Studying the history of UK will make your visit much more enjoyable. In the 16th century, the nearby Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, the country Scotland was joined to     1     the Kingdom of Great Britain. Finally, the southern part of Ireland broke away from the UK, which resulted in the full name. They use the same flag, as well as share the same     2     and military     3    . However, they also have some differences. The Normans     4     England after the well-known Battle of Hastings and made changes to the     5     system. So many French words slowly entered into the English language.

In history, the United Kingdom went through several     1    before the name formed at last. From the 16^th to the 19^th century, Wales, Scotland and the Kingdom of Ireland were     2     to it one after another. But in the 20^th century, the southern part of Ireland broke away from it, which     3     in the name today: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The four countries work together in some areas. They share the same flag, and use the same     4    and military defence but have different education and    5    systems. Throughout history, it was taken over by four different groups.

Chinese calligraphy has developed along with China’s     1    . It is difficult to say when     2     calligraphy started. Chinese writing was first done by carving symbols onto bones and shells, but as it developed into a writing     3    , it also developed as a form of art done with a brush. It is believed that Chinese calligraphy dates back to at least the Han Dynasty. Soon after that, the idea developed that calligraphy was not only a beautiful art form but also a     4     of showing the character of the “man behind the brush”. Today, anyone from small children to old people can enjoy practicing the     5     art of Chinese calligraphy.

Trade and curiosity have often formed the f    1     of mankind’s greatest a    2    . To complete the great map of the world was a strong p    3     for the people of early civilizations. Marco Polo’s tales inspired European explorers to search for sea r    4     from west to east. However, merchants and e    5     from the East set sail from east to west many years before Columbus first did.

In ancient times, silk from China found its way o    6     to India, the Middle East, and Rome, along what became known as the Silk Road. A trading route across the sea was also e    7     along the coasts of the Indian Ocean, centered around Ceylon (now Sri Lank) Here, merchants from China and many other places met to n    8     trade deals, which also led to more a    9     of each other’s cultures. Over the centuries, further t    10     allowed more exploration of the regions to the west of China, as recorded in Du Huan’s Record of My Travels in the eighth century.