2 . The Battle of Chancellorsville, one of the most famous battles of the Civil War, took place in Virginia in the spring of 1863. For months, the two armies had been staying on opposite banks of a narrow river. The Confederate(南方联盟) troops were led by perhaps     1     (honored) military tactician(战略家) in American history, General Robert E. Lee. The Union (北方联盟)soldiers were led by “Fighting” Joe Hooker.

In appearance, personality, and lifestyle, these men were nearly perfect opposites. Lee, an older man in poor health with a gray beard, had a solemn, measured character. Hooker was a blond, broad-shouldered young man     2     pride over his appearance was but one aspect of his self-centeredness. Whereas Lee was loyal and principled, Hooker was known for his rollicking enjoyment of both women and whiskey.

Despite the fact that the Confederacy     3     (win) the last four major battles and the Union soldiers were starving,     4     (exhaust), and demoralized, Hooker proclaimed, “My plans are perfect. And when I start to carry them out,     5     God have mercy on Bobby Lee, for I shall have none.” Why was Hooker so confident?

Hooker had used spies, analysts, and even hot air balloons to compile a vast amount of intelligence about Lee’s army. He had already been aware, for example,     6     Lee had only 61,000 men to Hooker’s own 134,000. Supported by his superior numbers, Hooker secretly moved 70,000 of his men fifteen miles up and across the river, and then ordered them to sneak back down to position themselves     7     Lee’s army. In effect, Hooker had cut off the Confederate soldiers in front and behind. They were trapped. Satisfied with his advantage, Hooker became convinced that Lee’s only option was to retreat to Richmond, thus     8     (assure) a Union victory.

Yet Lee, despite his disadvantages of both numbers and position, did not retreat. Instead, he moved his troops into position to attack. Union soldiers who tried to warn Hooker that Lee was on the offensive     9     (dismiss) as cowards. Having become convinced that Lee had no choice but     10     (retreat), Hooker began to ignore reality. When Lee’s army attacked the Union soldiers at 5:00 p.m., they were eating supper, completely unprepared for battle. They abandoned their rifles and fled as Lee’s troops came shrieking out of the brush, bayonets drawn. Against all odds, Lee won the Battle of Chancellorsville, and Hooker’s forces withdrew in defeat.

Odysseus is a literary figure in Odyssey written by Homer. He rejected the comfortable life of a Greek king and made a promise to help another Greek leader, Menelaus, in the war     1     the Trojans. But the war dragged on and on and he     2     (be) away from his family for ten years. During this period the fortunes of the war were so     3     (change) that no one could predict which side would win.

Odysseus became tired of the war and the delay in Troy. He     4     (desperate) wanted to return home. Hence, on the occasion     5     the Greek kings had their regular weekly meeting, he suggested     6     (trick) the Trojans.

The Greeks built a giant wooden horse so that their soldiers could hide inside     7    . The Greeks then pretended to set out home as if     8     (discourage) by the long-lasting war, leaving the wooden horse behind. The Trojans blessed their God for their good fortune, dragged the horse into the city and prepared to celebrate. That night the Greek soldiers climbed out of the wooden horse and opened the city gates for the Greek army. Then came the sound of the warning bell     9     (announce) a Greek victory. The war ended, but the     10     (punish) of the Trojan people was only just beginning.

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.

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.

In the closing ceremony of the 2018 0lympic Winter Games. China put on "See You in Beijing in 2022", directed by Zhang Yimou. The show centered on the talents of a team of 24 roller-skating     1    (perform) from Beijing Sport University. Two of them    2    (dress) as "Panda Captains" led the performance. The performance reviewed China's ancient times,     3    (show) the country's rich cultural heritage (遗产)and singing about the present. as well as the future that     4    (lie) ahead.

In addition to traditional symbols including the Great Wall and lucky animals    5    the Chinese dragon and the Chinese phoenix, the performance also showed China's recent engineering and    6    (technology) achievements. Towards the end of the performance, the Olympic rings     7    (rise) on the stage, as well as images of a global village, children's smiling faces, olive branches and plum blossoms(梅花),    8    stood for China's promise to promote global peace and building a better future for mankind. Finally, the skaters travelled a path on ice     9    (draw) the “Winter Dream" sign of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. The performance     10    (successful) sent Chinese people's goodwill and invitations to the world for Beijing 2022.

A clay pig     1     (find) in Lianhe Ruins in Sichuan province in 2019. It is estimated to be about 3,000 years old.     2     makes this finding unusual is its adorable appearance. The clay pig looks exactly like the green pig from The Angry Birds movie.     3     (it) cute image has left the Chinese netizens surprised and delighted, with many people joking that The Angry Birds character has traveled back in time to prehistoric days. The topic     4     (attract) 400 million views and 290,000 discussions since the pig was discovered.