As midnight     1     , Luo Yan takes his parents, wife and son outside to     2     firecrackers. The whole village is     3     with colourful fireworks. All over the country, people are celebrating their good     4    , celebrating their family’s     5     , and celebrating their nation’s strength.

The “Top 10 Singers” Competition

Days before the “Top 10 Singers” competition, I was making predictions about who might w    1     (获胜，赢). Everyone was preparing for it. The competitors from my class g    2     (抓住) every chance to practise, and some even composed their own m    3     (音乐，乐曲)!

The great day c    4     (到了). The singers from each class p    5     (表演，演唱) their songs. Some of them were accompanied by a friend on the p    6     (钢琴) or guitar. Most of the songs were in the pop s    7     (风格). Some were adaptations of t    8     (传统的) songs. Some were simple songs w    9     (而) some were rather complicated. The singing was beautiful and two h    10     (小时) was gone before we realized it. Ten students were s    11     (选为) as the top singers of our school, but I think every one of us deserved a p    12     (奖励，奖品) for our efforts.

The competition was extraordinarily s    13     (成功的). It was great fun and we all e    14     (喜欢) it. More importantly, such activities reflected our dreams and our passion and transformed our u    15     (理解) of life.

During a typhoon, you should do your best to     1    . It is also important that you stay inside. If you have to go outside, always exit using the stairs. When you are out,     2    trees, large signs and light poles. Remember to     3    what is going on. Pay attention to news updates to confirm whether the danger is gone. These tips will help keep you safe and sound     4    a typhoon.

One     1     of classic literature is that it often reflects an author’s own experiences and can therefore help us understand     2     of his or her time. This is one reason why the best works of literature still     3     readers long after they were written. Cao Xueqin’s A Dream of Red Mansions, one of the most     4     in Chinese literature, is a good example of this. Its storyline follows the fall of a large wealthy family much like the author’s own. No doubt     5     his own experiences, Cao Xueqin gives     6     of what life was like at that time. The novel contains     7     of details such as what the upper class wore and ate. It also describes the social relations in 18th-century China. As a result, readers     8     better understanding the gap between rich and poor, men and women, the learned and the uneducated in the historical context. Cultural and historical elements like these make A Dream of Red Mansions     9    . In summary, we can learn much about     10     in history from classic literature.