Strange things happened before Tangshan Earthquake happened. The well walls had deep cracks. A     1     (smell) gas came out of them. At 3：42     2     the morning of July 28, 1976, everything began to shake.     3     seemed as if the world were coming to an end. One of the     4     (deadly) earthquakes of the 20th century had begun. Soon the whole city lay in     5     (ruin). Many people died or were injured. Everything in the city was destroyed. People were     6     (shock) at this and wondered how long the disaster would last.

The army organized teams to dig out those who     7     (trap)and to bury the dead. Workers built shelters for survivors. Food and water were taken to the city. Slowly the city began to     8     (breath) again. Tangshan began to revive     9     (it) and get up on its feet again. With strong support from the government and the tireless efforts of the city's people, a new Tangshan was built. Tangshan city has proved that in times of disaster, people must unify and show the wisdom to stay positive and rebuild for     10     brighter future.

Those who make great discoveries must often overcome many challenges along the way — as was the case with the explorer Christopher Columbus.

Columbus insisted     1    searching for a direct sea route to the East Indies by sailing across the Atlantic ocean. After continuous attempts, he received    2    (finance) support from the King and Queen of Spain. On 3 August 1492, he departed from Spain with three ships    3    (carry) about 90 crewmen. The journey was full of challenges: it took longer than expected, they faced a    4    (short) of food, and one of the ships was leaking badly,     5     put everyone on this ship in grave danger. The men on board were in panic. Regardless of all the challenges, Columbus managed    6    (keep) everyone out of danger with his knowledge and bravery across the ocean.     7    (Final), on 12 October, the crew spotted land in    8    distance. Columbus called the natives living on the islands Indians because he    9     (convince) that he was in the East Indies. However, the shores they     10    (reach) were of the Caribbean, not the East Indies.

The Oscars are held every March in the city of Los Angeles. Many of the     1    (big) celebrities in Hollywood attend this event, hoping to win an Oscar award. Since the first ceremony in 1929, when only fifteen awards were given out, the Oscars     2    (grow) in size and popularity. Now, more than fifty of the gold-plated     3    (statue) are made every year in the city of Chicago. They then are transported to Los Angeles for the awards show.

However, on March 8,2000, someone stole the fifty-five Oscar statues that     4    (make) for that year’s ceremony. Soon after, the trucking company responsible     5     transporting the statues offered a $ 50,000 reward for them.

A few days     6    (late), Willie Fulgear was looking for some boxes in a garbage can near his home in the Koreatown district of Los Angeles. Willie was moving out of his apartment and he needed boxes to pack his things in.     7    (search) through the can, he found some white boxes. He opened one of them and found an Oscar inside. He had the other boxes     8    (tear) open and got fifty-two Oscars, all in perfect condition. He     9    (immediate) called the police.

Finally Willie Fulgear received a $ 50,000 reward and the invitation to the Oscar ceremony. He didn’t receive     10     award for his honesty but he did go from liter to glitter (闪光) in just one week.

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 USS 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 USS 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     (remain). Although about eight decades years has passed, the attack on Pearl Harbor, one of the     10     (dark) episodes in American history, will never be forgotten.

The Titanic was the largest and     1    (advance) passenger ship of its day. It was considered unsinkable. But on 14th April 1912, on     2    (it) maiden voyage (首航) from England to New York, the ship     3    (strike) an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank shortly after midnight. Of the 2,223 people on board, 1,517 drowned.

So why did so many people die in the tragedy? Firstly, the Titanic’s owners fitted the ship     4     only 20 lifeboats. They believed any more would spoil the     5    (appear) of the ship. But this meant there were only enough lifeboats for 1,178 passengers. Secondly, while     6    (load) the lifeboats, the crew observed the “women and children first” rule. This was     7    old custom that said women and children should be saved before men. Because at first men weren’t allowed in the lifeboats, many boats were lowered only half full.     8    the lifeboats had been full, another 500 people might have been saved. In the end, 74% of women passengers survived, but only 20% of men. And many of the men     9    survived were branded as cowards (懦夫) when they got home.

The wreck (残骸) of the Titanic     10    (find) in 1985. It lies about four kilometres below the surface of the water at the bottom of the ocean.

The Chinese war film The Battle at Changjin     1     (arouse) enthusiastic discussion on Chinese social media since it debuted around the country on September 30.

The film tells the story about how Chinese People’s Volunteer soldiers held their ground during fierce cold and the enemy’s more advanced weapons. However, the real battlefield is far     2     (impressive). Changjin Lake     3     (locate) in North Korea. The war was     4     in severely cold winter with temperature of around minus 40℃. CPV soldiers did not only need to fight against enemies,     5     had to battle over the nature with their strong will. Chinese People’s Volunteer Army won the battle by     6     (fight) against impossible odds. The Battle of Changjin Lake became a critical moment in the war. It is not the film itself but the     7     (hero) of the war years who fought     8     (blood) for our country and the people     9     make people moved.

Song Zhongping,     10     military expert and TV commentator, emphasized that the film shows that the Chinese people don’t provoke troubles, but never flinch (退缩) when troubles come their way and are able to defeat provocation (挑衅).

In the summer of 1405, Zheng He set sail from Taicang on his first voyage. His ships     1     (load) with china, silk, tea and other treasures as gifts for foreign rulers. Zheng He's seven voyages had a far­reaching impact     2     China and its neighbours. Zheng He's efforts helped develop and strengthen     3     (harmony) relations with these countries and regions. Zheng He's accomplishments are now     4     (wide) acknowledged, and he is remembered as one of China's most influential explorers.

Columbus was born in a port city of Italy in 1451. As a teenager, he loved sailing, and he showed great interest in geography,     5     inspired him to begin his career as a seaman. Columbus insisted on     6     (search) for a direct sea route to the East Indies by sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. On 3 August 1492, he     7     (depart) from Spain with three ships carrying about 90 crewmen. Regardless of all the challenges, Columbus managed     8     (keep) everyone out of danger with his knowledge and     9     (brave) across the ocean. Finally, on 12 October, the crew spotted land in     10     distance. His voyages opened a new chapter of the Age of Exploration, a period which witnessed many important geographical findings.