Before the Tangshan Earthquake, Strange things    1    (happen) in the countryside. For several days, the water in the village wells     2       ( rise) and fell. There were deep cracks     3       appeared in the well walls. At least one well had some     4     (smell) gas coming out of it. Chickens and even pigs were too nervous     5     (eat), and dogs refused to go inside buildings.    6     (mouse)ran out of the fields looking for places to hide, and fish jumped out of the water. At about 3:00 a.m.,    7    28 July 1976, bright lights     8     (see) in the sky outside the city of Tangshan and loud noises were heard.       9       the city’s one million people were asleep as usual that night.     10       (fortunately), it led to a lot of people losing their lives.

The Vikings, whose ancestors came from Scandinavia, were the first Europeans     1    (reach) America. They had lived in many places of northern Europe. In 982 AD, a man     2    (call) Eric the Red was forced to leave Iceland because of a murder, for     3    he got into trouble. Eric discovered Greenland and persuaded some people     4    (settle) in Greenland. Eric set sail again, but only half of the ships made     5    to Greenland this time.

Later a man, Biarni set sail from Iceland in search     6     Eris’s party. But he     7    (blow) off course and found himself in an unknown land, from where he     8    (eventual) reached Greenland.

In the year 1002, Leif, Eric the Red’s son, followed Biarni’s directions and sailed to     9    is believed to be the coast of present-day Canada. He also discovered Newfoundland. Actually, Eric the Red and Leif’s     10    (deed) are the first records we have of Europeans sailing to the Americas.

Cold Food Festival is a    1     (tradition) Chinese holiday celebrated before Qingming Festival, which usually falls    2     April 4 or 5.

Legend has it that Chong’er, a prince of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period, experienced many hardships while he moved around the warring states. Once, when the prince suffered from     3     (starve), Jie Zitui, offered him food. Later, when Chong’er became the duke of Jin, he ordered a search for Jie who had gone into hiding in the remote mountains with his mother. The duke wanted Jie    4     ( serve) as one of his ministers. Contrary to    5     many people might assume, Jie, who preferred living a simple life in the Mianshan Mountain to     6     (become) a politician, refused the duke’s invitation. Chong’er ordered the mountain to be burned down to force Jie out of hiding.     7     (fortune), Jie did not give in and the fire ended up killing him and his mother. Feeling extremely sorry, Chong’er required that the setting of fire    8     (forbid) on the anniversary of Jie’s death. This meant all food was eaten cold. Therefore the festival is thus named.

Mianshan Mountain,     9     the tragedy happened, is now a famous tourist destination in Shanxi Province. In many areas of Shanxi, locals still remember this tradition.     10     cold food is not the only choice for people during the celebration, the practices of making typical cold dishes for the event have been preserved.

It was Sunday, December 7, 1941.     1     usual, the wake-up call came at 5: 45 a. m. It looked like it was going to be a normal day on board the ship. Just then there was a huge crashing sound from above. The ship shook     2     (violent) and the men looked at each other in horror. Above their heads, hundreds of Japanese planes circled like eagles. They were diving down to drop bombs on Pearl Harbor. Moments later, a bomb hit the uses Arizona.

The surprise attack came as a great shock to     3     whole nation. The next day, President Roosevelt made his famous Pearl Harbor Speech,     4     (ask) the US Congress to declare war on Japan. In     5     (respond) to the attack and the president’s address, the US     6     (join) World War II. Today, the uses Arizona lies     7     it sank: in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Its location     8     (mark) with a memorial shaped like a bridge, which crosses the ship’s sunken     9     (ruin). Although about eight decades years has passed, the attack on Pearl Harbor, one of the     10     (dark) episode in American history, will never be forgotten.

The Vikings,a group of people     1     ancestors came from Scandinavia, were the first Europeans     2     (reach) America. In 982 AD, there were 10,000 Vikings living in Iceland. It was said that Eric the Red was forced to leave Iceland because he had committed a murder,     3     which he got into trouble. He reached Greenland and then returned to Iceland and told people about Greenland. Later, he set sail again, with 25 ships,     4     which only 14 made it to Greenland. A man called Biarni was hoping to join his father     5     was with Eric, but he was blown off course and found himself in an unknown land,     6     which he reached Greenland. In 1002, Eric the Red’s son Leif followed Biarni’s direction and sailed to the place     7     is believed to be the coast of present-day Canada. He then sailed     8     (far) south to an island now known     9     Newfoundland. We know about their deeds through stories     10     were written down centuries later in Norway and Iceland.

New research suggests     1     the story of Franklin’s famous experiment with lightning may be fiction instead of fact. More than one generation of school children has been amazed by his bravery and his     2     (science) approach to     3     (look) for the truth. However, neither the story nor the details of the experiment are entirely true. Although it has been proved that Franklin’s experiment     4     (take) place, more than one scientist has questioned what really happened.     5     detail about the string and the key is true. But     6     (science) all agree that if he had     7     (actual) touched the key, he would certainly have died from the electric shock. Fiction is     8     (interesting) than the truth. People have been more inspired by Franklin’s spirit of scientific     9     (explore) than by the facts themselves. But in science, facts should be proved     10     experiments and research.

Walking is the UK’s most popular sport.It has an     1     (interest) history.In April 1932, 400 people     2     (leave) Manchester and Sheffield in Northern England to walk across Kinder Scout in the Pennines.They fought against the fact     3     only rich people,     4     went there to kill birds, could visit this beautiful area.Because of the walk, National Parks in England and Wales finally began in 1949, as well as the Pennines Way, one of twenty long and     5     (wonder) paths.

You don’t have to walk the whole way if you are on one of the long paths.And there     6     (be) a great number of shorter paths for you to choose.But there are a few basic     7     (rule) you should follow.Don’t drop paper and plastic; close gates after you; keep dogs on a lead (绳索) if there are farm animals in the area; stay on the path.

Also, remember that British weather can change very quickly,    8     (especial) in the hilly north and west of the country.If you are in Wales, Scotland     9     the north of England, carry plenty of food and water, as well as warm clothes.National Parks and footpaths are the best way     10     (enjoy) it.

The Amber Room was given this name because several tons of amber were used to make it. The     1     (select) amber had     2     beautiful yellow-brown colour like honey. The design of the room was     3     the fancy style popular in those days. It was also a treasure     4     (decorate) with gold and jewels,     5     took the country’s best     6     (artist) about ten years to make.

Later, Catherine Ⅱ had the Amber Room     7     (move) to a palace outside St Petersburg where she spent her summers.     8     (sad), the Amber Room     9     (consider) one of the wonders of the world, is now     10     (miss).

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.