Labor Day

How’s this for a strange idea: a day off from work in honor of work    1    (it)? Actually, that is     2     Labor Day, celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday of every September, is all about.

The     3    (one) American Labor Day was celebrated in New York City on September 5th,1882, as thousands of workers and their families came to Union Square for a day in the park. There were picnics and a parade,     4     there were also protests. The workers had gathered, not just to rest and celebrate, but to demand fair wages, the end of child labor, and the right    5    (organize) into unions.

During the period known as The Industrial Revolution, many jobs were difficult and dangerous. People worked for twelve hours, six days a week,     6     extra benefits, and if you were young, chances are you were doing manual labor instead of your ABCs and fractions. Children as young as ten worked in some of     7    (dangerous) places. In the following years, the idea of Labor Day caught on. But then came the violent Haymarket Square Riot (暴乱) of 1886, which led to many deaths in Chicago. After that, many groups began to mark Haymarket Square on May 1st, which became known as International Workers’ Day.

But in spite of this new holiday, it was a long time before the changes that workers wanted     8    (become) a reality. At present, as America and Canada celebrate Labor Day, most of the two    9    (country) children enjoy a day off from school. But it is important to remember that there was a time when every day was a labor day for children in America, and     10    (unfortunate), the same fact remains true for millions of children around the world today.

With his wrinkled fingers, Wang Qiming put traditional makeup on the faces of young performers before dawn, making final preparations for the shehuo parade.

The shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread     1     (popular) in rural areas across China,     2     (date) back to about 2, 000 years when sacrificial activities were performed to pray for a good harvest. Later on, as dancing and singing became part of the parade, it developed into a folk custom     3     (stage) during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival     4     (remove) bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year.

Wangmazui is in Longxian county, previously known     5     Long Zhou, which is famous for shehuo parades     6     (feature) authentic and inclusive performances and simple yet delicate facial makeup. The county     7    (name) the hometown of shehuo performances by the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association in 2013.

More than 100 shehuo festivities are held in Longxian every year, each of     8     involves dozens or hundreds of villagers. Participants usually perform on horses     9     pickup trucks, showing different performances including stilt (高跷) dances and land boats.

Wang, 65, has clear     10     (memory) of the annual performances when he was a child. “My family has been engaged in shehuo performances for generations,” he said. “I started to watch the show in my childhood, and now I join them by making face-painting.

Over the past few years, many Chinese brands and     1     (product) have become more and more popular among Chinese youth,     2     is a trend known as guochao.

The post-2000 younger generation, a     3     (rise) consumption force of home market, no longer admires all foreign things. In fact, most of them tend     4     (buy) something with Chinese cultural elements.     5     is obvious that guochao style now suits Chinese young people’s taste.

Guochao also means the return of     6     (tradition) styles and cultural elements. Some brands like Li-Ning and White Rabbit begin to appeal to younger customers. Meanwhile, Dunhuang culture is also gaining popularity     7     (gradual). It is commonly seen that silk scarves, makeups and cell phone cases with Dunhuang culture elements     8     (display) in the art shows, attracting many young followers.

The Chinese culture represented by guochao is creating a huge new market at home and abroad. More importantly, guochao is regarded     9     a way to improve the awareness of Chinese youth national identity and cultural confidence. As a result, this new trend of guochao makes     10     big success.

On Chinese New Year’s Eve, the dinner table is covered with a variety of     1     (dish). It is a great moment for the whole family to sit together to enjoy the dinner. Bofeng, Luo Yan's son, happily takes     2     bite of the chicken his grandfather has selected for him.

In spite     3     the cold outside, the family members enjoy the happiness of reunion. Every year, Luo comes back from the city     4     his small family live.     5     is convenient to go back home by the high-speed train. Upon their     6     ( arrive), the whole family welcome them. The home has also been     7     (special) decorated for this joyous occasion. After dinner, the whole family observe the tradition of staying up late. They eat snacks,     8     (chat) with each other and making dumplings. As midnight     9     (approach), Luo Yan takes the whole family out to set off firecrackers in the village that     10     (light) up with fireworks.