Chinese people have been celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival     1     centuries. There are many traditional folk stories about this festival. However, most people think that the story of Chang’e is the most     2     (move). It tells after Hou Yi shot down the nine suns, a goddess gave him magic medicine to thank him. Hou Yi planned     3     (drink) it with his wife, Chang’e. But a bad man     4     name was Pang Meng tried to steal the medicine     5     Hou Yi was out.Chang’e wasn’t ready to give it to him and then drank it all.She became very light and     6     (fly) up to the moon. Hou Yi was so sad and missed her very much. One night, he found that the moon was so bright and round     7     he could see his wife there. He     8     (quick) laid out her favourite fruits and desserts in the garden. How he wished that she could come back!

After this, people started the     9     (traditional) of admiring the moon and sharing mooncakes that carry     10     wishes to the families they love and miss.

Considering the valuable role friendship     1    (play) in our life, it is definitely fit to have a day dedicated to friends and friendship. The United States Congress, in 1935, declared the first Sunday of August as the National Friendship Day. After that, the     2    (celebrate) of National Friendship Day became     3     annual event. The idea of     4    (honor) the beautiful relationship caught     5    soon Friendship Day became a hugely popular festival.

Following the popularity and success of Friendship Day in US, several other     6    (country) adopted the tradition of dedicating a day to friends. In April 2011, the United Nations     7     (official) recognized 30th July as International Friendship Day, although many still celebrate it     8    the first Sunday of August!

Today, Friendship Day has become an occasion on     9     people all over the world express love and heartfelt feelings for their best friends and promise     10     (stand) by them at all times in all circumstances.

The Chinese New Year red envelope (红包) is one of     1     most popular Chinese traditions for children on the Chinese New Year. They receive red envelopes with money inside! Little kids     2     (usual) learn the words “hong bao” in Mandarin (普通话) very quickly.

The red color     3     (stand) for good luck for the Chinese. Traditionally the envelopes are decorated with gold letters and messages of     4     (happy) or Chinese lucky symbols like the Chinese dragon, the phoenix, etc. Nowadays, in     5     (keep) up with the times, you can find anything from Mickey Mouse to Hello Kitty on the red envelopes.

Generally, kids     6       are unmarried all get red envelopes during the Chinese New Year from their grandparents, uncles, aunts and parents of course. Close     7     (friend ) also give red envelopes to children during the festival. Who gives money and how much money     8     (give) mainly depend on the personal relationship and the age of the kids. And     9       is quite common for an adult     10       (receive) a kid’s greeting for a red envelope during the Chinese New Year.

Venice,     1    small waterside(水边的) city in northeast Italy, boils with happiness and excitement once every year. Between February 21th and March 4th, the carnival (狂欢节) hits the streets. For most people the carnival means large parties and feasts. But in Venice, it also means     2    (tradition) masks and costumes.

These costumes were     3    (original) meant to hide personal identities. Then, different social classes could mix in a sea of happiness.

Today, people in Venice still dress up in the strangest ways as armed soldiers, butchers and fishermen, for example.

Bars and cafes are filled with party-goers     4    come to show off their strange costumes. Their designs and creations     5    (make) by special studios. Ready-made costumes are not acceptable.

＂In the months     6    the carnival we work overtime to meet the demand,＂ said a mask maker. ＂Many kilometers of silk and lace are made     7    costumes. For shopkeepers, the carnival is the     8    time of the year.＂

The Venice carnival dates back to the Middle Ages. At that time, the city was     9    of the wealthiest in Europe. Now the Venice carnival attracts huge crowds from all over the world.

The city certainly benefits — a whole industry     10    (build) up around the carnival’s masks and costumes.