Fill in the blanks with the expressions given below. Change the form where necessary. Each expression can be used only once.add up to dumb downin the company of lay ... out make room forpick ... up plunge into wipe ... out1 The cheerful guy who wore virtual reality glasses ________ the virtual world.2 It has been the tradition in China that elderly people live in a familiar environment, preferably ________ their children.3 Chinese isn't a subject that can be ________ in a month, and you can't accomplish your goal of mastering the language unless you work at it for years.4 He ________ the map across the table and took another look at it.5 The live music, the wild dancing, and the amazing lights all ________ an exciting theatrical experience.6 Since space is limited, we sometimes have to say goodbye to old things in order to ________ new items.7 The magazine has a reputation for being very thorough, although critics claim that it has been ________ in recent years to cater to the mass market.8 This marks another historic step toward ________ the absolute poverty that has plagued the nation for centuries.

我们来逐题分析并填空。题目要求使用下面给出的短语，并根据需要改变形式。每个短语只能使用一次。

给出的短语是：

• add up to
• dumb down
• in the company of
• lay ... out
• make room for
• pick ... up
• plunge into
• wipe ... out

第1题：
The cheerful guy who wore virtual reality glasses ______ the virtual world.

分析：主语是“那个戴虚拟现实眼镜的快乐家伙”，后面是“the virtual world”（虚拟世界）。动词应表示“进入、沉浸于”虚拟世界。
“plunge into” 意为“一头扎进，投入”，符合语境。

→ plunged into

句子完整为：The cheerful guy who wore virtual reality glasses plunged into the virtual world.

第2题：
It has been the tradition in China that elderly people live in a familiar environment, preferably ______ their children.

分析：中国老人喜欢和子女一起生活。“在……的陪伴下”用 “in the company of” 表示。

→ in the company of

句子完整为：... preferably in the company of their children.

第3题：
Chinese isn't a subject that can be ______ in a month, and you can't accomplish your goal of mastering the language unless you work at it for years.

分析：中文不是一个月就能“学会/掌握”的。这里需要一个表示“学会、掌握（技能或语言）”的短语。
“pick up” 有“轻松学会（语言、技能）”的意思，符合语境。

→ picked up

句子完整为：Chinese isn't a subject that can be picked up in a month...

第4题：
He ______ the map across the table and took another look at it.

分析：他把地图“铺开”在桌上，再看了一眼。
“lay out” 意为“展开、铺开、摊开”，符合动作。

→ laid out（注意：lay out 的过去式是 laid out）

句子完整为：He laid out the map across the table...

第5题：
The live music, the wild dancing, and the amazing lights all ______ an exciting theatrical experience.

分析：现场音乐、疯狂舞蹈、炫目光线，这些“加起来构成了”一场令人兴奋的戏剧体验。
“add up to” 意为“合计为，总计为；构成”，符合语义。

→ added up to

句子完整为：... all added up to an exciting theatrical experience.

第6题：
Since space is limited, we sometimes have to say goodbye to old things in order to ______ new items.

分析：空间有限，必须告别旧物，以便“为新物品腾出空间”。
“make room for” 意为“为……腾出空间”，符合语境。

→ make room for

句子完整为：... in order to make room for new items.

第7题：
The magazine has a reputation for being very thorough, although critics claim that it has been ______ in recent years to cater to the mass market.

分析：这本杂志过去很深入，但现在被批评“为了迎合大众市场而变得浅显”。
“dumb down” 意为“降低智力水平，使变得简单通俗”，常用于媒体、教育内容。

→ dumbed down（现在完成时：has been dumbed down）

句子完整为：... it has been dumbed down in recent years...

第8题：
This marks another historic step toward ______ the absolute poverty that has plagued the nation for centuries.

分析：这是迈向“消除绝对贫困”的又一历史性步骤。
“wipe out” 意为“彻底消除、消灭”，常用于战争、贫困、疾病等。

→ wiping out（toward 是介词，后接动名词）

句子完整为：... toward wiping out the absolute poverty...

最终答案填写如下：

1. plunged into
2. in the company of
3. picked up
4. laid out
5. added up to
6. make room for
7. dumbed down
8. wiping out

所有短语使用情况检查（每个仅用一次）：

• add up to → 第5题 ✅
• dumb down → 第7题 ✅
• in the company of → 第2题 ✅
• lay ... out → 第4题 ✅
• make room for → 第6题 ✅
• pick ... up → 第3题 ✅
• plunge into → 第1题 ✅
• wipe ... out → 第8题 ✅

全部使用完毕，无重复。

答案汇总：

1. plunged into
2. in the company of
3. picked up
4. laid out
5. added up to
6. make room for
7. dumbed down
8. wiping out

\boxed{
\begin{aligned}&1.\ \text{plunged into} \\&2.\ \text{in the company of} \\&3.\ \text{picked up} \\&4.\ \text{laid out} \\&5.\ \text{added up to} \\&6.\ \text{make room for} \\&7.\ \text{dumbed down} \\&8.\ \text{wiping out}\end{aligned}
}