We all know the Olympic Games.     1     do you know the Mud Olympic Games which are sports games in the mud?

Every year, about 400 people from all over Europe meet in a small town in northern Germany     2    (take) part in the Mud Olympics — the     3    (muddy) sports meeting in the world. It is held     4     the beach when the tide (潮水) is out, so it is very muddy. The sports meeting     5    (have) many traditional sports like football, volleyball and bicycle races, as well as some special and new activities     6    (do) in the mud. It raises money for a local charity.

The ads for the sports meeting are     7    (extreme) interesting. One of the     8    (advertisement) says, “If you want to play, just put on the clothes that you don’t mind     9    (get) covered in mud and join us!” Viewers are more than welcome. So if you don’t care about the mud     10     can get you dirty, come and enjoy yourself!

3 . Working or learning in a foreign country can be a difficult experience, both professionally and personally, due to the cultural shock.

The hardest part of working abroad isn’t to find a place to stay or learn the language but to overcome the cultural shock. The anthropologist (人类学家) Kalvero Oberg first put forward the term “culture shock”. He reported that it was caused by the “anxiety” that results from losing all our familiar signs and symbols of communication while living and working in another culture.

These things are part of daily life, and include gestures, facial expressions and customs. When we enter a new culture, these signs are usually so different that they’re no longer comprehensible (可理解的) to us. “When an individual enters a strange culture”, wrote Oberg, “all or most of these familiar signs are eliminated. He or she is like a fish out of water, however broad-minded he or she may be.”

This is what happened to Lara, a young IT consultant from America who began to work in southern Europe last year. Three weeks after arriving in Europe, she sent a desperate e-mail begging to return home. “The people are so rude,” she wrote. “They eat at strange hours and I’m starting to feel appetizing to local food. I can’t get anything done because their way of doing business is so efficient. I just want to be home.”

What Lara and other IT consultants meet on their work abroad is a culture shock. While we can’t prevent it from happening, we can still take steps to weaken its effects.

4 . The Lantern Festival, a traditional Chinese festival, is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month. And it falls on Tuesday this year.    1    The day leads to the first full moon night of the year, and is also the night when the earth returns to spring.

It was also a romantic festival in ancient China, providing an opportunity for unmarried men and women to meet.    2    But during the Lantern Festival, it is a tradition that all people? including those young women，come out for lantern shows. People hang lanterns everywhere, in their house or in the streets, which depict various characters, like flying birds, leaping fishes, and shining fireworks, showing an atmosphere of joy.    3    .

Another activity，guessing the answers to lantern riddles，gave young people a chance to interact with each other and know more about each other. For thousands of years, there have been numerous love stories originating during the Lantern Festival.

Besides watching lanterns and guessing the answers to lantern riddles，there are many other traditions for the festival.

1. Dragon lantern dance

    4    At the festival, people perform dragon lantern dances and look forward to this year’s good weather and peace.

2. Lion Dances

It is similar to the dragon lantern dance，delivering good wishes and good luck.

3. Eating yuanxiao

Eating yuanxiao on Lantern Festival is another tradition.    5    The stuffing includes bean paste, sugar，hawthorn various kinds of fruit and so on. It can be boiled, fried or steamed   to eat.

9 . Specialists(专家) say that it is not easy to get used to life in a new culture. “Culture shock(文化冲击)” is the _______ these specialists use when talking about the _______ that people have in a _______ environment. “There are three stages of culture shock”, say the specialists. In the first stage, the new comers like their new environment. Then, when the _______ experience dies, they begin to _______ the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the new comers begin to adapt to their surroundings and, as a result, enjoy their life _______ .

There are some obvious factors in culture shock. The weather may be unpleasant. The _______ may be different. The public service systems—the telephone, the post office, or the transportation—may be difficult to _______. The most simple things seem to be big problems. The language may be _______ .

Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. ________ culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who ________ had any difficulties in their home countries and were ________ in their community(集体). Coming to a new ________ these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find ________ without a role, almost without an identity(身份). They have to ________ a new self-image.

Culture shock gives rise to a feeling of disorientation(迷失方向). This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying ________ all the time. They want to ________ themselves from the strange environment, and create an escape inside their room for a(n) ________ of safety. This escape does ________ the problem of culture shock in the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and ________ experience—these are the long-term solutions to the problem of culture shock.

10 . Music festivals in Europe

Visiting a festival abroad can be a great reason to travel and a way to experience different cultures. These days there is such a number of choices that it’s possible to spend the whole summer watching live music in exciting places. Of course, it’s also a chance to meet people from across the world.

Melt! Festival, Germany

This festival takes place on the site of an open air museum for industrial machinery. There’s also a lake which can be used for swimming when it’s hot. This year’s line-up has over 120 different bands (乐队). Around 90% of the people attending the festival are German providing a perfect chance to practise speaking the language.

Exit Festival, Serbia

Set on the banks of the Danube in an old fortress (城堡), the festival began as a way to show people’s dissatisfaction with the government. These days it’s less political (政治的) but still worries about people who are poor, ill, old, etc and tries to help them. This year’s festival will host many famous bands. From electronic music and dance music to hard rock, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Open’er Festival, Poland

Held in an airfield near the northern city of Gdansk, each year Open’er has a seriously good selection of bands. This year is no exception, with many famous bands set to play. Not only are there amazing artists, but both Poland and the festival itself also provide very excellent value for money.

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Scotland

Set on a Scottish estate (庄园) near Inverness, this year Belladrum will welcome artists from around the world. The most enjoyable part of the weekend is the ceilidh (traditional Scottish dance and party) which is always a lively event. It doesn’t even matter if you’re a beginner because the band teaches you each dance.