1 . Many cultures follow different calendars and celebrate the New Year at different times. The Lunar New Year is one example. No matter_________you celebrate, there are many traditions around the world for_________in the New Year. Here is a look at a few of them:

Chasing away bad luck

Many cultures have traditions meant to scare off demons (恶魔) and bad luck. This often involves using fire or loud noises — or both — often in the_________of fireworks! But there are other ways people do it, too. In Scotland, for example, people hold bonfire celebrations. And men from villages walk through the streets swinging giant blazing (炽热的) fireballs over their heads. These fireballs_________the sun and they are supposed to clean the_________year.

Of course, some traditions meant to avoid bad luck do not_________fire at all. For example, just before the New Year, people in Denmark find the highest surface they can and jump from it as the New Year starts. This ritual symbolizes that they_________the bad spirits and bad luck of the previous and enter a New Year full of_________and new beginnings.

Food for good luck

Many_________have certain foods that are said to bring good luck.

In the southern part of the United States, people often eat black-eyed peas and pork for good luck in the New Year. In other parts of the US, people eat sauerkraut with pork sausage on New Year’s Day.

In Spain and some other countries, as the clock__________midnight, people eat 12 grapes. These 12 grapes__________the 12 months of the year. And eating them all in the first 12 seconds of the New Year__________that the year will be filled with good luck.

In the Philippines, many people eat and display 12 round fruits to bring them a__________year.

And in Japan, people eat soba noodles on New Year’s Eve. While they eat they try not to__________the long noodles — which represent__________.

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.

4 . Pumpkin carving at Halloween is a family tradition. We visit a local farm every October. In the pumpkin field, I ________ with my three brothers and sister to seek out the biggest pumpkin. My dad has a ________ 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. ________ , we forgot to weigh them before taking out their insides, but I was determined to prove my ________ . All of us were hard at work at the kitchen table, with my mom filming the ________ event. I’m still unsure now why I forced my head inside the pumpkin, but it seemed to make perfect sense at the time. With the pumpkin resting on the table, hole uppermost, I bent over and ________ 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 ________ prevented entry. Finally I managed to put my whole head into it, like a cork forced into a bottle. To my surprise, I was able to straighten up with the huge pumpkin resting on my shoulders. ________ , my excitement was short-lived. The pumpkin was too heavy for me to carry on for a long time. With Jason helping to ________ its weight, I bent back over the table to give it somewhere to rest, but in vain. When I pulled ________ , my nose got in the way. I got into a ________ as I pressed firmly against the table and moved my head around trying to find the right angle, but it was ________ . “I can’t get it out!” I shouted, my voice sounding unnaturally loud in the ________ space.

Eventually, Dad ________ to break the pumpkin with a knife; meanwhile, I realized the camera had been rolling the whole time! My family had an ________ moment that we would always treasure, and my father broke the rule, announcing that both my brother and I were winners!

7 . Yesterday was Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, my mother was not among the many happy mothers, as I couldn’t visit her this year. I made a ___on the phone that I would go to see her as soon as possible.

My mother always says that kids don’t need to ___a national day to say they love their mums. However, I remember one year I ___calling her on that very day, and the next morning she rang up to complain about it.

If you ___Thailand, you could hear the sentimental(伤感的) songs about mothers’ greatest love playing in ___places a week before the holiday. Schools, especially, are places that take this day very ___. Back in my teenage years, I ___there was once a Mother’s Day singing ___and my friend represented the school. She was so emotional while singing the famous song on Mother’s Day ___Kah Nam Nom that she almost didn’t finish the song.

However, her deep connection to the song helped her to ____third prize. After the contest, I asked her why she was so emotional ____the song. She told me that while she was singing, suddenly she had the ____that one day her mother would no longer be with her and every word in the song became ____. Every time I hear this song, it’s not my mother who ____to my mind but a ____of my friend crying with a microphone in her hand. The image ____vivid today.

Last week, a colleague ____an experience with me — every year on Mother’s Day, she has to attend a ____ceremony at her daughter’s school. Every year the teachers invite ____to the school for a big gathering in which students pay ____with flower garlands(花环). She said that the event was filled with the sobbing sounds mixed with Mother’s Day anthems.

8 . Kelly and Steve were excited. They were on holiday with their family in a fantastic place—Rio in Brazil. The hotel was wonderful and it was near the beach！It was carnival time and that night there was a big________in the street. Everyone had wonderful clothes________different colours. Kelly and Steve wanted to go to the party, ________they went to a shop and bought some carnival clothes.

When they________at the hotel, they saw a tall, elegant woman who was dressed in black. She was________diamonds on her fingers, shoes, clothes and in her hair. They________from the manager she was Diana Diamond—the famous film star and the diamonds________thousands of pounds!

At eight o'clock Kelly and Steve were well________for the party and went to the________with their parents to have dinner. Suddenly they heard someone________.

"Oh! My diamonds—they are________!" Diana Diamond ran into the room and________.

Kelly and Steve went out of the hotel. They saw a man in a black cat costume running away with the________. In the street there were thousands of people wearing________costumes. It was________to see him because of the party in the street.

"There he is!" shouted Steve. "He's going towards the mountain!"

The black cat_______faster and faster but suddenly he stopped and fell to the ground. Kelly and Steve sat on the________and he couldn't move. The police arrived and took him away to________. Kelly and Steve took the diamonds back to the hotel and gave them back to Diana Diamond. To show her________, Diana Diamond invited them to come to her extra special carnival party on the roof of the hotel and it was the best carnival party________!

9 . Looking overwhelmed(淹没) by the attention, Rubi Ibarra celebrated her 15th birthday on a big farm in central Mexico. The ______ to the event by her father ______ rapidly and made her a star in her country.

Family members had to open a path for the girl through dozens of ______ and photographers so she could reach the Mass(弥撒) for her on a farm in the state of San Luis Potosi. A large board______”Welcome to my 15th birthday party” with Ruby’s picture towered over the tents and tables ______ with food.

Thousands of people ______ from across Mexico for the celebration. Ruby’s party ______ national and international fame after a local event photographer posted on his Facebook page a video of the girl’s father ______ a birthday party complete with food, horse races and local bands. In the video, Crescencio Ibarra ______ describes the party and prizes, before announcing that “everyone is ______ invited.”

Rubi’s mother later______ that Crescencio had only been referring to everyone in the ______ communities, not the world, but by then the video had been picked up many times on Youtube and had been seen by millions.

Mexican airline Interjet published a promotion offering 30% ______ on flights to San Luis Potosi, under the slogan “Are you going to Rubi’s party?” Actor Gael Garcia Bernal made a funny video of the invitation, and singer Luis Antonio Lopez wrote a lovely ______ especially for Rubi.

Several hundred guests______ on the morning of the day for the party, but the number increased as the day ______ so that by evening there were thousands and the event looked like a rock concert. Cars ______ the access roads to the communities and police monitored the ______

“What happened with Rubi is an interesting example of how the ______ amplifies(放大) people’s personal lives and how traditional media look ______ stories on social networks to bring in new audiences,” said Sergio Octavio Contreras, a professor from a Mexican university.