2 . When gold was discovered in Coloma, California in 1848, news travelled fast and many went there to find their fortune. Before 1849, California was a place focusing mainly on agriculture. As word of the gold discovery spread, many people left their fields to seek their fortune. With more and more travellers arriving, restaurants and hotels were built to feed and accommodate (提供住宿) them.

On the mining sites, men were often forced to cook for themselves since few gold diggers were women. In the early days, both food and riches were plentiful and miners could uncover $2,000 worth of gold in just one day. When it came to food, there were plenty of wild animals to be hunted, and meat, beans and coffee could be purchased at a reasonable price. Times appeared to be good.

Over time, because the majority of food in California had to be imported, it became very expensive. Simple foods like eggs and bread were sold for one dollar a piece in 1849. Besides, fruit and vegetables were scarce (缺乏的).   Therefore, many gold diggers couldn't get enough food, and some even had no food at all at last. But the gold diggers also hated to tear themselves away from their search for gold and turned to quick and simple meals that could be cooked over hot ashes.

During the Gold Rush, San Francisco's famous sourdough (酸面团) bread became a main type of food. Miners would often buy a piece in the morning that would be eaten slowly throughout the day. The Boudin family, who came from France, was partly responsible for putting San Francisco sourdough on the map. The Boudin bakery has used the same sourdough, a piece of so­called mother dough since 1849. And when the 1906 earthquake hit, Louise Boudin managed to save some sourdough, ensuring that each piece of bread that came from the bakery would be linked throughout history. So far the Boudin bakery has remained in California, using the sourdough that is the same as the one in 1849.

On the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year,     1     falls on Sunday, Xinhua gathered some of the most famed rabbits in China. Xinhua also offered explanations of     2     (they) changing symbolism in modern-day China.

Jade Rabbit is probably the most famous rabbit in China. It features on the special stamps     3     (issue) by China Post to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit and was mentioned when the Chinese leadership extended Lunar New Year greetings. Legend has it that Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, is the pet of Lunar Goddess Chang’e. The rabbit’s common association with Earth’s only     4    (nature) satellite led China to name its first moon rover “Yutu”.

The image of a white rabbit often leaves     5     sweet taste in the minds of Chinese children. Born in 1959 in Shanghai, White Rabbit milk candies are a household name in China. The 64-year-old rabbit sweets have enjoyed renewed     6    (popular) among young consumers in recent years.

Lord Rabbit, known as Tu’er Ye in Chinese, is an auspicious (吉利的) clay toy for children in Beijing.    7     a human body and a rabbit’s ears and mouth, Lord Rabbit is actually a god     8    (govern) health and medicine, and an alternate version of the jade rabbit. The legend goes that Beijing once     9    (suffer) a plague (传染病) before the Mid-Autumn Festival. The goddess Chang e sent the rabbit to cure the disease. In gratitude, Beijing people made small clay statues     10     (pay) their respects to the rabbit that plague dispeller.

We were in Rome when World War Ⅱ ended. The first we knew of it was when we heard bells ringing and people running into the streets. Everyone was     1     with joy and excitement. “What’s going on?” I asked. “It seems like the war is over,”     2     one of the soldiers. Everyone started     3     at once. Some people began     4     with joy and relief. Others were     5     each other that it was a day that they would go down in history. Later that day we     6     the allied tanks as they rolled into the square. It was a day of great joy and one I will never forget!

8 . Deep within the Yukon, one of the most densely wooded areas of Canada, sits a patch of land that is unlike any other forest on the planet. Instead of a canopy of treetops spreading across the horizon, tens of thousands of signposts perch haphazardly one on top of the other. They are all part of the Signpost Forest, the largest collection of signs from places around the world. At last count, the Signpost Forest in Watson Lake, located about 10 miles north of the U.S.-Canadian border, contains 91,000 signs from spots near and far.

The tradition began during the Alaska Highway Project in 1942, when U.S. soldier Carl K. Lindley spent time in Watson Lake recovering from an injury. A commanding officer asked him to repair and erect the directional signposts, and while completing the job, the homesick soldier added a sign that indicated the direction and mileage to his hometown: “Danville, Illinois, 2,835 miles.” Others followed suit, and the trend caught on. Each year, an average of 1,000 new signs are being added to the collection. Lindley’s original sign has since been lost to time. Fifty years later, in 1992, Lindley and his wife Elinor made the pilgrimage back to Watson Lake to place a replica, which is still there.

The Signpost Forest takes up a couple of acres, with huge panels snaking through the trees. There are street signs, welcome signs, signatures on dinner plates, and license plates from around the world. There are also a lot of familial signs; for example, a grandfather will put up a sign and then years later family will come back and try to find it. A lot of these are personal signs to literally say that they are here. Though the visitor center has wood and paints on hand to help create a sign, many people opt to bring their own signs, though illegally, by snatching a metal sign from their hometown and nailing it to one of the wood posts. The forest has grown so vast that the visitor center no longer tries to keep a detailed list of the signs.