Ⅴ. 詞匯運(yùn)用
The Song Dynasty was an exciting period in Chinese history. At the height of (1)
its
power, the country's population doubled. A fast growing economy and strong support (2)
from
Chinese rulers helped the development of technology and the expansion of knowledge. During this period, a huge number of technological innovations (改革) (3)
appeared
. Many of them had significant (4)
practical
applications.
One particular invention from this period made a mark on the world: movable type (活字印刷術(shù))—that is, individual blocks that could print a single letter and then (5)
be used
again. This technology finally ended up in Europe several centuries later. The Chinese language uses a huge number of characters, (6)
while
most European languages use individual letters that combine into words. Printing texts made up of individual letters requires fewer blocks. This invention produced a great change in (7)
written
communication in Europe and made it easier for a (8)
growing
number of people to learn to read.
The Chinese were also the first to invent the compass, (9)
which
changed how sailors navigated the seas. Together with star charts—another Chinese invention—and maps, the compass made sea travel much (10)
safer
.
