Fill blank (viii).

Directions: Read the passage and fill in the blank with the appropriate word out of the given.

A great part of Arabia is desert. Here there is nothing       (i)      sand and rock. The sand is so hot that you cannot walk over it with your       (ii)      feet in the daytime. Here and there in the desert are springs of water that come from deep down under the ground, so deep that sun cannot dry them up. These springs are _(iii)_ and far apart, but wherever there is one, green grass very soon covers the ground all around it. Soon fig trees and palm trees grow tall and graceful, making a cool, green,       (iv)      place around the spring. Such a place is called an      (v)     . The Arabs who are not in the cities live in the desert all the year round. They live in tents that can be put up and       (vi)     ­­ very easily and quickly so that they can move from one oasis to another, seeking grass and water for their sheep, goats, camels and horses. These desert Arabs eat ripe sweet figs, and also the dates that grow      (vii)      the palm trees; they dry them too and use them as food all the year round. The Arabs have the finest horses in the world. An Arab is very      (viii)      of his riding horse and loves his wife and children. He      (ix)      puts heavy loads upon his horse and often lets him stay in the tent with his family. The camel is much more      (x)      to the Arab than his beautiful horse, however, for he is much larger and stronger. The Arab loads the camel with goods and rides him too, for miles and miles across the desert, just as if he were really the ''Ship of the Desert'', which he is often called.