The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England--many people are confused by     1     these different names mean. Getting to know a little bit about British history will help you     2    (solution) this puzzle. In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, Scotland and the Kingdom of Ireland     3    (add ) to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, the southern part of Ireland broke away from the UK, which resulted     4     the full name we have today.   As a matter of fact, 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.     7    , they also have some differences. The UK is a     8     (fascinate) mix of history and modern culture, with both new     9     old traditions. If you keep your eyes open, you will be surprised     10     (find) that you can see both its past and its present.

The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England — many people     1     (confuse) by what these different names mean. Getting to know a little bit about British history will     2     (certain) help you solve the puzzle.

From the 16^th century to the 19^th century, Wales, Scotland and the Kingdom of Ireland joined one by one     3     (create) the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In the     4     (twenty) century, the southern part of Ireland broke away     5     the UK, resulting in the full name we have today: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The four     6     (country) that belong to the UK work together in some areas. However, they also have some differences. The United Kingdom has     7     interesting and long history to explore. Almost everywhere you go in the UK, you will be surrounded by evidence of four different groups of people       8     took over at different times throughout history.

In addition to the above, there is still something     9     (much) to learn about the interesting history and culture of the United Kingdom. Studying the history of the country will make     10     (you) visit much more enjoyable.

8 . Over the centuries the French have lost a number of famous battles with the British. However, they’ve always felt superior in the kitchen. France has for centuries had a reputation for cooking excellence, and Britain for some of the worst cooking in the world. But according to a recent survey, that reputation may no longer reflect reality.

In the survey, 71% of the Britons said they cook at home every day, while only 59% of the French said they cook daily. British home cooks spend more time cooking each week and also produce a greater variety of dishes than French home cooks.

The reaction in London was predictably enthusiastic. British food has greatly improved since the 1990s. Once upon a time, the menu for many family meals would have been roast beef, potatoes and over-cooked vegetables, but not now. Home cooks are experimenting with the huge range of ingredients now available in British supermarkets and are preparing all kinds of new dishes, using the cookbooks that sell millions of copies every year. As a result, there’s much more diversity in British food now, compared to French food, which tends to be very traditional.

Some French people say that the survey did not show the whole picture. They agree that during the week French women don’t cook as much as they used to because most of them work and don’t have much time. They tend to buy ready-made or frozen dishes, but many of them make up for it on the weekend. There’s also a difference between Paris and the countryside. It’s true that people in Paris don’t cook much, but elsewhere, cooking is still at the heart of daily life.

For many French people, opinions about British food have not changed. When Bernard Blier, the food editor at a magazine, was asked about British food, he replied: “I don’t go out of my way to try it. It is not very refined. You can say that I’m not a fan at all.”

9 . You may think there are no differences between British and American people. After all, they speak the same language, don’t they? If you ask a British or an American person, he will probably tell you that there are differences. And the differences are quite great.

What do British people think American people are like? The British think American people are very strange. They make a lot of noise and they laugh too loudly. They are rich, and they only think about money. But the British do say that American people are kind, and friendly people. They’re happy to help you if you are in trouble.

What do Americans think of the British? Well, they think the British are cold and very unfriendly. They are not interested in success or in making lots of money. They think British is the best country in the world. They look down on other countries. But Americans say that the British are quite hard workers. They are brave and honest. And in time of trouble they face difficulties happily.

You can see that these ideas can cause misunderstanding between the British and Americans. But when American and British people become friends, they usually find things are not as bad as they expected.

10 . Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are, like a nearby port or river. People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade. New York City, for example, is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million. But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight. In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness(荒野). But gold was discovered there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of 30,000.

Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris. People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers. The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warming. An avalanche(雪崩) once closed the path, killing 63 people. For many who made it to Dawson, however, the rewards were worth the difficult trip. Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives.

But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities like food and wood were very expensive. But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found. The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come. Today, people still come and go — to see where the Canadian gold rush happened. Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City — its present population is 762.