Legend has     1     that tofu was discovered by a health-conscious Chinese prince named Liu An more than 2.000 years ago when he     2     (make) an elixir (丹药). He realized that soy milk left in certain conditions coagulated (凝固) and developed a pudding-like substance and that was the beginning of tofu.

It’s     3     (universal) believed that Buddhist monks visiting China brought tofu back to neighbouring countries like Japan.     4     East Asia has been eating tofu for more than 1,000 years, it took a lot longer for it to catch on globally. Benjamin Franklin, one of the United State’s founding fathers, wrote a letter     5     some soy beans attached while he was in London, praising it as a “Chinese cheese” in 1770. The letter was one of the earliest documents on record     6     mentioned tofu in the West. Li Shizeng,     7     enthusiast for tofu, is often credited with making tofu a more widely accepted food outside of Asia. It’s said that he was first sent by the Chinese government to attend a French military school. He ended up     8     (study) at the agricultural school in Montargis and becoming     9     (passion) about promoting tofu in France.

Nowadays, tofu     10     (serve) in a modern way. In many fine restaurants, the menu is designed around its textures. The dishes and ingredients change according to the seasons.

The Silk Road was a passage for the transportation of silk in ancient times. Lots of relics on the road can still     1     (see) now. From the relics, tourists can see the outline of the ancient metropolitan (大都会的) areas along     2     fantastic road. In the tour packages, tourists can imagine themselves to be ancient merchants     3     ride camels in deserts.

The Silk Road is a long route,     4     Xi’an in the cast to Gansu and Xinjiang in the west. If it is your first trip to China, we     5     (sincere) suggest you should spend at least ten days visiting Beijing, Xi’an, Dunhuang, Urumqi and Kashi. You could get to know about the history of China and experience     6     (color) scenery along the Silk Road.

If you are an     7     (experience) traveler wanting to explore China fully, it is recommended that you     8     (travel) to Dunhuang, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Turpan, Kashi and Urumqi to follow the footprint of Marco Polo. This route may take about 15 days. If you have only a one-week holiday, the     9     (choose) of three most famous cities will be fit for you.

Along the Silk Road route, Xi’an and Gansu are suitable to visit all year round. The best time     10     (visit) Xinjiang is from May to October because the weather is mild.

Alice Thompson is a girl from Sydney, Australia. She had her first long     1     (distant) train ride at the age of 18. Together with a friend, she got     2     the famous Ghan train in Sydney and got off in Alice Springs. During the two days and nights, they ate meals     3     (cook) by experts and saw fields, desert and     4     (abandon) farms. In the daytime, Alice talked to other passengers and read some books. At night, she watched the stars in the sky     5     shone like diamonds.

Why is the train     6     (call) the Ghan? It is short for Afghanistan. A long time ago, Australians wanted to travel to the middle of their country, so they brought some     7     (train) camels from Afghanistan    8     (carry) food and other supplies, and returned with wool and other     9     (produce). They did that until     10     1920s, when the government built a new railway line and took the place of camels.

Buried deep in the ruins of the Shang Dynasty,     1     (specific) in Anyang City of Henan Province, bones of the rhino (犀牛) were found.

A collection of archaeological evidence has confirmed the     2    (exist) of rhinos in ancient China. The animal    3    (distribute) across China’s Central Plains,     4     Chinese civilization originated.

Nevertheless, the rhino was no longer wandering in the region after the Han Dynasty. One explanation is that it was the colder climate of Northeast Asia that saw the creature    5    (appear) from the pages of history. However, Zhou Yu, the writer of History of Chinese Armor (盔甲), offered up    6     explanation: the crafting of armor.

Armor was originally made of bamboo but the material possessed limited    7    (defend) capabilities. Leather armor later became popular during the pre-Qin period. Zhou’s book    8    (read) that the rhino’s thick skin was a primary material for the creation of warriors’ armor. Many ancient accounts recorded the killing of rhinos and     9    (turn) their skin into protective covering. “The huge demand     10     rhino skins might have caused the animal’s disappearance or at least its migration from the Central Plains to the southwestern regions,” Zhou told Beijing Review.

Tangshan started to revive itself and get back up on its feet. With strong support from the government and the     1     (tire) efforts of the city’s people, a new Tangshan     2     (build) upon the earthquake ruins. Tangshan city has proved to China and the rest of the world that in times of disaster, people must unify and show the wisdom     3     (stay) positive and rebuild for a brighter future.

Cholera used to be one of the most feared diseases in the world. In the early 19th century, when cholera     1     (break) out in Europe, John Snow became frustrated because no one knew how to prevent or treat cholera. However, he never lost his desire to destroy cholera once and for all. Snow subscribed     2     the theory that cholera was caused by an infection from germs in food or water. He suspected that the water pump was     3     (blame). Snow began by marking on a map the exact places     4     all those who died had lived. As     5     consequence, John Snow was able to announce that the pump water carried cholera germs.     6     (according), he had the handle of the pump     7     (remove) so that it could not be used. The truth was     8     there was a link between cases of cholera and the different water companies in London. The people who drank this water were much     9     (likely) to get cholera than those who drank pure or boiled water. Fortunately, we now know how to prevent cholera, thanks to the work of John Snow. Moreover, by     10    (use) maps and statistics, Snow transformed the way scientists study diseases. For this reason, Snow is considered the father of modern epidemiology.

A strong earthquake hit Tangshan, China on 28 July, 1976. The deadly quake broke out at 3:42 a.m.,     1     (cause) a lot of damage.

Soon after the quake, 150,000 soldiers     2     (send) to Tangshan to dig out those who were trapped and to bury the     3     (die). More than 10,000 doctors and nurses came     4     (provide) medical care. Workers built shelters for survivors     5     homes had been destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people were helped. Water and food were brought into the city by train, truck, and plane.       6     (slow), the city began to breathe again.

Tangshan started to revive itself and get back up on its     7     (foot).     8     strong support from the government and tireless efforts of the city’s people, a new Tangshan was built upon the earthquake ruins.     9     new city has become a home to more than seven million people with great improvements in transportation, industry and environment. Tangshan city has proved to China and the rest of the world that in times of disaster, people must unify and show the     10     (wise) to stay positive and rebuild for a brighter future.

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.