5     (make) of bamboo. During the Han Dynasty, the people in Sichuan     6    (successful) sank a 1600-metre-deep well with thick bamboo ropes. This technology did not spread to Europe     7     the 19th century, and it was by using the technology that the Americans drilled the first oil well in Pennsylvania in 1859.

In Chinese culture, bamboo is well-known as     8     of the “four gentlemen” in plants. To many distinguished men, bamboo is     9     symbol of goodness and honesty. It is always closely related to people of positive spirits. Bamboo culture contributes to encouraging people to hold on when     10     (face) tough situations.