The 2022 Shanghai Book Fair took place at the Shanghai Exhibition Center from Nov 18 to 22,     1     some 120 publishers presented more than 20,000 books and about 100 reading activities were held online and on-site.

The book fair has taken place     2     (annual) since its launch in 2004, except for 2021, when the event was canceled because of COVID-19.

The festival was delayed     3     three months this year due to the ongoing pandemic.

“People tell me that every year when the Shanghai Book Fair opens, they feel as if they are hearing alarm clocks ringing,     4     (remind) them about the importance and     5     (benefit) of reading,” says Xu Jiong, head of the municipal bureau for press and publication. “Reading has taken many new forms today,     6     even so, every August people in Shanghai still look forward to the book fair.”

    7     annual celebration of reading has become the city’s most anticipated event for publishers and readers alike. Since the pandemic, many events     8     (hold) online, but face-to-face     9     (communicate) has nevertheless been irreplaceable, Xu adds.

Kan Ninghui, president of the Shanghai Century Publishing Group, says although this year’s book fair was     10     (small) in scale than usual, the event’s core value—promoting good books and quality publication—remained uncompromised.

4 . Everyone celebrates his birthdays in different ways. A birthday is _________ to be a happy day. However, this year, it seemed like everybody had forgotten about mine.

When I _________ up in the morning, nobody came to wish me a happy birthday. In the kitchen, there was no special breakfast _________ for me. Not even a simple _________ or present was in sight. My parents did not seem to realize that I was _________ at being forgotten. My mother even sent me out to buy some vegetables for her.

I was _________ it all the way to the supermarket and back. As I opened the door, however, people jumped out from behind the furniture and yelled. “Surprise! Happy birthday!”

My whole family was there, including my grandparents and all my friends! The _________ dining table was now _________ with plates of fried chicken wings, meatballs, colourful jellies and fruit, and there was a pile of presents on one end of it. My mother carried out a large chocolate cake with ten candles on it, and everybody began to sing. I was excited and tried hard to hold my _________.

When the singing was over, I __________ out the candles with all my strength. My mother took the cake __________ to cut up and everybody came forward to give me their gifts. Then, we __________ the delicious snacks and fruit together. When most of the food was __________, my mother pulled out a large package that she had prepared for our games. We played a game named “Pass the Parcel” and my cousin, Alex, won (an) __________ toy. Then we played other games, which __________ with all of us laughing. After that, we went into the garden to play __________ activities.

By the time everybody left. I was absolutely exhausted. However, I couldn’t stop __________ from ear to ear. As I went to bed, I thought about how __________ it was to have such a birthday. That was one of the most __________ birthdays I ever had. That night, I fell asleep __________ not only by all my birthday presents but also love from my family and friends.