The Laba Festival     1     (observe) on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar (阴历的) month is a traditional Chinese holiday. La in Chinese is the name of the 12th lunar month and ba     2     (mean) eight.

There are several     3     (story) about the origin of this festival and it’s difficult for us to tell which one is true. But today what we do know is     4     this festival began as a way to honour ancestors. It was also a time for the ancient Chinese     5     (pray) to heaven and earth that there would be a good harvest.

The majority of Chinese have long followed the tradition of eating Laba porridge during the Laba Festival.     6     (general), the porridge contains eight ingredients, including some beans, peanuts and rice. Laba porridge is the     7     (important) part of the festival traditionally. Also,     8     is important that family members eat the porridge together.

Another custom is soaking(泡) Laba garlic, which is particularly popular     9     northern China. Garlic is soaked in vinegar for twenty days starting from Laba festival. Then the garlic and vinegar     10     (use) alongside Chinese dumplings around Chinese new year.

【推荐3】In ancient China the kite was known as “Zhiyuan“.     1     (original) regarded as a technology, it also featured in many art collections, and was considered to have unique artistic value. It first     2     (appear) in the ware of the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC—476BC). According to historical records. Mo Zi spent three years     3     (construct) a wooden kite which failed after one day’s flight. One book noted that the master carpenter Lu Ban also made some which     4     (use) to spy on the situation of the enemy.

Now the basic procedure of making kites remains the same, but     5     (style) of kite-making vary in different regions. These in the “World Kite Capital” of Weifang in Shandong Province are well known for     6     (they) craftsmanship, materials, painting, sculpture and flexible flying movement. One of these kites,     7     was over 300 meters long, won first place in the International Kite Festival     8     (hold) in Italy. It is now housed in the Weifang Kite Museum. Even year, the festival is held there and is expected to draw many fans with a passion for flying kites.

    9     you are interested in flying a kite, you should choose a sunny and windy day so you can enjoy the open air, and take care to avoid electric wires and cars. You could lake more than one with you and fly them according to the change of wind. And of course, a pair of sunglasses may prove useful in protecting your eyes     10     bright sunshine.