阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填人一个适当的词或使用括
号中词语的正确形式填空。
The Black Country is about 10 miles from Birmingham. It's made up of four districts: Dudley, Walsall,
Sandwell, and Wolverhampton.
Historically, it was famous for industry, which explains 1______ the area is called the Black Country. It
got its name during the industrial revolution, 2______ factory pollution turned the local skies black and coal
dust from the mines made the soil the same colour. Dudley, which is 3______ (probable) the heart of the
Black Country, has a history 4______ (date) back over 1 000 years, and its famous castle has been there
5______ about the 8th century.
People from the Black Country are very friendly. 6______ their local dialect, which comes from the old
"Middle English", can be very difficult to understand. I still remember taking 7______ visiting friend from
Canada to a local Black Country pub for lunch. 8______ the waitress could even finish describing the menu,
my friend looked at me with his eyebrows (眉毛) 9______ (raise). When I asked what he wanted to order,
he just shook his head in disbelief and asked if the waitress whom I 10______ (speak) to just now was
actually speaking English!