The United Kingdom has a long and interesting history to explore, which can help you understand much more about the country and its traditions. Almost everywhere you go in the UK, you will be surrounded by     1     of four different groups of people who took     2     at different times throughout history. The first group, the Romans, came in the first century. Some of their great     3     included building towns and roads. …The Vikings came in the eighth century, left behind lots of new vocabulary, and also the names of many     4     across the UK.

Finally, in the 20th century, the     1     part of Ireland broke away from the UK, which     2     in the full name we have today: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most people just use the     3     name: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”, which means the UK is also often     4     to as Britain or Great Britain.

In ancient times, silk from China found its way overland to India, the Middle East and Rome, along what became known as the Silk Road. A trading route across the sea was also     1     along the coasts of the Indian Ocean centred around Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Here, merchants from China and many other places met to     2     trade deals, which also led to more     3     of each other’s cultures. Over the centuries, further trading allowed more exploration of the regions to the west of China, as     4     in Du Huan’s Record of My Travels in the eighth century.

Later, the Ming Dynasty further     5     relations with these regions. Between 1405 and1433, seven large fleets sailed west on voyages of trade and exploration. These fleets were a sight to behold and were in a league of their own at that time. Under the     6     of Zheng He, they set sail from the South China Sea across the Indian Ocean to the mouth of the Red Sea, and then to the east coast of Africa. African     7     families sent gifts such as giraffes as gestures of friendship in     8     for gold, silk, and spices. Although China     9     from further expeditions after 1433, these land and sea routes remained     10     channels between other cultures for centuries.

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

Come and see the Terracotta Army: more than 8, 000 statues were made in the third century BC to     1     of the Chinese Emperor Qinshihuang! Each statue has a different face, leading researchers to believe that each one is a copy of     2    . The statues fill only one part of the emperor’s huge tomb, which still has not     3     . More than 700, 000 people worked for nearly 40 years to build this tomb. However, no one     4     knew about the tomb or the terracotta statues until 1974, when some farmers discovered the tomb while they were     5     .

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.

The four countries that     1     to the United Kingdom work together in some areas. They use the same flag,     2     as the Union Jack, as well     3     share the same currency and military     4    . However, they also have some differences. For example, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have different education systems and legal systems. They also have their own     5    , like their own national days and national dishes. And they even have their own football teams for competitions like the World Cup!