1. an English-speaking country 2. believe it or not 3. play a role/ part in. . . 4. take sth. with sb. 5. neighboring towns 6. the .size of/as big (large) as 7. to this day 8. keep fit
9. in one direction 10. the' Qing Dynasty 11. for short 12. make progress 13. from island to island 14. A, including B/A, B included 15. as a rule/as usual 16. at sb. 's request