Today is my son Matthew’s last day at home before college. I know that this is good news. I feel extremely proud that Matthew will go to a great school. But looking at the suitcases on his bed sends me out of the room to a hidden corner where I can’t stop crying     1     (bitter). Maybe it’s normal for most people.

    2     (feel) rather depressed, I tell myself, “Pull yourself together!” There are parents sending their kids off to battle fields.

One of the greatest gifts of my life is my boys, Matthew and John Owen. Through them, I have explored the mysterious and complicated bond(纽带) between fathers and sons over the past years By the time Saturday came around, I     3     (be) unable to enjoy the day’s activities.

Now, standing among Matthew’s so many things including a     4     (collect) of science magazines, all of a sudden, I realize it’s me who has become a boy again. All my sadness and longing     5     (hold) on to things are back, sweeping over me as they did when I was a child.

His bed,     6     position is in the corner of the room, is tidy and spare. It already has the feel of a guest bed, In my mind I remember wrapping him in his favorite blanket. That was our nightly routine until one evening he said, “Daddy, I don’t think I need a blanket tonight.” I think of all the times when we lay among the covers, reading books or magazines, I look at the bed and think of all the recent times when I was     7     (annoy) at how late he was sleeping. I’ll never have to worry about that again.

For his part, Matthew, who is an     8     (ambition) boy, has been a rock. He is treating the time to leave as just another day at home. After all, someone’s got to be strong. The reason why I’m proud is     9     he is charging into the first chapter of his adult life with such confidence. I myself am to blame     10     the feelings of sorrow and bitterness.

My mother is perhaps my favorite person in the world. There are plenty of     1     (reason)for this, including all her love for me and my siblings （兄弟姐妹） and her try to ensure our happiness.

Mother has a kind and caring heart, very rare in the world we live in. She    2    (give) birth to four children but went ahead to take care of three other needed children     3    ended up being our siblings.

When it comes to her physical     4    (appear), my mother has striking features. She has long dark brown hair, a slim body shape,    5    a great source of inspiration, which left her friends red with envy （羡慕）. Whenever any     6     us fell ill, my mother would move heaven and earth to make sure good treatment and care     7    (offer) to us during the whole period. She would spend time making sure we are comfortable all the time.

Of course, my mother loves helping the less     8     (luck) people whenever there is an opportunity to do so, and you can tell she always enjoys     9     (lend) a hand.

In a word, I love my mother and I always believe she is     10     (simple) the best gift to me.

There are     1    kinds of festivals throughout the world，festivals to    2    (satisfaction) and please the ancestors，to honour some famous people or important events，and     3    (expression) people’s gratitude to the God for bringing them a year of plenty. For example，Japanese observe Obon，when people go to clean graves and light incense     4     memory of their ancestors. In India，October 2 is a national festival to honour Mohandas Gandhi，     5    .helped India become an     6     (independence) country. And in China the Spring Festival，which     7    (celebrate) in January or February，is     8     most energetic and important because it is a festival that     9    (look) forward to the coming of spring. Why are all these festivals everywhere？Because during the festivals，people can get together to eat，drink and have fun with each other，     10    (forget) all the daily struggles and demands for a while.

An Internet organization is trying to persuade people to take part in the International Internet-Free Day,     1     will be held every year on the last weekend in January. The idea is that people will have the virtual world and go out into the real world. One     2     (support) of the idea said, “The Internet can be like addictive junk food: food you can never get enough of but which you don’t really want.”

A spokesman for the Internet-Free Day team     3     (explain), “It’s so easy to get     4     (addict) to a half-life in a virtual world, and lose touch     5     your family, friends and neighbors. Human beings need contact with the real world. Email and the Internet are just not enough.”

So, put down your mouse and turn off     6     (you) computer. The real world is open all day every day and     7     (welcome) visitors. It offers you the chance     8     (feel) human again. The Internet-free day will give you back your real life.

Imagine your perfect day, suggest the idea to some friends and find an     9     (excite) event to take part in. Then go out into the world outside your window, and make your perfect day     10     (reality)!

There are all kinds of festivals and     1     (celebrate) around the world, which are held for different reasons. Most ancient festivals were     2     (main) held to celebrate the end of cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn.

Today’s festivals have many origins. Some festivals are held to honor the dead     3     to satisfied the ancestors in case they might do harm, while     4     festivals are held to honor famous people, such as the Dragon Boat Festival and Columbus Day, the former of which honors the Chinese famous poet, Qu Yuan, and the latter Columbus’     5     (arrive) in the New World. Harvest and Thanksgiving festivals are happy events because the food     6     (gather) for the winter and the     7     (agriculture) work is over, to which mid-autumn festivals belong.

The most     8     (energy) and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and the     9     (come) of spring, such as the Spring Festival in China, during which people like to get together to eat, drink and have fun     10     each other.