2 . My husband sat down on the bed. “Your ________ are complete ridiculous, Denise. These gifts don’t have to be perfect. The kids don’t care.”

I ________ him and kept wrapping the gifts. Each boy needed to have his own paper, and each gift ________ to be wrapped perfectly. Actually, I always ________to do everything perfectly. I suspected my entire family lived in ________ of my standards. I told myself I was just taking care of my family, but in reality I knew my ________ perfectionism wasn't doing us any good. I knew I needed to ________.

Two days later, my husband and I took our two older boys on a ________ to Matamoros, Mexico. We were going to participate in a(n) ________ known as the" Big Feed", where we'd be working in a field with strangers.

Upon arriving, we sat down and listened to the director, Ben, give his ________ about the event. “We won't stay inside although it's raining. And I have something that'll ________ that all of you stay flexible.” He ________ a small piece of cookie to each of us. “This is the Flexi-cookie. You eat it and you ________ will be flexible. Now let’s eat this cookie together.”

It tasted so ordinary, but it ________ magical ways. I worked alongside my family for two long days in a ________ field. We handed out supplies and ________ for several thousand people. My sons played games with the other children all day in the rain, and I never once ________ them up. I learned to be flexible.

Later, I muttered(嘀咕)"Fexi, Flexi" throughout the day, ________ myself that I needed to be less ________. I cannot say I've totally overcome my perfectionism, but I've made enough ________.

3 . The coming week will be very wonderful with so many events for you to refresh your hearts.

An interactive, experimental drama, entitled "On Darkness' Non-existence," will be staged. The show uses topical events from 2020 such as the breakout of COVID-19, the return of Chang'e V, the election of US president, the case of George Floyd.

7:30 pm, Jan 2-Jan 6, at Eastern Avant-garde Theatre of China. Tel: 6527-6911.

Young musicians who are actually students at Beijing No. 101 High School will feature in a concert, conducted by Liu Fengde, He Rong and Shao En. The talented youngsters won First Prize at the Vienna Youth Symphonic Music Competition, and this time will play works by Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Chinese composers like Huang Anlun.

The China Philharmonic Youth Chorus will present a New Year's Eve Concert, conducted by Wu Lingfen. Piano will be played by Peter Seivewright, trumpet by Ying Cai, and organ by Wu Dan. Programme: "Hallelujah," "Toccata and Fugue in D minor," "Happy New Year to You," and "Moon Reflected on Erquan," a Chinese piece but a jazz version this time for piano and trumpet.

7:30 pm, Dec 31 at Forbidden City Concert Hall. Tel: 6559-8285.

Chinese movie stars from the promising young to the glorious stars of last year will display their talents to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Chinese cinema. They will sing theme songs, act scenes and also share their personal thoughts with the public.

Besides performances by stars, musicians from the China Broadcasting Film Symphony Orchestra will provide the accompaniment. Founded in 1949, they specialize in recording theme musk for films. So far, they have recorded scores for over 2, 000 Chinese movies and TV series.

7:30 pm, Jan 1, at the Great Hall of the People, west of Tian'anmen. Tel: 8589-5049.

6 . In the early decades of the People’s Republic of China founded in 1949, due to the underdeveloped transportation and communication system, it was hard for people living and working far away from their hometown to visit their families or stay in touch regularly. So to enable people to get together with their near and dear ones at least once a year,     1    .

It was decided that every year, a married couple could have family leave for 30 days to see each other     2    ; if they lived together, they could have 20 days to visit their parents every four years.     3    . A regulation was issued in 1958 and the system was improved through more regulation in the early 1980s.

However, nowadays, thanks to the rapid development of transport and communication means, it’s much easier for people to either contact their dear ones frequently or visit them,     4    . Besides, as the family leave scheme covers only those who work in government departments and state-owned enterprises, it is increasingly being regarded as an outdated practice and a privilege enjoyed by a small group of people.

    5    . While this is backed by those who don’t have family leave, it is strongly opposed by those who do. Also, some say that the issue is not whether family leave should be canceled; instead China’s current holiday and leave system should be reformed in entirely.

9 . Although the first Fourth of July fireworks began more than 200 years ago in Philadelphia, the celebration never grows old. So whether you’re starting your family’s Fourth of July traditions or just looking for a new place to see great fireworks this Independence Day, check out our list of top places to catch magnificent fireworks displays.

Bristol, Rhode Island

Bristol is credited with having the oldest Fourth of July celebration in the country, with a 230-year history of patriotic festivities. The town’s first Independence Day celebration was held in the early 1800s, more than two centuries ago. The celebration features a concert series at Independence Park, a performance from the Drum Corps, a carnival and parade, and of course, a beautiful fireworks show over the Bristol Harbor.

New York City, New York

Macy’s annual show is the nation’s largest fireworks display with more than 40,000 fireworks and a 38-year record of extraordinary entertainment. You can view the fireworks from anywhere with open views of the sky above the East River. This fireworks show has become an American tradition, and even those who can’t make the trip out to New York City can tune into NBC at 8 p.m., July 4.

Gorham, New Hampshire

Gorham’s Fourth of July Spectacular is one of New Hampshire’s longest running Independence Day celebrations, with four days of exciting events. The fireworks show will begin after dark on July 4 in the skies over the carnival. But that’s not the end of the fun. Stick around for another day to see a classic car parade and get your fill of the carnival rides and even visit Concord enjoying the breathtaking scenery.

The Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival, is observed on January 15th on Chinese lunar calendar. It is the first full moon night in Chinese lunar year,     1    (symbol) harmony, reunion and the coming back of the spring.The Lantern Festival is deemed as a good day for family get-together.

As for the traditions for this festival, just     2     its name indicates, hanging and looking at lanterns is the main tradition. Lanterns of     3    (vary) of shapes and sizes are displayed on trees, or along river banks. Some are in the shapes of butterflies, birds, flowers, and boats, others     4    (shape) like dragon, fruit and animal symbols of that year.   

Another tradition is solving lantern riddles. Thousands of riddles     5    (hang) on lanterns for people to shoot down and solve. The riddles are usually short, wise, and sometimes humorous. The answer     6     a riddle can be a Chinese character, a famous person’s name, a place name or a proverb. This tradition is said     7    (become) a popular game with serious staying power even as social development changes other traditions.

Aside from that, the most important thing to do today is to eat sweet dumplings. In northern China, sweet dumplings made of glutinous rice flour are called “Yuanxiao” while in     8    (south) part they are called “Tangyuan”. Typical sweet dumplings are filled with black sesame sauce, sweetened bean paste, or hawthorn and the round shape of it is a symbol of wholeness, completeness and unity.

The lantern festival is an occasion when the families get together and everyone—young, old, rich and poor     9    (have) fun. Making “ Yuanxiao” today is like a game or     10     activity, so it’s seldom done without a group of friends or family present to help out.