Farming was once the main way of life in nearly every country.     1     food, people cannot live, and nearly all their food comes from crops and animals     2    (raise) on farms. Many other materials also come from plants and animals.

Before     3     nineteenth century, the typical American family lived on a small farm. They fed pigs, cattle and sheep, and planted corn, fruits and wheat     4    (make) a living. Everyone worked long and hard, but they hardly got enough food for     5    (them). This situation began to change     6    ( great ) during the last half of the 1800’s.

However, now farming has become less important as a way of life than ever before. The production of some major crops     7    (increase) in the past few years as a result of the appearance of scientific methods and labor-saving machines. Today farmers’     8    (able) has been improved. Successful farmers are not only good at agriculture but at marketing and finance as well. Life will be difficult for farmers     9     only know how to grow crops. Now not many people keep     10    (work) on a farm to make a living any more, but farming still plays an important role in people’s life.

A major fire broke out at Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on Monday, one of France’s most visited landmarks. Flames burst     1     the roof of the cathedral, live TV pictures showed. Firefighters cleared the area around the cathedral,     2     marks the very centre of the city.

    3     (build) in the     4     (twelve) century, Notre Dame is the     5     famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages. “It’s been 800 years that the Cathedral watches over Paris”, Pascal,     6     French historian said. “Happy and unfortunate events for centuries     7     (mark) by the bells of Notre Dame.” The cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world’s most famous tourist     8     (attract), immortalized by Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Its     9     (price) treasures include a Catholic relic, the crown of thorns, which is only     10     (occasional) displayed.

“Chinese Joan of Arc, ” Qiu Jin (1875-1907) , was a women’s rights activist and the leader of revolutionary army. She fearlessly challenged traditional gender roles and demanded equal rights and     1     (opportunity) for women. On January14th, 1907, she     2    (found) “Chinese Women’s Journal” in Shanghai, advocating women’s rights. She was the first women     3    (lead) an armed uprising against the Qing Dynasty, for which she was arrested and killed. Qiu Jin     4    (honor) as a national heroine today.

Nowadays bands come into being one after another both in China and in other countries. Then     1    do people get to form a band? Usually bands are formed by music lovers     2     come together to write and play their own music. First, they may play to passersby to earn money, and at the same lime practise their music and improve     3    .     4     , there was a band called "The Monkees" which wasn't formed in this way. It was formed by TV organizers who     5    (advertise) for four musicians     6    a newspaper. At first , not all the members in the band could sing well,     7     could they create their own music. They played jokes on each other while playing music. Both the jokes and music were based     8     (loose) on the band called “The Beatles”. In spite of this, the band soon attracted many people who supported them fiercely.     9     a year or so, they began to play their own instruments and write their own music. And they became even more popular than “The Beatles” and sold even more records. The band broke up in 1970,     10    reunited in the mid 1980s.

    1    (lie) under waters across the globe are an estimated three million shipwrecks, all of     2     indicate human attempts over the centuries to explore Earth's furthest corners. While there is little land on our planet left unexplored, the vast sea bed almost     3    (remain) unknown.

Considering our limited knowledge, it's not surprising that exploration of the oceans constantly brings about discoveries in various     4    (science) fields.

First, many archaeological finds are made in shallow waters, including whole cities     5    (bury) underwater. The ruins offer precious information about the past. However, the challenges of pressure, darkness and intense cold at vast depths make     6     difficult to discover more of the past.

Amazing biological discoveries are also being made, like the barreleye living 6,000 meters below the ocean's surface. Such discoveries enable us     7    (have) a better knowledge of the capacity for life even in extreme circumstances.

Additionally, so far more new natural resources such as fire ice     8    (find) in oceans. Besides, the research conducted by China's underwater vessels helps scientists identify areas for deep-sea drilling and better understand how the sea bed was formed.

Humankind is entering a new age of oceanic discovery. Oceans will be as familiar     9     us as the land where we live through all-round international     10    (cooperate).

When the Titanic was built, people assumed it would never sink. So,     1     it sank on its first journey, the news surprised everyone greatly. The Titanic was built in Belfast, Ireland. Its makers spent a great deal of money     2    (build) the extraordinary ship. When it was finished, it was the     3     (large) and most comfortable ship ever built.

The Titanic set sail on 10 April 1912. “I had wanted to set foot on the Titanic ever since it was built,” said Molly Brown, a Titanic     4    (survive). “I never imagined it would sink！” On 13 April, the Titanic was sailing     5     full speed towards New York. The captain,     6     had received warnings about icebergs all day, had dismissed the warnings as they arrived. At 2.20 a. m.，the Titanic sank into the sea. It had hit     7     iceberg just over two hours before. Of the 2,208 people aboard the ship, only 705 survived.

Explorer Robert Ballard     8    (search) for the Titanic for more than 20 years before he found it. “When new technology was developed, we used it to send     9    (camera) down into the sea.     10    (final),we found the ship.”With the cameras, he was able to find the hole along the side of the ship which had caused it to fill with water and sink.