Every year people in the United Kingdom have a Harvest Festival in their schools and churches.

Harvest Festival takes place at the time of year    1    all the crops have been harvested. It is a    2    (celebrate) of the food grown on the land. Thanksgiving    3    (ceremony) for a successful harvest are both worldwide and very ancient. In Britain, people    4    (start) giving thanks for successful harvests in the 17th century. Since then, they have celebrated this day by singing, praying and decorating their churches with baskets    5    (pack) with fruit and food, usually during the month of September.

Harvest Festival    6    (remind) British people of all the good things God gives them. This makes them want to share with others who are    7    (little) fortunate. In schools and in churches, people bring food from home    8    (attend) a Harvest Festival Service. After the service, the food is usually made into parcels and given to people in need.

Traditionally, harvest festivals are held    9    or near the Sunday of the Harvest Moon. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October.

Unlike the USA and Canada, the UK doesn’t have a    10    (nation) holiday for Harvest Festival.

3 . Maria and Pablo lived in a tiny village in Mexico. Because Christmas time at their house did not include many gifts, Maria and Pablo _________ to the Christmas festivities at the village _________ with great joy.

To honor the birth of Christ(耶稣), the church _________ a beautiful manger(食槽) that drew crowds of admirers. Villagers walked miles to admire the manger, bringing lovely, _________ gifts for the Baby Jesus. As Maria and Pablo watched the villagers _________ their gifts in the soft hay(干草) around the manger, they felt _________. They had no money to buy _________ for their family and no money to buy one for the Baby Jesus.

On Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo _________ to the church for that evening's services, _________ wishing that they had a gift to bring. __________ then, a soft glowing light shone through the __________, and the shadowy outline of a/an __________ appeared above them.

Maria and Pablo were afraid, but the angel __________ them, telling them to pick some of the short green __________ that were growing by the road. They should __________ the plants to the church, the angel explained, and place them near the __________ as their gift to the Baby Jesus. Then just as __________ as she had appeared, the angel was gone, __________ Maria and Pablo on the road looking up into the dark sky. Confused but __________, the children filled their __________ with large bunches of the green weeds and hurried to the church.

Chinese Zodiac (生肖) Story

According to the legend, the Jade Emperor(ruler of heaven) would like to measure time by twelve different animals. He told animals that he would hold a great race on his birthday, the prize of     1     was twelve positions on the Chinese zodiac calendar.

The cat asked the rat to help it sign up,     2     the rat forgot its promise, so the cat wasn’t included. Thereafter, the cat and rat were     3    (enemy).

The ox was     4    (original) first, but he was so kind that he agreed     5    (carry) the little rat across the river. Just as they were about to reach     6     other side of the river, the rat jumped off the ox’s back and crossed the finish line     7    (one). So, the rat became the top of the zodiac animals, and the ox had been tricked into the second place.

The 12 animal signs of the Chinese zodiac     8    (divide) into 2 categories by Chinese philosophy—Yin and Yang Theory. Yin is receptive and feminine; while Yang is     9    (act) and masculine (阳性的). It’s believed that odd (奇数的) numbers belong to yang and even numbers belong to yin.

The yin or the yang of the animal is defined based on the number of     10    (they) toes. The 12 animals are arranged in an alternating yin-yang sequence.

Paper cutting is the art of paper designs. The art first appeared in the Han Dynasty in the fourth century. The     1     (old) surviving paper - cut is the one that was found in 1959 in Xinjiang, China,     2     (date) back to the sixth century. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, paper-cuts were used during festivals     3     (decorate) gates and windows.

By the eighth or ninth century paper cutting appeared in West Asia. However, it was not until the sixteenth century     4     the art reached Europe.

Although paper cutting is popular around the globe, only the Chinese paper cutting     5     (list) in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List (联合国教科文组织非物质文化遗产名录) in 2009. Paper cutting     6     (remain) popular in contemporary China, especially during special events like the Chinese New Year or weddings. Paper cutting has a number of uses in Chinese culture, almost all of     7     are for health, wealth. or decorative purposes. Red is the most     8     (common) used color. People find hope and comfort in expressing     9     (wish) with red paper-cuts. At a wedding ceremony, for example, red paper cuts are a traditional and required decoration on gates, walls and furniture.

Today, paper cutting has developed     10     a very popular folk art form, especially in the countryside.