China is listed among the four ancient civilization nations in the world. Over 5000-year's history     1    （witness）the creation of many Chinese traditional festivals. Many of them have a long history in China. According     2     their contents, Chinese festivals can     3    （divide）into five kinds,     4    （include）agricultural, sacrificial, commemorative, recreational and celebratory festivals.

Of all the traditional festivals in China, the Chinese Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival are the most     5    （significance）to modern Chinese people nowadays. Spring Festival is also called Chinese New Year,     6     is like Christmas in the west, and Mid-Autumn Festival is a bit like Thanksgiving Day in America. The double ninth festival is celebrated     7    （special）for elderly citizens, while the double seventh Festival is for valentines.

In addition, there are quite a lot charming ethnic（民族的）group festivals with unique colors celebrated in China as well, like the double     8    （three）festival for Zhuang people in Guangxi autonomous region, and the Sho Dun festival in Tibet. Apart from the ethnic, geographic, linguistic, and historic    9    （tie）that unite all the minority people groups in China, traditional festivals are one of the     10    （strong）bonds reinforcing the cultural identity of the Chinese nation.

We all know that the Friday after Thanksgiving means a mad dash to the shopping centre for ridiculous sales. But how did this bargain shopping get     1    (it) start?

In fact, the first Black Friday had nothing     2     (do) with Thanksgiving or shopping. The origin of Black Friday as we know it today started in Philadelphia during the 1950s and 1960s. Crowds of people would come to town the day after Thanksgiving for the annual Army­Navy football game to be held the     3     (follow) Saturday. Streets and       4     (store) were always crowded, which was great for business but made easy­pickings for shoplifters (行窃者). Local police called this “Black Friday”. Not only did they have to deal with extra traffic     5     shoplifting, but they had to work extra hours and couldn’t request the day off.

The term didn’t go national     6     the late 1980s, but the     7     (explain) changed. While shopkeepers     8     (general) suffered financial losses most of the year, the increase of holiday shoppers marked the first day of real profit. In traditional accounting (会计) practices a few years ago, losses     9     (record) in red ink, and profits in black ink. So the day after Thanksgiving,     10     companies go “into the black” and make a profit, became Black Friday.

On Thursday morning, Jason Sean joined a long line of people     1     (eager) waiting to buy a commemorative Year of the Dragon stamp     2     (issue) by the US Postal Service. He was among the     3     (participant) who waited at the International District/Chinatown Community Center in Seattle, Washington, for the first day of the issue ceremony for the stamp. Sean said     4     (purchase) stamps to celebrate the Lunar New Year is a tradition in his family.

For many Asian Americans, the Lunar New Year offers the chance     5     (leave) behind the troubles of the past year and invite prosperity and good luck moving forward. This Year of the Dragon stamp ceremony     6     (recognize) the importance of the diversity and cultural significance Asian Americans bring to the United States and provides Seattle with     7     opportunity to promote the significance of the Lunar New Year.

    8     more than three decades, the Postal Service has issued stamps highlighting the Lunar New Year, and it has been some of the most successful stamp releases in the long history of the Postal Service,     9     has various workplaces in the United States, and its customer base is as     10     (diversity) as the country itself. This stamp is a great example that reflects the nation’s rich, multicultural heritage and traditions.

Khamisi Ally Abdi, a 25-year-old African student in Cangzhou Technical College, Hebei Province, has practiced tai chi for two years. Having worshiped kung fu stars such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan as     1     child, the Tanzanian understood Chinese kung fu to be a fast-paced attack and defense art before he     2    (arrive) in China, but now he realizes tai chi is different. It is tai chi moves with balance and deep rhythmic breathing     3     allow him to feel the charm of the exercise. It brings peace and     4     (calm) to his mind while building his muscles.

The college, as one of the international exchange centers,     5     (admit) more than 300 international students from over 50 countries since 2016,     6     (main) countries along the Belt and Road, providing a tai chi course for all foreign students.     7     (practice) tai chi has led Abdi to acquire a comprehensive appreciation of this Chinese culture and ideology. He now prefers people     8     (call) him his Chinese name Chen Yanzhi, as the characters of Yanzhi carry the meaning of talented and virtuous. The art has inspired his understanding of China.     9     he is longing for is teaching tai chi in his country and he expresses hope that this magical kung fu can be     10     (benefit) to more people.

The 23rd of La is celebrated as the Minor Festival. From 23rd of La onwards the festive mood of Spring Festival begins to pick up. There are more and more vendor’s (小贩) stands along the streets filled with a great     1    (various) of Spring Festival goods that catch the eye: Spring Festival couplets, New Year paintings, window decorations, paper cuts, fireworks, firecrackers, lanterns, etc. You can hear vendors     2    (call) for business up and down the streets.

The Minor Festival is also known     3     the Kitchen God Day. In the past, Kitchen God,     4     was placed next above or next to the stove, was worshiped (敬奉) in every household. On this day, Kitchen God was to go and report to Jade Emperor in Heaven what he     5    (see) on earth. He was believed to be able to determine fortunes or misfortunes of the household,     6     the household took great care to worship Kitchen God as best they could. Among the offerings     7    (present) to Kitchen God there was the sticky malt sugar. When Kitchen God took it, his     8    (tooth) and lips got stuck up and couldn’t report to Jade Emperor for anything bad about the household. When     9     worshiping ritual (仪式) was over, the portrait (画像) of Kitchen God was burned and people believed he went up to Heaven while crackers were fired.

This sounds like a funny story.     10    (unlucky), as people know more and more about science, old customs like this are being forgotten.