As Victor Hugo once said, “Laughter is the sun that     1    winter from the human face”, and up to now nobody has been able to do this better than Charlie Chaplin. He    2    the lives of Americans and British through two world wars and the hard years in between.   He made people laugh at a time when they felt     3    , so they could feel more content with their lives.

Not that Charlie’s own life was easy! He was born in a poor family in 1889. His parents were both poor music hall     4    . You may find     5    astonishing that Charlie was taught to sing as soon as he could speak and dance as soon as he could walk. Such training was common in acting families at this time, especially    6    the family income was often uncertain.     7     his father died,     8    the family even worse off, so Charlie spent his childhood looking after his sick mother and his brother. By his teens, Charlie had,     9     his humor, become one of the most popular child actors in England. He could mime and act the fool doing     10    everyday tasks. No one was ever bored watching him-his subtle acting made everything entertaining.

My name is Wang Kun. Ever since middle school, my sister Wang Wei and I have     1     about taking a great bike trip. Two years ago she bought     2     expensive mountain bike and then she     3    me to buy one. Last year, she visited our     4    , Dao Wei and Yu Hang at their college in Kunming. They are Dai and     5    up in western Yunnan Province near the Lancang River, the Chinese part of the river     6     is called the Mekong River in other countries. Wang Wei soon got them     7    in cycling too. After graduating from college, we     8     got the chance to take a bike trip. I asked my sister, "Where are we going?"     9     was my sister who first had the idea to cycle     10     the entire Mekong River from where it begins to where it ends. Now she is planning our schedule for the trip.

At the time they were created, the Impressionist paintings were    1    , but today they are accepted as the beginning of    2    we call “modern art’. This is because the Impressionists     3    artists to look at their environment in new ways. There are scores of modern art styles, but     4    the Impressionists, many of these painting styles might not exist. On the one hand, some modern art is abstract; that is, the painter doesn’t     5    to paint objects as we see them with our eyes,     6    instead concentrates on certain qualities of the object,     7    color, line and shape to represent them. On the    8    hand, some paintings of modern art are so     9     that they look photographs. These styles are so different. Who can    10    what painting styles there will be in the future?

The most     1     and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and the coming of spring.     2     the Spring Festival in China, people eat dumplings, fish and meat and may     3    children lucky money in red paper. There are dragon dances and carnivals, and families celebrate the Lunar New Year     4     .Some Western countries have very exciting carnivals,    5     take place forty days before Easter, usually in February. These carnivals might include parades,     6     in the streets day and night, loud music and colourful     7     of all kinds. Easter is an important religious and social festival for     8    around the world. It celebrates the return of Jesus from the dead and the coming of spring and new life. Japan’s Cherry Blossom Festival     9     a little later. The country, covered with cherry tree flowers, looks as though     10    is covered with pink snow.

Dollywood, in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in the southeastern USA, is one of the most     1    theme parks in the world. Dollywood shows and celebrates America’s traditional southeastern culture.     2    Dollywood has rides, the park’s main attraction is its culture. Famous country music groups     3     there all year in indoor and outdoor theatres. People come from all over America to see     4     and other craftsmen make wood, glass and iron objects     5     the old-fashioned way. Visit the candy shop     6     try the same kind of candy that American southerners     7     150 years ago, or take a ride on the only steam-engine train still working in the southeast USA, You can     8    see beautiful bald eagles in the world’s largest bald eagle preserve. And for those     9     like rides, Dollywood has one of the best old wooden roller coasters, Thunderhead. It is world-famous for having the most length in the smallest space. Come to Dollywood to have fun     10     all about America’s historical southeastern culture!

Festivals and celebrations of all kinds have been held everywhere since ancient times. Most ancient festivals would celebrate the end of cold weather, planting in spring and     1     in autumn. Sometimes celebrations would be held after     2     had caught animals. At that time people would     3     if food was difficult to find,     4     during the cold winter months. Today's festivals have many     5    , some religious, some seasonal, and some for special people or events．

The most     6     and important festivals are the ones     7     look forward to the end of winter and to the coming of spring.     8     the Spring Festival in China, people eat dumplings, fish and meat and may give children lucky money in red paper. There are dragon dances and carnivals, and families celebrate the Lunar New Year together. Some Western countries have very exciting carnivals,     9     take place forty days before Easter, usually in February. These carnivals might include parades, dancing in the streets day and     10    , loud music and colourful     11     of all kinds. Easter is an important religious and social festival for Christians around the world. It celebrates the     12     of Jesus from the dead and the coming of spring and new life. Japan’s Cherry Blossom Festival happens a little later. The country, covered with cherry tree flowers, looks     13     though it is covered with pink snow.

People love to get together to eat, drink and have fun     14     each other. Festivals let us enjoy life, be proud of our     15     and forget our work for a little while.

Festivals and celebrations of all kinds have been held everywhere since ancient times. Most ancient festivals would    1    the end of cold weather, planting in spring and    2    in autumn.   Sometimes   celebrations would be   held after    3    had caught animals. Today’s festivals have many origins, some     4    , some seasonal, and some for special people or events. Some festivals are held to honour the dead or to     5    the ancestors, who might return either to help or to do harm. Festivals can also be held to honour famous people. The most    6     and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and to the coming of spring.       7    the Spring Festival in China, people eat dumplings, fish and meat and may give children       8    money in red paper. People love to get together to eat, drink and have     9     with each other. Festivals let us enjoy life, be proud of our     10    and forget our work for a little while.

Festivals and celebrations of all kinds have been held everywhere since     1     times. Most ancient festivals would celebrate the end of cold weather, planting in spring and     2    in autumn. Sometimes celebrations would be held after hunters had caught animals. At that time people would     3     if food was difficult to find, especially during the cold winter months. Today’s festivals have many     4    , some religious, some seasonal, and some for special people or events.

The most     5     and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and to the coming of spring.     6    the Spring Festival in China, people eat dumplings, fish and meat and may give children lucky money in red paper. There are dragon dances and carnivals, and     7    celebrate the Lunar New Year together. Some Western countries have very exciting carnivals,     8    take place forty days before Easter, usually in February. These carnivals might     9     parades, dancing in the streets day and night, loud music and colorful clothing of all kinds. Easter is an important     10     and social festival for Christians around the world.

After two days’ travel, the girls began to realize that Canada is quite empty. At school, they had learned that most Canadians live     1     a few hundred kilometers of the USA border, and    2     Canada’s population is only     3     over thirty million, but now they were     4     to see such an empty country. They went     5     a wheat-growing province and saw farms that     6     thousands of acres. After dinner, they were back in an     7     area, the busy port city of Thunder Bay at the top of the Great Lakes. The girls were surprised at the     8     that ocean ships can sail up the Great Lakes. Because of the Great Lakes, they learned, Canada has more    9     water than any other country in the world. In fact, it has one-third of the world’s total fresh water, and much of     10     is in the Great Lakes.

Anne lived in Amsterdam in the Netherlands during WW II. Her family was Jewish so they had to     1     away for over two years in order not to be caught by the German Naris. During that time Anne wasn’t able to go outdoors for so long     2     she had grown so     3     about everything to do with     4    . One evening, she stayed    5     on purpose in order to have a good     6     at the moon by herself. But as the moon gave far too much light, she didn’t     7     open the window. Another time, she     8     to be upstairs when the window was open. She didn’t go     9     until the window had to be shut. Sadly, for Anne, it was no     10    looking through the curtains any longer because nature is one thing that really must be experienced.