【推荐1】

In China, children like to make promises by hooking pinkies(用小手指拉钩)with each other and saying, "A pinkie promise must be kept for 100 years. ”Then, they may press their thumbs (按拇指)together to _______ the promise. Sometimes, couples will hook pinkies and promise to be _______ together.

How did the pinkie promise come out? Some say it comes from a nursery thyme(童谣). Others say it was introduced from the West-born out of a love _______ where a man and a woman hooked fingers.

It is said that it may have something to do with the role of fingers in Chinese _______. The Chinese character (汉字) for "finger" also means "aim"-people's thoughts. So hooking fingers can be seen as the exchanging of thoughts. Therefore, the fingers _______ an important role in making a promise: they can not only be used to complete a promise, but also be cut _______ making a blood promise. _______ someone swears to heaven (对天发誓), they use their fingers to point to the sky.

Generally, hooking fingers means making a _______ promise. In some movies, if a person breaks a promise, he may even have his little finger _______ ! Of course, this kind of thing is not very likely to happen in the ________ world. But we can still see how important "pinkie promises" can be.

【推荐3】People all over the world celebrate the New Year. However, not all countries celebrate in the same way. And in some countries, the New Year doesn’t begin on the ________ day every year.

In many countries, the New Year begins on 1st January, but people start celebrating on 31st December, New Year’s Eve. In New York many people go to celebrate in Times Square. ________ they’re waiting for the New Year, they listen to music, sing traditional songs and have fun. Just before 12 o’clock, everyone ________ down from 10: 10, 9, 8… As soon as it’s 12 o’clock, everyone shouts very ________, “Happy New Year!”

New Year’s Day is often a family day. Some families get together for a special meal. When the weather is fine, many families go out for a ________．

On New Year’s Day, many people make resolutions for the new year. They ________ a list of things, such as “I will help out more with housework.” “I will work ________ at school than others.”or “I won’t spend so much time playing video games.” When they have made ________ lists, they read it to their family or friends and promise to ________ their resolutions.

So it doesn’t matter how they celebrate, ________ people in countries all over the world, it’s a time to say goodbye to the old year, and to welcome the new one.

【推荐1】There are many festivals around the world. Dads have Father’s Day. Mums have Mother’s Day. But do our grandparents have a _________? Yes, they do.

The Double Ninth Festival is a _________ day for old people in China. The festival is on lunar（农历）September 9th. On this day, people show _________ and respect（尊敬）for their grandparents.

Respecting old people is a tradition in China. There are many ways for Chinese people to _________ their respect. When an old person enters a room, everyone should stand up. Also, people are introduced from the _________ to the youngest. When we give something to an old person, two hands are used. The old usually don’t have to buy tickets for buses and young people always _________ their seats to old people on a crowded subway（拥挤的地铁）or bus.

However, in western countries, old people have _________ lifestyles from those in China. They don’t often live with their children—they live _________. They don’t want to get help from others. They even don’t want to be offered seats by others.

Westerners _________ respect old people. For holidays, families usually __________ at the grand-parents’ homes. A great smile and a warm hug are enough for grown children to show their respect.

【推荐2】Cowboys have lived and worked in the west and southwest of the United States for over three centuries. They are a famous _______ of the USA. When you watch those old Hollywood cowboy films from the fifties and sixties, you don’t see a job. You see a _______ of freedom and adventure（冒险）. However, the real job of an American cowboy has always been _______ and sometimes dangerous. It is physical work with long hours and low pay.

Life hasn’t _______ much for cowboys since the early days. Cows walk across the grassland to _______ the grass and the cowboy rides on his horse to bring _______ home. Like the cowboys of the past, a 21st century cowboy _______ gets up early on freezing cold mornings and makes breakfast over a fire.

So why does a man—because it is usually a man—become a cowboy? For some, it isn’t a _______, because they are born into the life. They have worked with _______ since they were children. They ________ the traditional cowboy culture. “It’s a real life about you, your horse and the open ________.”

Some people choose the job ________ in life. Pat had an office job with the US government with high pay, ________ he didn’t like city life and spending all day inside. So one day, he ________ his job and moved to a ranch（牧场）in Texas, making much less money ________ a cowboy. He wanted job satisfaction. And for a cowboy, job satisfaction doesn’t come from the money or a comfortable office. It comes from being free to wake up under the sky and being your own boss.

【推荐3】Everyone has a family name. But what does their family names mean? And from what do English people get their _________ names?

First, some family names come from the place of their homes. If a man lives on or near a _________, his family name may be Hill. In England, people’s names may be Wood, Lake, because they live near the wood or lake.

_________, some family names come from a person’s job. If a person is a cook, his family name may be Cook.

Third, many people get their family names from their father’s _________ name. If you hear the name “Jackson”, you know that he is the _________ of Jack.