Cheering, dancing and singing, local people and tourists gathered around the fire during the Torch Festival of the Yi People in Bijie, Guizhou, on Aug 12. The festival     1     (list) as a national intangible cultural heritage(非物质文化遗产) in 2011.

There are different stories about how the festival started. But     2     (probable) it was because of the natural worship(崇拜) of fire by the Yi people. Fire was important since their ancestors could use it to bring light as well as     3     (warm) and cook food. One Yi ethnic proverb says, “Everything you eat must’see’ fire.” This is due to     4     old practice. Before bringing meat into the home from the outside, a small fire must first be lit outside and the meat should be smoked on the fire. In farming, fire was used     5     (light) piles of branches and leaves,     6     were later buried in the ground.

The Yi people used to celebrate the harvest, as a way to pray for a good harvest and drive away evil from their homes and farmland. Today it has become a     7     (society) event where people come together to light torches and join in various     8     (activity) such as building bonfires, horse racing, wrestling, bullfighting and beauty contests. The festival also provides people     9     a chance to expand their circle of friends. Through the festival, the Yi people not only share their joy and thanks for their good life,     10     get more people to understand their lifestyle and traditions.

3 . Agnes Lloyd’s 70th birthday came, but the day went normally. Her husband _______ many years ago. She had not heard from her children for a long time, which was _______.

The last bell of the day rang. She picked up her _______ and walked towards her car planning to buy herself a chocolate dessert although her doctors don’t _______ it for her age. But who cares? It was her birthday, and she _______ it.

The thought made her smile as she _______ her car when a sudden “MRS. LLOYD!” _______ her. Agnes dropped her purse onto the ground. She looked around and was _______ by what she saw.

Her students were standing there carrying birthday signs. She hadn’t _______ they had prepared such a surprise for her. Her student Christian came over, picking up her purse, and ________ her to the rest as they all started singing Happy Birthday.

As the song continued, tears ________ in her eyes. As they finished the song, small pieces of coloured paper began flying all over the place ________. But that wasn’t the best part.

Some of the students parted and her three children stepped out holding a birthday cake with two ________ that formed the number 70. “Happy birthday. Mom!” They exclaimed together, and that’s when Agnes lost her ________ for the first time.

Don’t forget your parents, ________ your life gets busy. We need to act and remind them that they are loved.

6 . When the leaves begin to change colors,it means one thing for many travelers：Fall festival season is here.If you’re interested in visiting a fall festival in America,here are some of the country’s best fall festivals for you to choose from.

Wellileet Oysterfest is a two-day event held in Wellfleet,Mass.The meeting on Cape Cod is one that the locals look forward to all year long.Feed on oysters(牡蛎）and other seafood，while you watch the fastest oyster-eaters in the world compete in the famous Oyster Shuck-Off,a competition for taking the outer covering of oysters.The competition is taken very seriously.

It takes place in Portland,Maine.The festival celebrates all that is best about Maine’s food and wine.This celebration is held every October,and includes the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year Competition and Savory Samplings at the Marketplace.The latter allows travelers to taste the best local food that Maine has to offer at Casco Bay.

If you’re looking for a fall festival that includes hay sculptures(干草雕塑)，take part in the yearly Killington Hay Festival.When you begin to see the giant hay sculptures,you’ll know you’ve arrived.Past sculptures have changed from a 20-foot-tall kangaroo to a family of penguins.

7 . There are hundreds of types of birthday cake in the world. You are likely to enjoy one during at least one of your birthday parties. But have you ever stopped and wondered, “Why am I eating this? What makes this dessert fit to celebrate the day of my birth?”

It’s because you are as important and beloved as the gods.

The ancient Egyptians are thought to have “invented” the celebration of birthdays. They believed when pharaohs (法老) were crowned, they became gods, so their coronation (加冕) day was their “birth” as a god.

Ancient Greeks borrowed the tradition, but realized that a dessert would make the celebration more meaningful. So they baked moon-shaped cakes to offer up to the goddess of the moon. They decorated them with lighted candles to make the cakes shine like the moon. It is the reason why we light our birthday cakes on fire.

Modern birthday parties are said to get their roots from an 18th century German celebration. On the morning of a child’s birthday, he or she would receive a cake with lighted candles that added up to the kid’s age, plus one. This extra candle was called the “light of life,” representing the hope of another full year lived.

And then, torture — because no one could eat the cake until after dinner. The family replaced the candles as they burned out throughout the day. Finally, when the moment came, the birthday child would make a wish, try to blow out all the candles in one breath, and dig in.

Since the ingredients (原料) to make cakes were pretty expensive, this birthday custom didn’t become popular until the Industrial Revolution. More ingredients were available, which made them cheaper, and bakeries even started selling pre-baked cakes.

Although the Obamas and Prince Harry have a famously close relationship, the former first couple might not be invited to the upcoming royal wedding -- and if they don't, Donald Trump will likely be     1    (blame).

Government officials in the U.K. are reportedly encouraging Harry not to invite the Obamas for fear     2     offending current president Donald Trump (who is unlikely     3    (receive) an invitation of his own).

It remains     4    (see) whether Harry and Meghan Markle will take the advice of government officials, however.

According to The Sun, the couple have made     5     clear that they would like to invite the Obamas to their wedding on May 19.

While Trump was     6    (original) scheduled to make an official state visit to the United Kingdom in 2017, the trip was postponed until July of 2018 and has since been downgraded to a "working trip," during     7     Trump will not meet the Queen.

Of course,    8    (be) the president of the United States is no guarantee of a royal wedding     9     (invite).

In 2011, Obama didn't receive any card to William and Kate's wedding, (which was considered a state event, while Harry and Meghan's wedding will not be) , even     10     he was the sitting president at the time.

9 . The killdeer, a small bird known for its high-pitched(声调高的)call, could lead to the cancellation(取消) of one of Canada’ biggest music festivals.

The first hint of trouble for Ottawa’s Bluesfest, an outdoor festival that draws around 300,000 people each year, came last week after workers at the site found one of the birds.It had laid four eggs nearby, effectively claiming the main stage area as its nesting ground.“This is one of the most challenging problems we’ve been presented with, but we feel we can work through this,” said Mark Monahan, executive director of the festival.“Anything that changes the schedule has a major effect, so we’re taking it very seriously.”

The discovery meant that government officials rushed to protect the nest and the eggs, hiring a security guard to watch over them 24 hours a day.

Environmentalists were also brought in.“We don’t know when the eggs might hatch,” said Monahan. What is known is that the young killdeer will likely leave the nest soon after they are hatched, leading many to hope that the eggs hatch in the next day or so.

The festival is now seeking permission from Environment Canada to relocate(搬迁)the nest some 50 meters away or take it to a wildlife center.Moving the nest would also ensure the bird and its young would be protected during the festival’s 11-day run, said Monahan. It’s highly likely that the festival’s thousands of attendees would cause huge problems for the bird and its eggs.Monahan was confident that the festival would go on as planned, however.“Most of the people we’re working with are looking for a positive solution,” Monahan said.“There is no one saying that the festival can’t go on.”

As news of the dilemma spread, it left residents divided. Some supported the bird, saying that moving the nest might result in the eggs being abandoned.Others expressed annoyance that protecting the eggs of the small bird, which is widespread across North America, was risking an annual festival that contributes millions of dollars to the local economy.

The killdeer’s tendency to build its nest in open fields or flat areas has caused issues in other areas of the US: earlier this year, construction of a health center in Wisconsin was temporarily stopped after a killdeer and its four eggs were discovered.