A special birthday party     1     (hold) on Wednesday at Chongqing Zoo for twin giant pandas Xiong Xiaokai and Mao Xiaoyu, who both turned two years old. The party invited their roommates, another twin panda brothers Xingxing and Chenchen, as special guests. The event also attracted crowds of over a thousand     2     (join) the birthday celebration. At 8 am on Wednesday, four pandas enjoyed the birthday cake     3     (make) from bamboo shoots and grapes by the keepers in their outdoor enclosure(围场).

4 . Festivals are a part of our culture. We have grown up around them and have embraced them as a part of our lives.     1     Festivals to them mean decorations, sweets, gifts, games and lots of other celebrations. However, there are a lot of things that children can learn from celebrating festivals.

Festivals are celebrated with people.     2     This teaches children the importance of community and the joys of working together. When kids take part in preparations for a festival, they make a place for themselves in this community of people.

Festivals also mean that the entire family can be together and celebrate something they believe in. Kids and parents find time to help each other to decorate their house, prepare delicacies, make gifts, etc.     3     Kids are also able to spend time and bond with their grandparents, cousins, and other relatives.

Festivals also mean gift-giving and sharing. The exchange of gifts teaches children to share joys during festivals     4     Children learn to share and care for others who may not be able to celebrate festivals without their help. This teaches them the importance of generosity and humbleness. They also learn to be thankful for what they have and receive.

    5     A child can be taught more about their culture and their country during festival s and celebrations. This teaches them about their roots in the world and makes them proud of their country and culture. It is during festivals when stories of the past come forward to teach children about the past and help them understand the importance of celebration through generations.

6 . Family days out can be expensive but it’s possible to stick to a budget during the summer holidays by taking advantage of the following activities.

Outdoor activities

At Brimham Rocks, there is a one-hour rock explorer activity on 14 July. The activity is free, although car-parking charges apply for non-National Trust members.

While getting out into nature has lots of benefits, sometimes you need an extra activity to keep things interesting. For example, the Woodland Trust is hosting a tree planting event at Yonder Oak Wood, near Exmouth in Devon. There are morning and afternoon sessions on 18 and 19 July. It is free to attend but online booking ahead of time is essential.

Rainham Marshes, the RSPB nature reserve in Purfleet, Essex, is running an arts programme for children aged three to ten on 14 July. You can sign up online and tickets cost £3. It is also hosting pond-dipping activities on 15 July (up to £5.50).

Arts, crafts and museums

For Londoners or those visiting the capital during the holiday, the Southbank Centre is hosting the Imagine Children’s Festival (until 18 July), where many events are free, including hip-hop dance workshops, and live music shows. The Tate Modern is hosting Threads, a free family event running from 11—19 July where you work together to create your own artwork using colorful threads and textiles.

The Royal Air Force Museum London (free entry) in Hendon has a range of free activities on offer over the same dates, including a robot-coding workshop, a radar maths challenge and tote bag making. And the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington is running free Chinese themed events including a drop-in workshop for families where you make a traditional Chinese kite (15—17 July).

This year, the 13th Spring Festival Joint Exhibition of Chinese Books,     1     theme was “Reading China”, was held on January 24th in 85 bookstores worldwide. It     2    (carry) out a variety of activities such as book exhibitions and cultural performances. Books displayed in the exhibition were philosophical and artistic, which closely met the needs of overseas readers. Overall, this year’s book exhibition presented the newest and     3    (fine) Chinese publications to local readers so that they could better understand China in the new era.

10 . I opened my eyes and started to stretch, wishing it was just a dream, but of course it wasn’t! I was extremely tired from staying up late the night before because I was so anxious for the big day. I dragged myself out of my bed to do my normal routine. As I was brushing my teeth, I looked up at the mirror and it hit me that I was about to graduate from high school. This was the first time that I’d been so happy and extremely sad at the same time and the only thing running through my mind was that this was really happening.

All I had was English that day because my other teachers let us have a free day to catch up on late homework or just hang out with our friends. After suffering through eight hours of boring classes, it was time to get ready for graduation night. As my friends and I were getting our caps and gowns on, my favorite teacher Ms. Sue walked up and said to me, “Congratulations to you, Lily!” She gave me a special book. I looked down at it and it said, “The places you’ll go!” I read it right before I headed up to gym for practice.

I never knew a book could give me such inspiration. I just kept on thinking to myself that this was finally it! I was so happy that it was time to move on to a new chapter in my life. As everyone was taking their seats, I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles, I was so nervous. Once and for all it was time they called out my name. I started walking up those stairs and it felt like the whole entire world was behind me. All I could see was a beautiful future ahead. This opened up many possibilities for me, like going to college, moving out on my own, and paying bills. I’ve never felt so proud of myself and the person I’ve become. This experience has made me become a better person.