The United Kingdom has several names and many people     1     (confuse) by them. In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, the country Scotland and the Kingdom of Ireland joined the country     2     (form) the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.     3     (final), in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland broke away from the United Kingdom,     4     resulted in the full name today.

The four countries     5     (belong) to the United Kingdom work together in some areas. They use the same flag,     6     (know) as the Union Jack, as well as share the same currency and military defence. However, there are some     7     (different) between them. Wherever you go in the UK, you are surrounded     8     evidence of four different groups of people who took over at different times throughout history.

The first group, the Romans, came in     9     first century. Next, the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the fifth century. The Vikings came in the eighth century. The last group were the Normans. They had castles     10     (build) all around England.

4 . With a continuous 1,300 kilometer-long coastline and beautiful beaches, Wales is a popular holiday destination in the United Kingdom. Most Welsh people live in south Wales in the capital city, Cardiff, and two other big cities: Swansea and Newport.

Language

The official languages of Wales are English and Welsh, and “Wenglish" is a Welsh-English dialect. Everyone speaks English, but if you go to school in Wales you have to learn Welsh until you are 16. Street signs are written in Welsh and English, and villages, towns and cities have an English name and a Welsh name. The Welsh language is one of the oldest languages in Europe and around 20 percent of people in Wales speak Welsh.

Sports

The Welsh enjoy watching and playing sports, especially rugby and football. The modern Millennium Stadium in Cardiff can hold 74,500 people and is where you go if you want to watch a football or rugby match or a concert.

Water sports are popular in Wales. You can go surfing or wakeboarding. If you like unusual sports, visit the small town of Llanwrtyd Wells. Every year in this town there is a man versus horse marathon and a bog snorkeling competition.

Food

There are lots of sheep in Wales, so people eat a lot of lamb. Typical Welsh dishes include “cawl”, which is lamb stew, sausages and “rarebit”, which is a type of cheese on toast. There are also Welsh cakes, which are small, sweet, round cakes with dried raisins inside.

Symbols

If you ever go to Wales, you will see dragons everywhere; red dragons are a symbol of Wales. Other symbols include the leek (a long, green vegetable) and the daffodil.

5 . One of China's biggest smartphone makers has never sold a phone in the country. Yet thousands of miles away, it dominates markets across Africa. Unknown in the West, Transsion has left global players like Samsung and Apple trailing in its wake in a continent that's home to more than a billion people.

In cities like Lagos, Nairobi and Addis Ababa, busy streets are filled with the bright blue shops of Transsion's brand. In China, the company doesn't have a single store, and its headquarter in the southern city of Shenzhen goes largely unnoticed among the names of more famous Chinese tech firms.

The company took a different path to success from other top Chinese smartphone makers such as Huawei and Xiaomi, which started out in China before eventually expanding overseas. Transsion built its business in Africa. And it has no plans to come home.

In Edna Mall in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Mesert Baru poses for her Tecno Camon i. "This phone is seriously nice for selfies," says the 35-year-old shop assistant, admiring the picture she just took.

Mesert's satisfaction is no accident. The vice president of Transsion explained, "Our cameras adjust more light for darker skin, so the photograph is more beautiful, he says. "That's one of the reasons why we've become successful."

Transsion's founder George Zhu had spent nearly a decade traveling to Africa as a head of sales for another mobile phone company when he realized that selling Africans handsets, which were made for developed countries, was the wrong approach.

In 2006, Zhu launched Tecno in Nigeria, which has the most population in Africa . From the start, the company's motto was “think global, act local”, which meant making phones that met Africans, special needs.

Transsion opened research and development centers in China, Nigeria and Kenya to work out how to better appeal to African users. Local languages such as Amharic, Hausa and Swahili were added to keyboards and phones were given a longer battery life.

In Nigeria, South Africa and Ethiopia, for example, the government frequently shuts off electricity to conserve power, leaving people unable to charge their phones for hours. In less developed markets, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chowdhury says, consumers might have to walk 30 kilometers to charge their phones at the local market and have to pay to do so. "For those consumers, longer battery life is a blessing," he adds.

6 . England

England is the biggest of the four countries in the United Kingdom. Over 50 million people live in England, which is around 80% of the total UK population.

    1     It is spoken today by billions of people all over the world. Many students go to England from other countries to study the language and learn about the culture. Although everyone speaks English, there are many different accents around the country. French was the official language in England between 1066 and 1362.       2    

The English people love music.       3     Glastonbury is a five-day festival of music, dance, comedy, and theatre and around 175,000 people go there. Many people stay at the festivals for a few days and they camp in tents. People listen to all types of music, especially pop and rock. England has produced many international groups and singers.

The most popular sports in England are football, rugby and cricket. Most towns have a football, rugby and cricket ground where teams can play.       4           Womenˈs football is also popular. Cricket is a traditional sport played with a bat and a ball. People like to watch all these sports on TⅤ．

England is a multicultural country.       5       Indian, Chinese and Italian foods are popular. Traditional English food includes fish and chips, roast beef, sausages and mashed potatoes. Many English people drink several cups of tea every day, usually with milk. However, different types of coffee are also popular.

Neither its cause     1     was understood. So many thousands of terrified people died every time     2    .

He knew that cholera    3     until its cause was found.

Now when people     4    England you will find Wales     5     as well.

Great Britain consists     1    four countries: England, Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland. In the 13^th century, Wales     2    (link) to England. England is     3    (large)of the four countries and for     4    (convenient) it is divided     5    three zones.

London is the capital city with the greatest     6    (history) treasure. It has many well-known    7    (attract), such as the Tower, the British Museum and St. Paul’s Cathedral,     8    are popular among Chinese visitors. St. Paul’s Cathedral is worth       9    (visit ) . It looked splendid when first     10    (build).

9 . If you’re looking for European culture, there are few better places to visit than Switzerland. Known as the melting pot of Europe, it combines the cultures of Europe with astonishing beauty and fantastic food.

Switzerland’s culture is a combination of neighboring states: France, Germany, and Italy. The result is a multilingual (多语言的) country, as eastern Switzerland speaks French, the southern part speaks Italian and the rest speaks German.

Like the language, the cuisine is also quite different by region. If you visit cities like Geneva, you’ll find traditional French dishes like fondue and raclette, melted Swiss cheese served over bread or potatoes. Meanwhile, in German-speaking regions, like Zurich, you’ll find Rosti, a typical side dish made from fried potatoes.

However, if there’s one thing that unites the Swiss and the rest of the world, it’s their love of chocolate. Swiss chocolate factories are “the most luxurious in the world”, US travel blogger Sarah Schmalbruch wrote on Business Insider. Famous brands, like Lindt, are based in the country. Visitors to Switzerland can enjoy chocolate tasting sessions, and even take classes from master chocolate makers.

Aside from the wide variety of food on offer, Switzerland also offers thrills. The Swiss Alps offer year-round skiing and mountain climbing with local experts. Besides, you can visit the beautiful Matterhorn, known for its distinctive pyramid shape and snow-capped peak. Standing at a height of more than 4, 400 meters, it is the most pictured mountain in the world, according to Smithsonian magazine.

But if city culture is more your thing, you’ll find a wide range of museums and art galleries, not to mention the world’s largest teddy bear museum in Basel.

Even the largest Swiss cities tend to be laid back (悠闲自在的), but with many adrenaline- pumping (肾上腺素激增的) activities and cultural sites, Switzerland is perfect for every taste. After all, where else in Europe offers you the culture of four different countries?