People all over the world celebrate the New Year. However, not all countries celebrate in the same way, and in some countries, the New Year doesn’t begin on the   (1)   date very year.

  In many countries, the New Year begins on 1st January, but people start celebrating on 31st December, New Year’s Eve. In New York many people go to celebrate in Times Square.  (2)     they’re waiting for the New Year, they listen to music, sing traditional songs and have fun. Just before 12 o’clock, everyone   (3)   down from 10: 10, 9, 8… As soon as it’s 12 o’clock, everyone shouts very   (4)  , “Happy New Year!”

  So it doesn’t matter how they celebrate,   (10)   people in countries all over the world, it’s a time to say goodbye to the old year, and to welcome the new.

In China, it is quite usual to ask people about their age. However, this question is often regarded as  (1)   in the West. This is quite true of   (2)   ,and even more so if the inquirer(询问者) is a man. However, it is very   (3)   to ask children about their age. Since it is not a secret for them, they don’t  (4)   at all. In fact, some old people are quite happy to talk about their age,   (5)   if they feel they look young for their age. However, it is not very wise to ask a direct question like “How old are you?”  (6)   elderly people want to talk about their age, and perhaps receive   (7)   on how young they look ,they may easily bring up the topic(话题) by themselves and ask the other to guess now old they are. In such a  (8)   , it is quite acceptable to discuss age   (9)   . They normally expect to be complimented(恭维) on their youthfulness rather than to be   (10)   that they look very old.

Even though westerners do not usually ask people directly how old they are ,this does not   (11)   that they are not interested to know how old other people are . They may ask someone else for the   (12)   ,or they may try to bring up the topic  (13)   , sometimes discussions about educational background and the number of years of working  (14)  may provide some clues(线索). Of course, not everyone  (15)   that, so they ask little about age.

When I first moved to New Orleans, Louisiana in the fourth grade, I realized that I was stepping into a completely different world. What impressed me deeply was the friendliness of the people there.

“What can I get for you, honey?” a(n)   (1)   asked me on my first day in Louisiana. I was   (2)  . This woman did not even know me, and yet she   (3)   me like family. She smiled down at me as I   (4)  the food on the menu.

“Is the pasta(意大利面) good?” I asked her.

“Baby, it’s not my   (5)  ,” she answered with a wide smile, “  (6)   I’m more of a sushi (寿司)girl, you know!”

I looked at my family in great surprise. What should I   (7)   to that? I had no idea what sushi was, nor could I believe that this woman had just stopped me from ordering something. She had given me her   (8)   opinion, as if we were best friends.

I recently went to the DMV to update my driver’s license. As I was   (9)   in the silent room with at least twenty other people, a woman walked in.

“Good morning!” She announced to the room.

“Good morning,” the whole room said back at once.

The woman took her seat, and waited with everyone else for her number to be   (10)   as I looked around the room, surprised. Suddenly, everyone was comfortable with each other. We were all friends and neighbours.

Even after eight years of living in Louisiana, it   (11)   makes me smile to know that I am not   (12)   here. Someone in this place is always   (13)   to say hello or to lend a hand when it is   (14)  . It is a sense of family and   (15)   that I have never been able to find anywhere else.

Look at the 2014 red lanterns in Beijing! Red is the color of China. Among all the    (1)   , red is most easily seen. The color red is fresh and pure,    (2)    in China we call it China Red. Chinese people are attracted by the color red not only because it makes people excited, but also because it has    (3)   meaning in Chinese culture and history.

No country in the world has ever    (4)   a color in such a way as China. Here, red is a symbol. It gives color to the soul of the nation. In the past, red represented dignity(代表尊严) and mystery. Even now, Chinese people    (5)   the color much more than we do. It can be said that “China Red” is a long-history theme for China, and an    (6)   color for Chinese people. “China Red” has     (7)    a very popular word, attracting the world’s attention.

Finding red-colored things in China is very    (8)   , as you can see the color everywhere. All traditional red things have been playing special   (9)   : the walls of ancient places, the    (10)    flag, Chinese knots, lanterns, traditional paper cuttings, and even red tanghulu.

Red is the color of the   (11)  , health, harmony, happiness, peace, richness and so on. Only real things and events can fully   (12)   and explain its beauty. The color can be    (13)    and meaningful only when it’s connected with people.

In China, red is more than just a color. It carries the ancient history and   (14)   of the Chinese nation. China Red is   (15)   with mysterious charm beyond description and it is right here in China waiting for you to feel, to discover!

   Have you found your favorite TV program? My favorite TV program is a reality(现实) show ____  (1)  ____ Survivor (幸存者). It isn't on TV at the moment ____  (2)  ____ it was on last year.

    In the ____  (3)  ____, two teams of people are taken to a (an) ____  (4)  ____. All of them have to sleep ____  (5)  ____ because there aren't any houses or hotels. They usually choose ____  (6)  ____ really useful like a toothbrush because they can only ____  (7)  ____ one thing with them. The people also have to find food by themselves. So they need to ____  (8)  ____ a lot of time fishing and picking(摘) fruit from the ____  (9)  ____. Every week one person has to ____  (10)  ____. At the end, there are only two people ____  (11)  ____ the island and one of them is chose the ____  (12)  ____.

    I really like Survivor because it's very ____  (13)  ____ and the people have to do things like looking for food. I really ____  (14)  ____ myself when I watch it. I don't want to be on the show, however, I like ____  (15)  ____ in a house!

   I’m Maria from the USA. My favorite   (1)   is Christmas. Do you know Christmas? We celebrate it in   (2)  . It’s the most important festival in our country. I like Christmas       (3)   I love Santa Claus. I think many people   (4)   this old man. He is fat (肥的) with a long   (5)   beard (胡子). He usually   (6)   a red clothes. He usually gives   (7)   to the children at night. So on Christmas Eve, I usually put up my stocking at the end of the bed before I   (8)  . On Christmas Day, I usually get up   (9)  . I want to see my present. This year I will celebrate Christmas in China. What present can I get from Santa Claus? A toy or an interesting book? Oh, I   (10)   to see it.

Although English is not as old as Chinese, it is   (1)   by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always creating new words, and we are often able  (2)   where most words come from .

  (3)  , however, no one may really know where a word comes   (4)   . Did you ever think about why hamburgers are called hamburgers, especially when they are not made with ham（火腿）? About a hundred years ago , some men   (5)  to America     ___6     Europe . They came from a big city in Germany   (6)   Hamburg. They did not speak good English, but they ate good food. When some Americans saw them         ____8   round pieces of beef, they asked the Germans   (7)   it was. The Germans did not understand the question and answered, “ We come from Hamburg.” One of these Americans owned a restaurant , and had an idea. He cooked some round pieces of beef like those   (8)   the men from Hamburg ate. Then he put each between two pieces of bread and started ___  (9)   them. Such bread came to be called “hamburgers”. Today “hamburgers” are sold in many countries   (10)   the world .

    ___  (11)   this story is true or not , it certainly sounds interesting. Knowing why any word has certain meaning is   (12)  , too. This reason, for most English words , can be found in   (13)   large English dictionary .

January 1st is New Year’s Day. People all     (1)     the world celebrate it.      (2)    New Year’s Day there is a one-day holiday in most countries. The real celebrations for New Year always      (3)    on the night before --- on New Year’s Eve. There are a lot of interesting customs in the West, and there  (4)   a lot of differences from country to country.

In  China,  the  Spring  Festival  is  a  family  get-together,  just    (5)   Christmas in many western countries. But New Year for some people is a time    (6)   together with their friends, too. Many people have parties to welcome New Year. At these parties, there are all kinds of foods and drinks,     (7)    people often sing and dance until the bells ring for the coming of New Year.

On New Year's Eve    (8)    midnight comes, people often   (9)     “Happy New Year” to each other. Champagne is    (10)    favorite drink for New Year. In many western countries fireworks are let off at midnight to celebrate the New Year.  

Who taught you to walk when you were little? Who worries the most when you are    (1)  ?Who makes you dinner? It’s your __42___. No matter what happens, she’ll __43____ the love for you.

   Do you know how did   (2)    Day come into being(产生)?It began in the US in 1907 when an    (3)    girl named Anna Jarvis started a campaign to honor (给……以荣誉)mothers. She believed that mothers could   (4)   people to get over(克服) the ___47___ of the war and to strengthen(加强) the relationship inside the families.

On Mother’s Day, children usually help their mothers do   (5)  . In western countries, bringing mothers   (6)   in bed is common. A mother will get up late while her children make her favorite breakfast. Children also make their own Mother’s    Day card   (7)  a thank you note. Or they buy gifts and flowers for their mothers.