3 . When you put down your pens at the end of college entrance exam, 12 hard years of study will have come to an end. Forget your studies for a while. It’s time to enjoy yourselves!

There are many ways to celebrate this special month of graduation. You can have photos taken with your classmates and teachers, or dine out together and exchange gifts.

High school students in western countries such as the United States and Canada usually have a party to mark their graduation. It is to mark the time when kids turn into young men and women. After the party, teenagers either go to college or find a job. It means they will no longer depend on their parents as before.

At the party, boys usually dress in dinner jackets and bow ties, though many different types of formal clothes are worn. Girls traditionally wear formal dresses, or dress to shock or be noticed, in shiny or brightly colored materials.

Common party activities include dining, dancing, crowning of a ball king and queen, and just talking to friends. In some cases, high school students collect funds for their class party through the four years of their high school.

High schools in or near large cities may rent big rooms at expensive hotels or, to be unusual, on a pleasure boat. But often costs are cut by simply using the school gym. Students make a lot of efforts to decorate the gym to make the event special. The music played at the party will be the most popular kinds, like rock and hip-hop.

Sometimes teachers and parents also go to the party. But others like to go with friends, to whom they are soon going to say good-bye.

If you like the idea of a party, why don’t you and your classmates organize one for your graduation?

4 . Tell a Joke Day

On August 16, make everyone around you laugh by telling them a joke because it is Tell a Joke Day.     1     Yet we can all safely believe that the creator of this unofficial holiday was aiming to make the world a happier place by encouraging people to tell and listen to jokes.

    2     They can be verbal like in the case of a whole story or in the form of a question and answer, where the answer provides the humor. Jokes can also be physical such as in the case of a practical joke, where the act rather than the words provides the humor.     3    

Jokes have been an integral (不可分割的）part of human history and a great many minds have spent time and energy trying to understand what makes jokes funny.

The day is known in the US as National Tell a Joke Day.     4     Every time you meet someone on this day, tell them a joke. Just make sure the jokes are proper to the setting.       5     Watch your favorite comedians do their thing either on TV or on stage and enjoy a few hours of humorous entertainment. Fancy yourself as a comedian. Play a harmless trick on your co-worker or friend.

5 . Meaningful ways to celebrate the New Year

It's been said that the New Year sets the intention for the entire year to come. Here are some meaningful ideas for celebrating this New Year.

Write a letter to yourself.     1     In it, you can list things like what your biggest dreams are right now, the things we are most afraid of, the most impressive emotions you experience on a daily basis, the things that are flowing in your life and things that feel stuck, how you feel in your body and how you hope you will feel as you read the letter in one year.

Release a floating lantern. In many cultures, it's considered good luck to release a lantern into the sky.     2     With a few simple tools you can make your own lantern, and can even write on the outside some of the old patterns you are ready to release from your life.

    3     Alone time is unbelievably important for processing, reflecting and connecting with yourself. And if you cannot decide what celebration feels right for you this New Year's Eve, you may simply enjoy your own company. Have a solo dance party, order favorite carry-out, do an at-home yoga practice or meditation（冥想） and take a candlelit bubble bath. Give yourself the gift of quality time, and find enjoyment and ease in the company you keep, even in the empty moments.     4    

List the things you are grateful for. There's no truer way to find delight in this very moment than to count your blessings. As you look back on an entire year, you're sure to discover a treasure of miracles just waiting to be illuminated（照亮）and treasured. So take some time to come up with your own gratitude list for 2020.     5    

6 . For the first time, a woman captain led Britain’s Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Canadian officer Megan Couto made history on June 26 by commanding the troops guarding Queen Elizabeth's London home. Couto, 24, led her Canadian unit in the ceremony, which is witnessed by thousands of visitors to London each year. Her unit is the Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry （步兵），also known as The Patricia's".

The British Army said Couto was the first ever female infantry officer to lead the ceremony. “We look forward to seeing a British Army female infantry captain of the queen's guard when roles are opened up to women by the end of next year,“ a statement read.

Women were barred from serving in the British infantry and other fighting roles until the military changed the rule last year.

Canadian Captain Megan Couto made history by becoming the first female Captain of the Queen's Guard as she took part in the Changing the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London, Monday, June 26. The Canadian unit was invited to Britain to mark Canada's upcoming 150th anniversary. Canada Day is celebrated on July 1.

Canada was established on July 1, 1867, when Britain approved the British North America Act. The act established the Canadian Confederation out of three British colonies(殖民地). Canada, along with several other nations, still belongs to the British Commonwealth(英联邦). Queen Elizabeth still serves as the country's official head of state.

Many celebrations will be held throughout Canada to mark the country's 150th birthday. Among the activities will be parades, musical and cultural performances and fireworks. Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are to spend three days visiting Canada to mark the anniversary. In Britain, people plan to gather in London's Trafalgar Square to take part in a celebration for Canada Day. The event will feature musical performances, Canadian food, sports and other activities. It is predicted that there will be thousands of foreign visitors coming to enjoy the event.

A．Delicious food on Canada Day.	B．Celebrations to be held in Canada.
C．Foreign visitors to enjoy the event.	D．Activities to be held for Canada Day.

Pumpkin (南瓜) carving at Halloween is a family tradition. We visit a local farm every October. In the pumpkin field, I compete with my three brothers and sister to seek out the biggest pumpkin. My dad has a rule that we have to carry our pumpkins back home, and as the eldest child I have an advantage-I carried an 85-pounder back last year.

This year, it was hard to tell whether my prize or the one chosen by my 14-year-old brother, Jason, was the winner. Unfortunately we forgot to weigh them before taking out their insides, but I was determined to prove my point. All of us were hard at work at the kitchen table, with my mom filming the annual event. I’m unsure now why I thought forcing my head inside the pumpkin would settle the matter, but it seemed to make perfect sense at the time.

With the pumpkin resting on the table, hole uppermost, I bent over and pressed my head against the opening. At first I got jammed just above my eyes and then, as I went on with my task, unwilling to quit, my nose briefly prevented entry. Finally I managed to put my whole head into it, like a cork (软木塞) forced into a bottle. I was able to straighten up with the huge pumpkin resting on my shoulders.

My excitement was short-lived. The pumpkin was heavy. “I’m going to set it down, now,” I said, and with Jason helping to support its weight, I bent back over the table to give it somewhere to rest. It was only when I tried to remove my head that I realized getting out was going to be less straightforward than getting in. When I pulled hard, my nose got in the way. I got into a panic as I pressed firmly against the table and moved my head around trying to find the right angle, but it was no use. “I can’t get it out!” I shouted, my voice sounding unnaturally loud in the enclosed space.

It was five or six minutes though it felt much longer.

The video was posted the Monday before Halloween.

8 . Imagine that while walking through a park one day, you begin to notice strange things all around you. People in colorful clothes from centuries ago walk on the paths. A magician is doing amazing tricks. Musicians play strange music on strange instruments. Knights on horseback show their skills in riding competitions. The smell of roasting meat begins to make your mouth water. A pleasant voice shouts, “Good morrow!”

What is going on? Have you traveled back in time?   In a way, yes. You have found yourself in the midst of a Renaissance fair(文艺复兴节）！Since the 1960s, Renaissance fairs have grown in popularity in the US and Canada. Communities in at least 44 states and two Canadian provinces now hold annual Renaissance fairs. Over 200 fairs are held every year, with 40 in California alone. The first Renaissance fair was started in the 1960s by a school teacher in Southern California named Phyllis Patterson. She wanted to give her students a real-life history experience, so she created the “Renaissance Fair” in her backyard. The rest, as they say, is history.

Since Renaissance fairs are “living history”, you might think they are designed to be mainly educational. It’s true that some people try to make the fairs as genuine as possible. However, for many others, the key word is entertainment. With all the musicians and magicians walking about, you will definitely be entertained. A renaissance fair will be a feast for your eyes and your ears, not to mention your stomach.

You can enjoy sampling the food and drink while watching parades and live animal displays. Browse through the booths(摊位) and admire the artwork and handcrafts. You are sure to be both educated and entertained. If you’re wondering how to dress to attend a Renaissance fair, that’s up to you. Some people go all out and dress up in costumes. Others just go in their normal, everyday clothes. However you dress, you’re sure to be overwhelmed by the sights and sounds and smells of a Renaissance fair. And if you have ever wanted to travel back in time, here’s your chance.

9 . In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.

It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness, Richard Burton, Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras(交响乐团). It became a fixed event every August and now attracts 400,000 people yearly.

At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival. Eight uninvited theatre groups turned up in 1947, in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house no longer used for years.

Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known playwrights(剧作家) in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.

Today the “Fringe”, once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959, with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was getting too big.

A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing(给……提供场地) 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1.25 million tickets were sold.

Over 40 countries around the world celebrate Mother’s Day. It is a time     1     children show their love and respect to their mothers and thank their mothers for giving birth to them and providing them with the     2     (good) care.

In New Zealand, Mother’s Day     3     (celebrate) on the second Sunday in May. And as     4     idea of celebrating Mother’s Day in New Zealand comes from the USA, the way of celebrating Mother’s Day in New Zealand is much the same as     5     in the USA.

On Mother’s Day, people in New Zealand thank their mothers for their     6     (devote) to their kids. The festival of Mother’s Day has become a big day in New Zealand. People celebrate the day by going out for a picnic or eating together. Markets are     7     (crowd) with people coming to buy presents for their mothers. Many people would buy flowers and cards for their mothers.

People also thank their mothers by serving them with breakfast and     8     (make) special cakes for them. Some people also would like to make their mothers have a day’s rest from the     9     (end) housework, and treat     10     (they) to a big dinner.