This character was    1    social failure    2    he was loved for his optimism and determination to overcome all difficulties. He was the underdog who was kind even when others were unkind    3    him.

An elderly lady     1     lives near me keeps her garden very beautiful. It has plenty of flowers and colours. The weather is not very good here at the moment, and     2    (actual) it’s always raining. Two days ago when I     3    (drive) past this elderly lady’s house, the garden was showing signs of winter with fewer flowers. After     4    (knock) on her door, I told her I had flowers for her.

She said she couldn’t imagine she would     5    (give) flowers. I told her I was giving them to her because she worked so hard in her garden and we all got to enjoy     6    (it) beauty. She was totally     7    (surprise) . All she could say was “I don’t know     8     I should say to you.” Her name is Elizabeth. She was so excited     9    tears ran down her face as if she had won a prize.

Elizabeth told me she loved flowers, and I burst into     10    (laugh), telling her I already knew that! I also gave her a little thank-you card that reads: All your hard work in your garden brings joy to others.

Everybody in David’s class packed their bags and got ready     1     (go) home last Saturday. Usually David’s mother would fetch him home but that day she was not there, so he walked home by himself.

When he reached home, he knocked on the door as he didn’t bring his keys.     2     (surprising), no one answered the door. He     3     (knock) again when one of his neighbors     4     (name) John called him. He told David his mother was out and invited him to stay in his house till his mother came back. David knew that if his mother     5     (be) at home, she would have answered the door soon. So David went to John’s house and played with him.     6     (stay) in John’s house for a few     7     (hour), David saw his mother come back. They thanked John and his family. It turned out that David’s mother had     8     serious backache so she had to see the doctor.

    9     this experience, David has learnt that neighbors are people     10     help each other. The relationships among neighbors are like building a bridge and they will build a good bridge one day.

Chinese New Year,     1     starts on the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar (阴历), is considered as China’s most important holiday. It     2     (know) as the Spring Festival.

The Spring Festival starts at the beginning     3     the new moon. It often happens between January and February. It     4     (last) until the Festival of Lanterns (元宵节), which gives everyone plenty of time for celebration.

    5     (traditional), red envelopes with money in are gifted during the Spring Festival celebrations. It’s     6     custom which goes back to ancient times. However, when the tradition     7     (start) is unknown. Whatever the reason is, the red envelope is an important part of Chinese New Year to this day.

The firework is another big part of Chinese New Year. A     8     (write) shared the following story on a website. An old man saved a town from a terrible monster (怪兽) by throwing bamboo     9     (stick) into the fire. The explosion (爆炸声) caused by the bamboo frightened off the monster. As a result, Chinese people set off fireworks during Chinese New Year celebrations     10     (avoid) the evil spirits of the past.

The Czech Republic really loves celebrations,     1    (include) anniversaries, national holidays and many other festivals.

In the fall they hold their harvest festival in different regions. People basically celebrate the harvest, recognizing that they have enough food to survive through winter. It’s a tradition that dates back    2     the time when people didn’t have enough food to eat, so many died from     3    (hungry).

I felt very     4    (luck) to go to a village, where a festival was being held. This village is known for its outdoor museum    5    shows the lives of people from the past and the jobs they did.

In the afternoon, there were not only performances of singing and dancing,     6    also plenty of other activities to do. Bands started to play traditional Czech music on the stage. People in the garden    7    (drink) beer and enjoyed     8    wonderful music that everyone there relaxed.

Through festivals Czech people remind    9    (they) of their history, and at the same time have     10    good time together with their families and friends.