Chinese writing is one of the world's greatest writing systems.It is more （1）

widely

widely

（wide） used than alphabetic （字母的） writing systems.More than half of the books are written in Chinese，including historical writings and novels，（2）

along

along

[əˈlɔːŋ] with writings on government and law.
   At the beginning，written Chinese was（3）

a

a

picture-based language.It dates back several thousand years to the use of animal bones and shells （壳）（4）

on

on

which symbols were carved by ancient Chinese people.Some of the ancient symbols can still be （5）

seen

seen

（see） in today's hanzi.
   By the Shang Dynasty，these symbols had become a well-developed writing system.Over the years，the system developed into different（6）

forms

forms

[fɔːmz] as it was a time when people were divided geographically，leading to different dialects （方言） and characters.This，however，changed under Emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty.
   Emperor Qinshihuang united the seven major states into one country where the Chinese writing system began（7）

to

to

develop in one direction.That writing system was of great（8）

importance

importance

（important）in uniting the Chinese people and culture.And it has also become an important way connecting China's present with（9）

its

its

（it） past.
   Today，Chinese writing system is still a part of Chinese culture.As China plays a great（10）

role

role

[rəʊl] in the world，an increasing number of international students are beginning to appreciate （ 欣 赏 ） China's culture through this amazing language.Written Chinese spreads Chinese culture wherever it goes.