It is {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (say) that in the year of 300 AD, there was a kind old man and his name was Saint Nicholas. He was always ready to help the poor and often gave {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (present) to them.

    Today, Father Christmas is {#blank#}3{#/blank#} imaginary figure, but {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (near) all young children believe in him. They think he is an {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (attract) old man with a long white beard {#blank#}6{#/blank#} a long red robe.

    {#blank#}7{#/blank#} the night of the twenty-fourth of December every year, Father Christmas from some cold northern land comes down the chimney of the fireplace  {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (put) presents by the beds of children or to fill their stockings. So children go to bed that night, {#blank#}9{#/blank#}  (hang) up their stockings, and on Christmas morning they wake to find them full of presents. Of course, it's really  {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (they) parents who fill the stockings.

    Global warming has caused a rise in sea levels,{#blank#}1{#/blank#}has increased the amount of salt in fresh water used on seaside farms. As a result, farmers are{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (increase) unable to use fields close to the sea.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}a farmer in the Netherlands is now using a mixture of sea and fresh water {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (grow) tasty vegetables.

    It is in his eight areas {#blank#}5{#/blank#}he teamed up with scientists such as George Hambley to make the first attempt. Separate {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (pipe) pumped mixed water. And a computer program controlled the levels of salinity and water{#blank#}7{#/blank#} (call) “Sensor”. The researchers said they were able to harvest vegetables from most of{#blank#}8{#/blank#}eight test areas. They said the vegetables were smaller than{#blank#}9{#/blank#}grown in fresh water. However, due to more sugar and salt in the water, they taste{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(good).

    Once James Thornhill, a famous English painter, was asked {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(paint) some pictures on the walls of the king's palace in English. Then workers were sent for and {#blank#}2{#/blank#}big platform(平台) was made {#blank#}3{#/blank#} the help of a worker, Thornhill started painting on the platform. They worked for a whole year {#blank#}4{#/blank#} at last the pictures were ready.

    Thornhill was happy when he looked at the pictures, for they were {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (real) beautiful. He looked at them for a long time, and then took one step back and looked again. Now the pictures were even {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (much) beautiful. He took another step, then another. Finally, he was at the very edge of the platform, but he did not know it because he {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (think) of his pictures.

    The worker saw everything. "{#blank#}8{#/blank#} should I do?" he thought. "Thornhill is at the very edge of the platform. If I cry out, he will take another step, fall off the platform and surely be killed." So the worker quickly took some paint and threw {#blank#}9{#/blank#} at the picture. "What are you doing?" cried the painter, {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (run) quickly forward to his pictures.

    Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

    People are being lured(引诱) onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service, {#blank#}1{#/blank#} realizing that they're paying for it by giving up plenty of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (target) messages.

    Most Facebook users don't realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea {#blank#}3{#/blank#} they're paying for Facebook, because people don't really know what their personal details are worth.

    The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules.  Early on, you could keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook -- you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules {#blank#}4{#/blank#} many things -- your city, your photo, your friends' names -- were set, by default(默认), to be shared with everyone on the Internet.

    According to Facebook's vice president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don't share information, they have a “{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (satisfying) experience.”

    Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they are connecting with their friends online?

    So far the privacy issue {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (land) Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy.  He also urged the Commission to set regulations for social-networking sites.

    I suspect that whatever Facebook has done {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (invade) our privacy is only the beginning, which is why I'm considering {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (cancel) my account.  Facebook is a handy site, but I'm upset by the idea that {#blank#}10{#/blank#} information is in the hands of people I don't trust. That is too high a price to pay.