Each year, on the 15th day of the seventh month in the Chinese lunar calendar, the Ghost Festival is celebrated all over Asia. On this day, it     1     (believe) that the gates of Heaven and Hell open up,     2     (allow) the spirits of all the dead to visit the Earth. During this time, people will burn offerings (祭品) and prepare fancy meals     3     (pay) respect to the dead.

Similar holidays are celebrated all around the world. However, these holidays tend to be less gloomy (阴郁的)     4     Chinese holidays. In the Western world, Halloween, Oct 31 every year, is mainly celebrated by     5     (light) pumpkin lanterns and dressing up in costumes (服装). It is considered     6     a time to remember and honor the dead. The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico on Nov.1&2 each year. People will build altars (祭坛) at home and decorate them with candles, flowers, skulls (骷髅头) and gifts. Around the altar, people pray and tell stories about the dead. This holiday is also     7     (joy). In some public areas, there are even parties at night.

Death is a     8     (frighten) thing. But holidays like these can help us to better understand death as a natural part of life,    9     can remind us to value our own time on Earth and encourage us to live our best     10     (life).

Have you ever attended a Cinco de Mayo festival? If you have not, you do not know what you are missing．    1     Spanish, the words cinco de mayo mean fifth of May．It is a day for the     2    （celebrate）of the fighting spirit of Mexican people．The festival     3    （hold）both in Mexico and in parts of the United States, especially the Southwest,     4     there is a larger Hispanic population．

The term Xuan paper first appeared in On Famous Paintings through the Ages, a book     1     was written by Tang Dynasty(618 – 907) scholar Zhang Yanyuan. In the book, he described Xuan paper     2     a perfect carrier for writing and painting. Handmade Xuan paper from Jingxian county, East China’s Anhui Province,    3     (list) as a gift to the imperial court (宫廷) for the highest quality during that period.

The traditional skill of producing Xuan paper is     4    (demand). Sandalwood bark, a plant native to southern China, goes through 108 steps together with rice straw (稻草) over a period of three years before it can be made into fine Xuan paper.    5     whole course is so difficult that even the most skilled workers can only do part of it.

The flow of ink decides the making of Chinese art, and Xuan paper is much     6     (good) than other paper with     7     (it) excellent ability to give full play to ink. Different materials during the paper making process can create different paper suited for artistic expression in freehand ink painting or writing.

Xuan paper has gone with the making of the Chinese artists for thousands of years. Unlike other forms of paper, Xuan paper is strong enough     8     (stand) harm brought by time. It is this strength that has made the protection of many     9     (value) works from ancient China possible. Paper making is the     10    (wise) of the ancient Chinese, and Xuan paper is the top of paper making.

The Amber Room was given this name because several tons of amber were used to make it. The     1     (select) amber had     2     beautiful yellow-brown colour like honey. The design of the room was     3     the fancy style popular in those days. It was also a treasure     4     (decorate) with gold and jewels,     5     took the country’s best     6     (artist) about ten years to make.

Later, Catherine Ⅱ had the Amber Room     7     (move) to a palace outside St Petersburg where she spent her summers.     8     (sad), the Amber Room     9     (consider) one of the wonders of the world, is now     10     (miss).