The h    1     of the city goes back 650 years when the Maoris settled in the area. European s     2     began in 1840 when the British arrived. Auckland was the c    3     of New Zealand for some time. Later, the capital moved to Wellington,     4    it was more central. Since 1945, the city of Auckland has grown and it now has large, modern suburbs. In 1985, the New Zealand government m    5     the whole country a nuclear-free zone and since then Auckland has been a centre for protest a    6     nuclear testing in Asia Pacific.

Famous s    7     include Mt Eden, one of many large volcanoes, as well     8    the Auckland Harbour Bridge. At the Parnell Village, you can visit some of the first European homes. In the city, you can enjoy an amazing view from the Sky Tower,     9     is the city’s tallest Tower. You can also see Maori t    10     dances at the Auckland Museum.

2 . In the 17th century when a British businessman heard that there were one hundred million people in China, he was determined to go there and sell spoons. He thought even if he could earn one penny for one spoon, he would still make a lot of money.     1    

Then, why do the Chinese people use chopsticks? Some people did research on the origin of China’s chopsticks. One theory is that chopsticks were very convenient for Chinese to use because China was an agricultural society, relying mainly on vegetables for food. When we steamed or boiled food, it was difficult for us to use spoons to dip vegetables in the soup.     2     Westerners, on the other hand, travelled with their animals from place to place and lived on meat. For them, knives and forks were more practical.

Chopsticks reflect gentleness and kindness, the main moral teaching of Confucianism.     3     First, don’t use it to hit the side of your bowl or plate to make noises, because Chinese people think only beggars would do this to beg for meals.     4     It means you lay the blame on others. Also, don’t stick your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. That usually appears at the funerals and is believed to be impolite to the host and the seniors who are at the table.

Today, chopsticks have become a typical part of Chinese culture, symbolising the power of unity.     5     However, ten pairs of chopsticks represent strength, which means they won’t break off in any cases. We Chinese people draw on this spirit, which always inspires and encourages us to work hand in hand for a better future.

The 16^th to 18^th centuries witnessed the peak time of Suzhou classical gardens, featuring around 250 gardens. A survey from 2015 to 2018 showed that Suzhou is home     1     108 classical gardens, 57 of     2     are in the historical neighborhood of Gusu District. The gardens reflect the importance of natural beauty in Chinese culture. Great Wave Pavilion, which     3     ( build ) in the 11th century, is the oldest existing garden in Suzhou.

6 . Chocolate––there’s nothing quite like it, is there? Chocolate is simply delicious. What is chocolate? Where does it come from?

The history of chocolate goes back to the discovery of cacao beans (可可豆). About 4000 years ago, the Americans made cacao beans into a drink and they took it as a gift from nature.

In 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortex visited Mexico in America. He saw people drank cacao mixed with spices (香料). Cortex took some cacao home as a gift to the Spanish King Charles. Since then, people in Spain began to drink cacao. However, the natural taste of cacao was too bitter for most people. To sweeten it, Spanish added sugar and honey to it. As a sweet drink, it became popular in Europe. By the 17th century, rich people in Europe began drinking cacao drink as a fashion.

In 1828, a Dutch chemist, Conrad J. van Houten started using a new process to remove the fat from cacao beans. He made a machine that pressed the fat from the beans. The resulting powder (粉末) mixed better with water than cacao did. People called van Houten’s cacao powder “Dutch chocolate”—it is the beginning of modern chocolate.

After that, chocolate makers started trying new recipes (配方) with Dutch chocolate. First it was mixed with sugar. Then butter was added to the sweetened chocolate to make chocolate bars. In 1849, an English chocolate maker successfully made the first chocolate bar. In the 19th century, the Swiss started making milk chocolate by mixing powdered milk. Milk chocolate has not changed much since this process was invented.

Today, the United States buys most of the chocolate in the world, but the Swiss eat the most chocolate per person. The most chocolate eaten today is sweet milk chocolate, but people also eat white chocolate and dark chocolate. Chocolate has become a worldwide snack and also a popular holiday gift.

7 . The Beginning of Canada

Canada is in the North American continent. For people who live outside this country the history of this nation may not be known.

Canada has gone through a long history. North America's first humans migrated from Asia, probably over a land bridge from Siberia to Alaska sometime about 12,000 years ago.Unknown numbers of people moved southward along the western edge of the North American ice cap.The Inuit who live in Canada's Arctic regions today were the last people to reach Canada.

Before Europeans came, about 12 languages were developed by the natives of the land. These languages were found in various cultures and tribes. In these tribes, there was mixture of agriculture and hunting. Also, some groups had a high-level of political, religious, cultural, and trading organization.

The first European explorers-of the Canadian region were Vikings from Iceland, where they came to Labrador and Newfoundland. The natives and Vikings did not get along well, so Vikings eventually ran away from the region. John Cabot, an Italian navigator came upon this land Cabot and his crew were the second group of Europeans to reach what would become Canada around 1000 CE.

The first claiming of the land in Canada was by the French. Between 1534 and 1542, Jacques Cartier made three voyages across the Atlantic，claiming the land for King Francis I of France. By the 1550s, the name of Canada began appearing on maps.

More French settlement activity continued in the name of competing with the Spanish. In1604 the French navigator Samuel de Champlain led a group of settlers to Acadia which proved unsuitable. In 1605, they moved across the Bay of Fundy to Port Royal but found its water systems were too difficult to get through for efficient goods delivery. Finally in 1608, Champlain built a fortress (堡垒) at what is now Quebec City

In the following years, England, the Netherlands, and also Scotland tried to claim parts of Canada as their own through trade and war. Competition for the region was in trade, land, and religion. With many countries competing for Canada at its new home, the British eventually made it a new part of its empire, with the French taking a smaller part in its governing and influence.

In the late 19th century, American labor unions were fed up with being overworked, in dangerous conditions and with little pay. In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions met in Chicago and     1     (have) one major demand: an eight-hour workday. And     2     May 1, 1886, over 300, 000 American     3     (worker) went on strike. Today, May I is known as International Workers’ Day. While every-country's workers have a different history behind May Day, they all celebrate the people     4     give their lives for workers' justice.