Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 23 to 27.
People come to this small country for many reasons. They can admire spectacular (23)_________ meet friendly natives, and enjoy a vibrant arts scene. Some are searching for their family (24) _________ or others just want to get away from it all and, digging up old memories from their English Lit class of gallant heroes engaging in larger-than-life struggles, their minds wander to faraway lands, to somehow familiar yet different destinations. Why not go to Scotland? But what kind of country are they coming to and what should they expect once they get there? Scotland (25) _________ of an area of 30, 418 square miles - so it's a fairly compact and "doable" country - with a population of about five million people - not too small, not too big. It is one of three countries that form the political (26) _________ called Great Britain, the other two being, of course, England and Wales, which, along with their fourth partner, Northern Ireland, becomes the United Kingdom. Scotland is bordered on three sides by water and on its fourth by England, which has had both its advantages and disadvantages. Geographically speaking, the country can be divided into three broad areas, the Southern Uplands, the Central Lowlands, and the Highlands. Although the rugged Highlands (27) _________ about two-thirds of the land area, the vast majority of the population lives in the Central Belt between Glasgow, Scotlands largest city, and Edinburgh, Scotland's capital.
