II. Grammar and Vocabulary Section A(10)
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
A Changing City
For centuries, Beijing has been the promised land of China. Originally a walled bastion for emperors and officials, it remains a majestic political and architectural marvel. Today, people from the countryside still flock to the city in search of the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The lure of the capital proves too enticing. Meanwhile, down the road by the Friendship Store, smartly ____1____(dress) customers clutching mobile phones head for the nearest banquet or disco.
Perhaps nowhere else in China more than in Beijing is the generation gap____2____(visible). Appalled by the current drive to 'modernize', many older people still wax euphoric(兴高采烈地谈论) about the years of sacrifice for the socialist revolution. But many youngsters are more interested --like youngsters everywhere-- in money, motorbikes, fashion, video games and rock music(though not necessarily in that order)
Foreigners seem to enjoy Beijing since the city offers so much to see and do. Things____3____(change) drastically in the last ten years or so. The Beijing of today is a forest of construction cranes, bulldozers and 24-hour work crews____4____(scramble) to build the new China. Plush shopping malls and five-star hotels rise ____5____the rubble.____6____ number of the road signs and advertising billboards are now in English.____7____one says about Beijing today, it probably won’t be true tomorrow. The city is changing so rapidly that it makes you dizzy.
Whatever impression you come away with Beijing is one of the most fascinating places in China. It ____8____ be something of a showcase ,but what capital city isn’t? Within its environs you will find some of China's most stunning sights -the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall, to name just a few .The city ____9____ offers so much of interest that the main complaint of most visitors is ____10____they simply run out of time before seeing it all.