If you live in northeastern China, you expect long, cold winters. People     1    (live) in Harbin don’t just stand the cold, however; they welcome     2    . The city is home to the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival,     3     is considered one of the largest ice festivals in the world. Even with temperatures usually close to -30℃, people head for city parks     4    (see) ice sculptures.

The festival includes several thousand ice sculptures, some of which are the recreations of castles, historic landmarks and famous people.     5     (visitor) can climb ice stairways and go down the slides. They can also take part     6     sporting events, including skating, ice football as well as ice swimming.

The city started its icy event in 1963 with the Ice Lantern Garden Party，a     7    (celebrate) of the tradition of creating lanterns out of blocks of ice. The larger festival began in 1985 and added sculptures. The sculptures     8    (grow) in number and size over the years. As it has gotten     9    (big), the festival has become popular outside the city.

    10    (official), the festival starts on January 5th and lasts over one month.

Of all the traditional festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every culture. This important     1     festival takes place after all the crops have been     2     in. People celebrate to show that they are     3     for the year’s supply of food. In ancient Egypt, the harvest festival was celebrated during the springtime—the Egyptian harvest     4    . Today, in some European counties, people     5     churches and town balls with flowers and fruit and get together to celebrate over a meal.

The winter holiday is coming, which made me excited. I have been looking forward to relax myself. I'd like to go skating, climb mountains and see several movie. I think I can play the basketball with my classmates. How a wonderful time I'll have during the holiday! However, my parents think different. They don't want me go out. They are afraid I'll be knocked down by a truck, fallen off a tree, or fight with others. Beside, they are afraid I will lose my way. I hate living like a bird in a cage. To getting more freedom, I will try to persuade them.

7 . A birthday is always a special celebration. It’s important to enjoy yourself because it’s the day out of the year that belongs to you.     1    .

Plan a get-together

    2    . On your birthday, it’s important to spend time with those who will put a smile on your face. If you don’t have time to send out invitations, casually invite your guests over the phone at least a week in advance. Make sure they understand that it’s not a big formal dinner, but rather a casual get-together.     3    . And you would love them to spend time with you on your birthday. If you aren’t in the mood to cook a big dinner, make reservations at your favorite restaurant.

    4    

Day trips are a wonderful birthday activity for those with a busy lifestyle. A week before the date, look into places around you that you’ve always wanted to visit. It may be a city, a rural countryside or a mountain resort. Regardless, it should be a place where you can relax and get away from your busy lifestyle. You can invite a few friends along, or just take the trip yourself.

Spoil yourself

On your birthday, it’s perfectly understandable to be a little selfish. Treating yourself on your birthday is the best gift you can give yourself after being financially responsible all year long.     5    . Do little things that you never think to do for yourself when you’re busy running around. We all deserve a little pat on the back once in a while for our efforts, and birthdays are the perfect time to do it.

2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

It was March 8th, Women’s Day. I decided to do something for my mom and give her a surprise.

Immediately after school, I went to the supermarket, when I bought plenty of vegetables, fish and meat. As soon as I arrived home, I started to prepare the dinner for Mom. It was the first time that I had cooked something on my own. Not knowing the exactly process to cook. I read some recipes first. Keep what I had learned in mind, I got down with cooking. Almost an hour later, three simple but delicious dishes were ready on the table.

Since Mom couldn’t get home until thirty minutes later, I started to do some cleaning. It was not difficult for me. Mopping thoroughly, the floor was quite clean.

No sooner had everything been ready Mom came back. I couldn’t wait to show what I had been done for her. A big smile with both surprise and satisfy spread on Mom’s face when she found the hearty(丰盛的) dinner and the tidy room. At that moment, pride rose from a bottom of my heart. Although she fell a little tired, everything was worthwhile.

9 . I was six years old. It was Halloween. The school was having its annual Halloween parade (游行) to _______ it. All the kids would march a few _______ through the neighborhood.

“Just buy him a costume,” my father said. “ It doesn’t cost much.”

But no, my mother decided, _______ it was my first parade, she would _______ me a costume: the mummy (木乃伊), my favorite scary character.

She _______ white rags (布片) and old towels and wound them _______ me, holding them in place with safety pins. Then she arranged the rags with toilet paper and tape. It took a long time, but I was still _______ enough to see the result. When she finished, I could _______ wait to look in the _______. I was a mummy! I moved back and forth in front of it ________.

“Oh, you’re very scary.” my mother said.

She drove me to school. We started our parade. The more I walked, the ________ the rags got. Then, about two blocks out, it began to ________. The next thing I knew was that the toilet paper was beginning to dissolve (溶解). ________, the rags became even looser and fell to my ankles, wrists, and neck and you could see my undershirt and under pants, which made me extremely ________.

“Look at Charley!” the other kids screamed. They were ________. I was burning red. I wanted to escape, but where did you go in the middle of a parade?

When we ________ reached the schoolyard, I was all wet, with a mess of rags and toilet paper pieces. The parents were waiting there with ________, starting to take photos of us. I saw my mother first. As she spotted me, she ________ her hand to her mouth. I burst into ________.

“You ________ my life!” I cried.