Festivals are becoming more and more commercial, with businesses     1     (take) advantage of the celebrations. Online shopping websites and social media apps have made it much     2     (easy) for the public to spend more on gifts for their loved ones. Although some believe festivals should not commercialized,     3     believe the increase in spending is good for the economy and public happiness.

The United Kingdom has a long and interesting history to explore,     1     can help you understand much more about the country and its traditions. Almost everywhere you go in the UK, you will     2     (surround) by evidence of four different groups of people. The first group, the Romans, came in the first century. Some of their great     3     (achieve) included building towns and roads.

Eight years later, Lin graduated     1     Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) with the Wehai Scholarship, the highest prize     2     (give) to graduates. She immediately became the first woman ever     3     (hire) as a resident physician in the OB-GYN department of the PUMC Hospital. Within six months, she was named a chief resident physician,     4     position that usually took four years to achieve.

This year’s winter has proven an important season for Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province, as interest     1     the icy destination greatly increased after social media posts showed many citizens from the warmer south flooding into the snowy city. It     2     (welcome) nearly 3.05 million visitors, taking in $832.39million of tourism revenue(收入), during the three-day New Year holiday.

To facilitate the consumption of Harbin’s popular frozen pears,     3     city has even introduced frozen pear plates, making     4     easier for tourists to enjoy the delicacy. Moreover,     5     (attract) more tourists and improve overall services, Harbin has rolled out a     6     (vary) of activities, including live performances on New Year’s Eve, firework displays, theme parks, intangible heritage culture shows and concerts. A series of     7     (measure) have also been introduced to enhance the visitor experience in Harbin, covering areas such as dining, accommodation, travel, shopping and entertainment.     

It is these careful and considerate details     8     make sure. that tourists feel warmly embraced, cared for and respected. Consequently, their positive experiences are widely shared on the internet,     9     (contribute) to Harbin’s “internet celebrity” city status.     10     (give) more time, Harbin’s tourism will greatly boost the economy.

5 . Festivals     1     (celebrate) all around the world. Of all the     2     (tradition) festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every culture. This important agricultural festival takes place after all the     3     (crop) have been gathered in. People celebrate     4     (show) that they are grateful for the year’s supply of food. Customs play     5     significant role in festivals, but sometimes they can change over time. With the development of modern society and the spread of new ideas, some traditions may fade     6     and others may be established. Festivals are becoming more and more commercial, with businesses     7     (take) advantage of the celebrations. Online shopping websites and social media apps have made     8     much easier for the public to spend more on gifts for their loved ones. Festivals are an important part of society. They reflect people’s wishes, beliefs, faiths and attitudes towards life. They are occasions     9     allow us to relax and enjoy life, and forget about our work for a little while. They help us understand where we came from, who we are, and what     10     (appreciate).

New Year was just around the corner. I was second grade then, 7 years old. One day, on my way home from school, a lady gave me a piece of paper     1     (say) that the neighborhood was asking people to give New Year presents to those     2     needed them. When I showed my mom this paper, she encouraged me to take part in it and spread     3     (kind) to others less fortunate than us. She said we would become “Neighborhood Angels”.

Several days later, my mother     4     (drive) me to the store and gave me $20 to pay for neighborhood present. Then she said, “I’ll see you outside in the car.” She left me alone to do the shopping. I was not used to buying things on my own, as I had always been with one of my     5     (parent) before. Everything seemed very strange and confusing to me,     6     I carried on. Suddenly, I remembered the poor boy     7     (call) Jack who lived in our neighborhood. I used to see him     8     a jacket during the freezing winter months, so I decided, then and there, to buy him a warm jacket.

I looked at many jackets and     9     (final) chose a heavy blue one. That evening, I sent the present to him with my mom.    10     (see) the tears in his eyes, I felt as if I were a real “Neighborhood Angel”.

In traditional Chinese culture, the dragon has long been a symbol of auspiciousness (吉祥), power and mystery.     1     the rich heritages of Chinese history, the dragon totems (图腾) in the Forbidden City are undoubtedly     2     amazing presence.

The Forbidden City, a magnificent architectural complex (建筑群)     3     (recognize) as the treasure of China, was once the royal palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It stands as the world’s     4     (large) and most complete existing ancient wooden structure architectural complex. As one of the most important cultural totems in China, the dragon has always been a symbol of good     5     (fortunate). In the Forbidden City, the dragons,     6     leaping between beams (梁), hovering in the sky, or hidden in the details, all tell ancient stories.

In each corner of the Forbidden City, lifelike dragons in various shapes can be seen,    7     (show) not only delicate craftsmanship but also deep historical and cultural significance. And more often, the dragon decorations     8     (refer) to as the guardians of the Forbidden City.

According to photographer Gu Caihua, those dragons carved on the     9     (roof) seem to be guarding the ancient palaces, while those dragons on beam s appear to be telling the historical changes. These dragons are not     10     (simple) decorations; they carry the essence of Chinese culture.

Jingxi Taiping Drum is a traditional form of dancing. With its display of profound cultural elements, it     1     (include) in the first batch (批次) of China’s national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) items in 2006.

The     2     (early) historical references of this art date back to the Spring and Autumn Period. In the Qing Dynasty, it started to gain     3     (popular) in and around the capital. In ancient times, the drums were played     4     New Year’s Eve at the imperial palace to bring peace. As a result, the performance also became known as the “New Year Drum” by Beijingers. This type of drum dance is     5     (common) seen performed during the last and first month of the lunar year in many local festive activities, thus expressing     6     (people) hope of a peaceful and rich year to come. During a given performance, drummers perform various dance moves while     7     (hold) the drum in their left hands and a mallet (大头锤) in their right hands. Traditional Chinese aesthetic (美学的) concepts are reflected in the drum playing, all of     8     represent distinctive local features.

In the past decades, Beijing has made considerable efforts     9     (protect) this signature folk dance culture. Today, the time-honored folk art of the Jingxi Taiping Drum is being taken up by the young people     10     is presenting its lively artistic charm (魅力) on a global stage.