3 . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is America’s fifth largest city. Once a major American colonial city, it is the home of America’s first library, its first hospital, and its first zoo. Now it is also the first US city to be named a World Heritage City. On November 6, 2015, Philadelphia joined more than 260 other cities that have been recognized for their influence on the world. These cities include Paris, France, Florence, Italy, and Cairo, Egypt.

The exciting news was announced by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger, responsible for economic development and business guidance, and the Global Philadelphia Association. “Today marks the start of a new and exciting chapter in the history of Philadelphia,” remarked Nutter when the announcement was made. “As a World Heritage City, Philadelphia is being officially recognized on the global stage for its wealth of contributions to the world.”

To be named a World Heritage City, a city must be home to a UNESCO World Heritage site. UNESCO World Heritage sites are selected for their universal value and significance. For Philadelphia, the site is Independence Hall.

Independence Hall is where two of the most important documents in US history — the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution — were adopted. The Declaration of Independence, approved on July 4, 1776, united the 13 former British colonies and declared them independent from British rule. From then on, a democratic and free country was born, which changed the course of world history. The US Constitution, signed in 1787, established the American democratic system of government. A democracy is a system of government in which the people elect their leaders. The Constitution later spelled out the basic freedoms American citizens have.

Greenberger says the city’s selection as a World Heritage City also reflects its educational, cultural, and economic achievements. The city is home to dozens of colleges and universities, and many museums, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “Philadelphia has rightfully earned its place as one of the greatest cities in the world. As we celebrate this milestone, we will focus even more on improving Philadelphia’s status as a World Heritage City to attract more guests to visit, invest, work, study and live here.” Greenberger says.

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.

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.

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.

10 . It was December 25, 1914, only 5 months into World War Ⅰ. German, British, and French soldiers already sick and tired of the senseless killing, disobeyed their superiors and fraternized (打得火热) with “the enemy” along two-thirds of the Western Front. German troops held Christmas trees up out of the trenches (战壕) with signs, “Merry Christmas.”

“You no shoot, we no shoot.” Thousands of troops streamed across a no-man’s land filled with dead bodies. They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back home, shared rations, played football, and even roasted some pigs. Soldiers embraced (拥抱) men they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to warn each other if the Generals (将军) forced them to fire their weapons, and to aim high.

It shocked the high command on either side. Here was disaster in the making: soldiers declaring their brotherhood with each other and refusing to fight. Generals on both sides declared this peacemaking to be wrong. Fifteen million would be killed.

Not many people have heard the story of the Christmas Truce. On Christmas Day, 1988, a story in the Boston Globe mentioned that a local FM radio host played “Christmas in the Trenches” several times and was surprised by the effect. The song became the most requested recording during the holidays in Boston on several FM stations. “Some callers even telephone the host deeply moved, sometimes in tears, asking, ‘What the hell did I just hear?’”

You can probably guess why the callers were in tears. The Christmas Truce story goes against most of what we have been taught about people. It gives us a glimpse of the world as we wish it could be and says, “This really happened once.” It reminds us of those thoughts we keep hidden away, ou of range of the TV and newspaper stories that tell us how trivial (微不足道的) and mean human life is. It is like hearing that our deepest wishes really are true: the world really could be different.