Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November. But when did the   (1)   begin? About 400 years   (2)   , the first group of Americans came to America by ship. They lived there,   (3)   soon(不久) they didn't have food to eat. Many of them lost   (4)   lives in the first winter. The next year, Indians helped them grew crops(庄稼). They got a good   (5)   in that fall. So the Americans   (6)   their harvest by eating and playing for three days. That was the first Thanksgiving Day. It was the best time to show their love and   (7)   to the Indians.

    Now, in the USA, Thanksgiving Day is   (8)   a family day. People usually go back home to   (9)   with their family.       (10)   that day family eat turkey and pumpkin. They have a good time together.

English names and Chinese names are quite different in some   (1)   ways, but it's not hard for us to know．Unlike Chinese, most English people have   (2)   names． One is their family name, both of the other names are given names． Their family name is   (3)   the given name． They use Mr, Mrs or Miss with the   (4)   name, but they never use   (5)   with the first name． For example, we can  (6)   a man named James Allan Green Mr Green,   (7)   we can't call him Mr James or Mr Allan． People usually use Jim   (8)  James． Jim is short for James because it's   (9)   to remember．But Chinese names are the opposite． A girl with the name Han Limei   (10)   her family name Han first． Of course, she can be called Ah Mei for short in China if you wish．

The umbrella is a very common object. It keeps the   (1)    and the sun off people. Most umbrellas can be folded up so that it is   (2)   to carry them.

   However, the umbrella has not always been as   (3)   as it is now. In the past, if someone had an umbrella, it showed that he was a very important person. Some African countries still umbrellas in this   (4)  .  A bodyguard(保镖) carries an umbrella and walks behind the king or some important persons.

   Umbrellas have a long history. People in different parts of the world began to  (5)    umbrellas at different times. The Chinese had them more than 3000 years ago. Then, umbrellas   (6)   to India and some other countries. In Greece and Rome,   (7)   would not use them, because they believed that umbrellas were only for women.

   England was   (8)   the first country in Europe where common people used umbrellas against rain. The weather there is very   (9)   and umbrellas are very useful.

   Everybody uses umbrellas today. Next time when you are   (10)   one, you may think that for centuries only great men and women used them, and you will feel you are a great person,too.

Many children have a birthday cake     (1)  candles on their birthday. In some countries,    (2)  

England and Scotland(苏格兰), there is another custom(风俗),     (3)  . There people spank(拍打) or hit the child     (4)  his or her birthday. This may hurt a little, but they say it is     (5)  lucky for the child. The child must     (6)  cry. The custom says that   (7)  you cry, you will cry all year.

They spank their children because they want to make the bad things     (8)  away. The harder you spank, the better it is. In Belgium(比利时),     (9)  country in Europe(欧洲), the custom is very different. There a parent     (10)  the child’s bedroom early in the morning with a needle(针). When the child wake up, the parent pricks(剌) the child with the needle. This is for good luck.

　Australia is the greatest(最大的)island in the world.It is much__7  (1)  __than China.It is in the__7  (2)  __of the Earth.So when it is__7  (3)  __summer in China,it is cold winter in Australia.

　　Australia is big,but the population there is__7  (4)  __.The population of Australia_7_  (5)  __the same as(与……一样)that of Shanghai,a city in China.

　　Australia is famous__7  (6)  __its__7  (7)  __and kangaroos.After a short drive from any town,you will find__7  (8)  __in the middle of white sheep.Sheep,sheep,_7_  (9)  __are sheep.Have you ever seen(你曾经见过)a kangaroo?It has a“bag”in its body.The__  (10)  __kangaroo keeps its baby kangaroo in the“bag”.It is very interesting,isn’t it?

In the US, Mother’s Day is a holiday on the second Sunday in May. It is a day when children give their mothers cards, presents and flowers.

One of the best ways   (1)   Mother’s Day is to give your mother the day off. Let her have a good rest while other members of the family do the   (2)  .

Many families begin Mother’s Day with   (3)   in bed. Usually Dad and the children will let Mum   (4)   late while they go into the kitchen and get ready   (5)   her favourite meal. A Mother’s Day breakfast can be made up of anything your mum likes.

After the food is cooked, keep everything nicely on a plate(盘子). Don’t forget to put the bottle   (6)   one flower. It’s spring here, the children can   (7)   the nicest flower from the garden outside. When everything is ready, carefully carry the plate and Mum’s favourite books and newspapers up to her bedroom. Cards and small presents from the children can be put on the plate   (8)    it is given to Mum in bed.

Many families take mum out to her favourite restaurant for a meal. It is a good day to let your mum   (9)   and let her see what a wonderful   (10)   she has.

  Spain takes up about most of the Iberian peninsula(伊比利亚半岛) ．Portugal(葡萄牙)is its western neighbor and France in the north．Spain is separated from North Africa on the south by the Mediterranean Sea(地中海)，which also  (1)  ，Spain’s east coast  There are two islands belonging to Spain in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa．Spain also  (2)  two cities in the north of Africa．

    Spain’s land is  (3)  covered with mountains，only the coastal places are plains．Spain’s population has a small drop in recent years．There are about nineteen million．Spain’s birthrate is the  (4)  in the world．It has been the worry of the government．Spanish is the official language of the country，but many more other languages are  (5)  by its people on this land．

    Spain is an interesting place  (6)  people to enjoy the different cultures People living there are full of arts and energy The Spanish bullfight(斗牛)is famous all over the world．Many people  (7)  their best to visit it and have a good look  (8)  ．Playing the guitar and dancing to music are also special，The old churches and houses are also one of the reasons for people to  (9)  this country．Surely it is everyone’s  (10)  to  have a chance to visit this beautiful  country as soon  as possible．

B

    Last month，I returned to my homeland to attend my elder sister’s wedding(婚礼)．Although it was a very modern wedding，my sister kept one tradition that comes from an old English poem．

    The poem says that a bride(新娘) must wear：“Something old，something new，something borrowed，something blue．”It is said to bring good____  (1)  ____to the marriage(婚姻)．

    Something old is something____  (2)  ____from the bride’s family．It could be an heirloom(传家宝) that has been in the family for years．or a piece of her mother’s dress．This is meant to show a____  (3)  ____with the bride’s family．

    Something new____  (4)  ____hope for the future of the couple．It can be the new wedding dress，or new shoes．

    Something borrowed is____  (5)  ____an item of clothing or jewelry(珠宝)．It is____  (6)  ____one of the bride’s friends who have a happy marriage．It is believed to bring some of the friend’s luck in her marriage to the bride．

    Last is something blue，which comes from another rhyme：“Marry in blue，husband be true．”This____  (7)  ____that a bride who wears blue will have a faithful(忠诚的) husband．It could be____  (8)  ____on her jewelry or on her shoes．

    These days，most brides do not____  (9)  ____that wearing these items will really bring them good luck．However，they wear them anyway in recognition(认可) that traditions are____  (10)  ____．