Children are always happy on the day     1     summer vacation begins. They think about the plans     2     they have for the summer. Some children go to a day camp     3     is near their home. At the end of the day, they can go home. Other kids choose to go to a camp in the country       4     they are instructed by camp counselors (顾问).

These counselors are often college students     5     are trying to earn a little extra money during their summer vacation. Some kids go to specialized (专业的) camps. There they can improve a particular skill or learn a new hobby     6     they are interested in. This is the reason     7     specialized camps are popular with both parents and kids. There are some kids     8     parents take them on a trip in a car. They often visit state and national parks.

Winter Solstice (冬至)

Winter Solstice, also     1    (know)as Midwinter or Winter Festival, means the     2    (arrive) of winter.

Winter Solstice is the 22nd in the present system of solar terms, but it was in fact the first one to     3    (create) and observed by people in ancient China. They     4    (believe) that from Winter Solstice, the next cycle began. Winter Solstice, therefore, was regarded as the     5    (begin) of a new year,     6     explains why Winter Solstice was not only set as a solar term, but has also been observed as     7     important festival.

The winter season starts in most areas in China from the day on. But because     8     its huge land area, the climate differs greatly from place to place. For example, the night time temperature during this period in northeast China drops to as low as -20℃ , while it is still around 10℃ in some places in South China like Guangzhou.

Eating dumplings on Winter Solstice is a tradition in northern China. Compared with dumplings, sweet dumplings (tangyuan) are even     9    (popular) for locals in southern China. In     10    (they) mind, the round shape of sweet dumplings symbolizes the reunion.