1 . It was the night of the full moon, a time which always drives Java’s young people mad with excitement.

Fireworks were lit long before the moon _________. The big noise brought people out into the warm night to enjoy the interesting scene. Everywhere, there were the paper remains of _________ fireworks lying on the ground. Little boys _________ more and covered their ears as they waited _________ for the explosions.

The moon appeared above the horizon (地平线): huge, _________ ball high above the city, and the _________ filled with people, as Java began to enjoy one of the year’s greatest _________: “the Night of the Full Moon”, a festival (节日) that is especially popular with young people.

More and more young Javanese _________ together and walked slowly through the _________. Joking and chatting, they moved towards the mountain __________ the city. They continued to climb until they reached the old temple (寺庙) at the __________ of the mountain.

After they were inside the temple, they drank their water and ate their mooncakes — delicious homemade ones, __________ of dried fruit and nuts. Outside, on the mountain, young people __________ cross-legged in circles, chatting and telling each other jokes. And still, in their hundreds, more young people continued to make their way up the mountain to __________ the brightly shining moon.

By midnight, the fireworks had stopped __________ up from the gray city in the valley below them. But during the night, the sound continued to be heard from the distance.

2 . Yesterday was my birthday, but I didn’t _______ a plan to do anything with anyone. Feeling greatly _______, I decided to go out to buy a cup of coffee for a birthday celebration by myself. By the time I arrived at my favourite coffee shop, I _______ a couple of ladies into the shop and waited to _______. One of the ladies asked me, “Do we get our own table or do the waiters find one for the _______?” I answered, “I think you get your own table and I’m waiting for that small one because I’m here to _______ my birthday alone.” The coffee shop was fairly _______ and they suggested we _______ a table together. I _______ that wonderful idea.

To my ________, when it was my turn to order and pay the bill, I was told it had been ordered and paid for. On sitting at the table, the ladies told me they were glad to give the surprise as a ________ to me on my birthday.

We spent one hour ________ happily together and we shared many topics of common interest. ________, we had to say goodbye and continued on our separate journey. It was more than I could have expected for the day. Thank you, ________ — my lovely angels for the day. They ________ me that sharing is a joy. We should thank those who help and care about us.

4 . 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__________.

6 . Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class fun homework—to draw a picture of something for which they were_______.

Most of the class might be_______economically disadvantaged; but still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other traditional goodies of the season. The teacher thought these would be the subjects of most of her students’_______. And they were.

But Douglas made a_______kind of picture. Douglas was a different kind of boy. He was the teacher’s true child of misery (不幸), weak and unhappy. As other children played in the playground, _______, Douglas was likely to stand close by her side. One could only guess at the pain Douglas felt behind those_______eyes.

Yes, his_______was different. When_______to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful, he drew a hand. Nothing else. Just an ordinary hand.

His strange image captured the_______of his classmates. Whose hand could it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a________because farmers raise turkeys. Another suggested a police officer’s because the police protect and________people. Still others guessed it was the hand of God for God feeds us. And so the________went on—until the teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.

When the children had gone on to other pictures, she walked up to Douglas’ desk, bent down, and asked him whose hand it was.

The little boy looked away and muttered (低声说出),“ It’s yours.”

She________the times she had taken his hand and________with him here and there, although she had the other students. How often had she said, “Take my hand, Douglas. We’ll go outside.” Or “Let me show you how to________your pencil.” Or “ Let’s do this together.” Douglas was most thankful for his teacher’s hand.

7 . 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.

8 . 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!