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.

3 . My father, a soldier, was ordered to move again. It came as a _____________   because we had     just moved into the present duty station a few weeks before.

It was the fourth time we’d got to move to a ___________   place in just two years, which was truly our “home” in Hawaii that we’d only _________________   through my father’s music with ukulele     (尤克里里)._________ was the thing that connected my father with Hawaii, a reminder of his home and_______.

Everything was   _________________   this time. We   were just arriving,   but he was already   ___________ to   leave again   without   us. Our father,   the person who could make   us _________   the “new”   family, was gone.   Suddenly, we   were surrounded   by cousins who ___________   knowing each   other, joining in   a cultural   __________________   of which we   only knew the surface. We   were   __________   in the family.

One day, I ________________   my father’s ukulele that I had watched him play was   ________________   in the corner. When I tried to play it, though unskillfully, I felt closer to him and our Hawaiian roots. Then   I picked up an old   song   book, and ____________   myself   to play. I would play   and sing, __________   my   father had been here. Finally   my   father______________with   a newly-bought ukulele, and we had a mini concert. He was________ that I had learned so much.

What I really ______________   was that   music   has the ________________   to do truly extraordinary things________ us with our culture and each other, our past and our present.

The famous Peking opera artist Yuan Huiqin hosted two culture talks     1     were called “Charm of Peking Opera” in Stockholm and St. Petersburg last year. The two sessions     2     (organize) by Chinese embassies and local cultural organizations. Members of Chinese embassies, famous sinologists(汉学家) and those     3     (show) an interest in Peking opera, attended     4     two culture talks. During the talks, Yuan Huiqin     5     (patient) shared the charm of Peking opera in more than one way.

With the help of the local sinologist,     6     (she) talks were translated into Swedish and Russian. These words explored the concepts and artistic characteristics of     7     (tradition) Chinese operas, which got the audience     8     (experience) the distinct charm of Peking opera.

In addition, young     9     (artist) from the China National Peking Opera Company performed classic opera selections. During the interaction of the talks, some opera lovers performed     10     young artists and on the spot the audience tried costumes(戏装) of Peking opera with great curiosity.