With her nine-to-five job, Sally sometimes has to run personal ______ during the lunch break, such as going to the bank or mailing letters.

After an argument with the parents of his students, the teacher finally admitted his mistake

and ______ himself to ask for their forgiveness.

Instead of criticizing other people, we should focus on their strengths and give them ______.

Taking advantage of a special function of the search engine, users can ______ the Internet without leaving behind any history of the webpages they visit.

Due to extremely low rainfall and a dangerous reduction of reservoir water, the area is experiencing the worst ______ in 30 years.

On Teachers’ Day we pay ______ to Confucius for his contribution to the philosophy of education.

When the fire fighter walked out of the burning house with the crying baby in his arms, he was ______ as a hero by the crowd.

Due to the worldwide recession, the World Bank’s forecast for next year’s global economic growth

is ______.

Jeffery has always been a ______ person, so it’s not surprising he got into an argument with his colleagues.

“Keeping up with the Joneses” is a catchphrase in many parts of the English-speaking world. Just like “keeping up appearances,” it refers to the   11   to one’s neighbors as a standard for social status or the accumulation of material goods.

Generally speaking, the more luxuries people have, the higher their value or social status—or   12   they believe. To fail to “keep up with the Joneses” is thus perceived as revealing socio-economic inferiority or, as the Chinese would put it, a great loss of face.

To fail to “keep up with the Joneses” is thus perceived as revealing socio-economic inferiority or, as the Chinese would put it, a great loss of face.

The   13   was popularized when a comic strip of the same name was created by cartoonist Arthur R. “Pop” Momand.

The strip was first published in 1916 in the New York World, and ran in American newspapers for 28 years before it was eventually   14   into books, films, and musical comedies.

The “Joneses” of the title were rich neighbors of the strip’s main characters and, interestingly, they were merely   15  but never actually seen in person in the comic strip.

Many people at some point in life have white spots on their fingernails. One of the most common causes for these little white spots is a condition called leukonychia. Although the name sounds pretty serious, the condition typically   16  .

In reality, these spots most often develop   17   mild to moderate trauma to your nail.

If you can’t think of anything that would have injured your nail, consider the fact that nails grow very slowly, so the injury   18   weeks before the spots ever appeared. The spots could also be a sign of a mild infection or allergy, or a side effect of certain medications.

The spots could also be a sign of a mild infection or allergy, or a side effect of certain medications.

  19   the source of the injury, these spots typically do not require any treatment and should go away as your nail grows out. And they should not return unless you suffer another injury to a nail.

And they should not return unless you suffer another injury to a nail. However, this generally   20   when only a single or a few nails are affected. If all of your nails are showing white spots, the leukonychia could be related to another more serious condition such as anemia, cardiac disease, diabetes, or kidney disease.

Aquaculture is the farming of any aquatic plant or animal. Aquaculture is of great importance because it reduces the possibility of over fishing wild fish, and also improves the quality and increases the   21   of fish for human consumption.

Ancient civilizations throughout the world engaged in different types of fish farming. The indigenous people in Australia are believed to have raised eels as early as 6000 BC. Abundant   22   indicates they developed volcanic floodplains near Lake Condah into channels and dams, then captured eels and preserved them to eat all year round.

The earliest records of fish   23  , however, are from China, where the practice was in wide use around 2500 BC.

When the waters subsided after river floods, some fish, mainly carp, were   24   in lakes. Early fish farmers then fed their brood using nymphs and silkworm feces, and ate them afterwards.

In Europe, aquaculture first began in ancient Rome. The Romans, who   25   sea fish and oysters, created oyster farms which were similar to swimming pools.

Fish and crustaceans (such as shrimps and crabs) caught in lagoons were kept   26   in these pools until it was time to eat them.

The farms were often built inside   27   homes, where well-to-do families could invite their guests over and choose the fish they wished to eat. This Roman tradition was later adopted by Christian monasteries in central Europe.

During the Middle Ages, aquaculture   28   in Europe, since far away from the seacoasts and the big rivers, fish had to be salted so they did not rot.

Throughout feudal Europe, monastic orders and the aristocracy were the main users of freshwater fish, for they had a   29   over the land, forests, and water courses while the common people could seldom build ponds of their own.

As with hunting,   30   fishing was severely punished and the less well-off would have to wait a few centuries before fresh fish was served on their plates.

The causes of the French Revolution are complex and still widely debated among historians. However, many scholars agree that food played an important role in the socio-political upheaval.   31 

A main component in the French daily meal, bread was often tied up with the national identity.

 In 1788 and 1789, however, when the grain crops failed two years in a row, the price of bread shot up to 88 percent of his earnings.   32   The great majority of the French population was starving. Some even resorted to theft or prostitution to stay alive.

The great majority of the French population was starving. Some even resorted to theft or prostitution to stay alive.

   33   Started in the 15^th century, this tax on salt consumption was applied particularly to the poor, while the nobility and the privileged were exempted.

However, the royal court at Versailles was isolated from and indifferent to the escalating crisis. The desperate population thus blamed the ruling class for the famine and economic disturbances.   34   The results include the storming of the Bastille, a medieval fortress and prison in Paris, and the eventual beheading of King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette.

The results include the storming of the Bastille, a medieval fortress and prison in Paris, and the eventual beheading of King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette.

   35   Yet, the gabelle and the “bread question” remained among the most unsettling social and political issues throughout the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods (1789-1815) and well beyond.