Some people think we buy too many gifts before Christmas. So they have started a     1     day with the name of Buy Nothing Day. They don’t want     2     to go shopping on that day. Buy Nothing Day is after Thanksgiving Day and it is often the     3     day of Christmas shopping. On that day, we can see     4     in newspapers and on TV telling us to “BUY! BUY! BUY!”. The idea for Buy Nothing Day     5     in Canada. Now people all over the world     6     Buy Nothing Day.

In California, parents and children get     7     to read stories, sing songs and draw pictures. The children talk about why they don’t get a lot of     8    . In New Mexico, high school students make posters to give people     9     about Buy Nothing Day. Most people like the new idea. They     10     not to buy anything on that day every year.

World Laughter Day is a special day that can be celebrated by anyone and anywhere. All they have to do is laugh aloud. Celebrated yearly on the first Sunday of May, the fun event    1     by an Indian doctor, Dr. Madan Kataria. His act to make the world a happier place began in 1995, with the     2     of Laughter Yoga, a fitness class where yoga players exercise breathing and uncontrolled laughter.

Though the     3     class was attended by only 5 students, information of this fun way of exercising soon began     4    , and in a short time, laughter yoga classes began to be held all over the world. Today, there are over 6,000 clubs that offer this class in different countries.

Members get together every day or at least twice a week, to exercise by     5     laughing out loud, waving their hands and making funny faces at each other.

Besides     6     joy, the doctor also believes that the laughter and breathing help stretch (舒展) muscles (肌肉) and make us happy—this in turn, helps lower stress, which is the cause of many     7    .

In 1998 in order to spread the cheer to non—yogis, the doctor announced that the first Sunday of every May is World Laughter Day. Not surprisingly, it won     8     at once. To make the event even more fun. Dr. Kataria suggested     9     the celebrations in public places so that other people could join in. Now, some big cities even give prizes to people with the best laugh—someone who can laugh in a     10     way, for no reason.

So, what are you waiting for? Start practicing laughing loudly today!

On April 22, people all over the world take time out to appreciate (珍惜) the Earth that we all share. It’s Earth Day, a     1     day to learn about our planet and how to take care of it.

On Earth Day, some listen to speeches about the environment. Others help     2     their communities or save water and electricity at home. Your parents may even decide to take a day off from driving their cars. Maybe you, your friends and your school have a plan to celebrate Earth Day, too.

The idea for Earth Day came from a U.S. Senator (参议员), who was worried about pollution and the     3     of plants and animals. In 1969, he decided that a special day to teach everyone about the things that needed changing in our environment could really help our planet.

The idea quickly caught on (流行起来). In 1970, the first Earth Day was     4    . More than 20 million people in cities all over the U.S. took part. Since     5    , Earth Day has been used to educate people about their role in taking care of our planet.

Now, Earth Day has become a global celebration. In 1990, 200 million people from 140 countries took part in marches (游行), doing some     6    , tree planting and other environmental events on Earth Day.