【*】From the beginning, water has furnished man with a source of food and a highway to travel upon. The first civilization ___1___ (arise) where water was a dominant element in the environment, a challenge to ___2___ (man) ingenuity. The Egyptians invented the 365-daycalendar in response to the Niles annual ___3___ (flood). The Babylonians, who were among the most famous lawmakers in ancient times, invented laws regulating water usage. Water ___4___ (inspire)the Chinese to build a 1000-mile canal, a complex system which, after nearly2,500 years, remains still ___5___ (practical)in use and still commands the astonishment of engineer. But the ancients never found complete ___6___ (solution) to their water problems. The Yellow River is also ___7___ (know) as"china's Sorrow; it is so unpredictable and ___8___ (danger) that in a single flood it has caused a million deaths. Floods slowed the great civilization of the Indus River Valley, and ___9___ (adequate) drainage ruined much of its land. Today water dominates man as it always has done. Its ___10___ (present) continues to govern the location of his homes and cities.