Next Tuesday, September 19, is International Talk Like a Pirate(海盗)Day. It     1    (create)by John Baur and Mark Summers. They had     2     idea when one of them fell down during a racquetball game and shouted, “Arrr!”. In 2002, Dave Barry, the humor columnist, publicized the sound     3     it soon caught on across the country.

Some people have wondered in recent years, “How true does this funny noise sound like the pirate speech?”

“It’s far from true, “says Molly Babel, Professor of Arts and Linguistics at the University of British Columbia. “But there are some     4    (point)that carry through.”

According     5     Professor Babel, many original pirates came from southwest England,     6     “arrr!” was a kind of expression like the“eh?” of Canadians. As more pirates joined from all over the world, Pirate English,     7    (base)on the West Country, became a kind of common language for pirates.

Professor Babel     8    (believe)that much of our idea of how pirates spoke dated back to the 1950 Disney film of Treasure Island. Robert Newton, a British actor from the West Country, played Long John Silver, with his theatrical West Country accent. He was also invited     9    (play)Long John Silver in other films.

“The pirate talk is still used and celebrated because it’s expressive, engaging, and     10    (color),” explains Professor Babel.

The beginning of a new year brings opportunities to look forward to, but sometimes the best way forward isn’t straight head.

    1     (fall) on Jan. 31, National Backward Day is an opportunity to reverse(颠倒) the set routines of daily life. Backward Day     2     (start) in 1961 by two farmers, Sarah Nicole Miller and Megan Emily Scott, and the occasion has stuck, according     3     National Today. Taking part can be as simple as wearing a hat backward or as     4     (excite) as reverse skydiving.

But for some, like Aaron Yoder,     5     track and field coach at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, going backward     6     (be) a daily practice. When an injury kept him sidelined(退赛) from running—and work, relationship, and family challenges mounted— Mr. Yoder decided     7     (turn) it around, literally. Running backward,     8     works different muscles, delivered new freedom. “It was a reset. It was kind of like a rebirth,” he says.

Mr. Yoder now holds the fastest backward mile     9     (recognize) by Guinness World Records, clocking in at 5: 54. And the     10     (advantage) of backward thinking have spread into “different elements of teaching, coaching, life,” he says.

His advice for those who might try backward running on Jan. 31, “Just make sure you got a clear path.”

As a Norwegian, what we never miss every year is the celebration feast. All the    1    (grown-up) including Nanny (baby-sitter) and all the children sat down around the big dining-room table    2     the afternoon of our arrival. For the great annual celebration feast with my grandparents, the food we received never    3     (vary). This was a Norwegian household,and for Norwegians the best food in the world is fresh fish. I agree with them that the proper way to prepare fish is    4    (boil) not to roast it, and that is    5    they do with the finest specimens. Norwegians, by the way, always eat the skin of the fish, which they say is the    6     (tasty) of all. So     7     (natural )this great celebration feast started with fish. Large white pieces of this fish were carved out and put onto our plates and with it we had sauces and cooked new potatoes. Nothing else. It was delicious! As soon as the remains of the fish were cleared away, a big home-made ice-cream would    8     (carry) in. Apart from being the creamiest ice-cream in the world, the flavor was     9    (forget). The great feast was interrupted by    10     small speech of welcome from my grandfather and all adults would raise their wine glasses and say “Best wishes’” many times throughout the meal.

Every September, kids of all ages leap from the starting line of the Louis Tewanima Footrace on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. Many have come from nearby Hopi villages, and others have travelled from faraway places     1    (take) part in the race.

Running is very important within Hopi culture. Long before they used modern cars, the Hopi relied    2     running to travel great distances, deliver     3     (message), and care for their corn and fields. But the Hopi also ran for    4     (religion) reasons. Hopi runners of the past would run far beyond Hopi lands as a prayer for rain. They believed that they could attract rain clouds to follow them home with their    5    (swift) of foot.

Hopi youth     6     (instruct) to run on dirt trails according to Hopi customs and to study the graceful movements of deer and antelope in order to learn from    7     (they). Elders teach youngsters to run with good hearts,     8    (keep) the well-being of the entire Hopi community in mind.

And so at the annual footrace, high on top of Second Mesa, Hopi children run not just to honor Louis Tewanima     9    was an Olympic medalist or for the chance of winning     10     prize. They also run for their people, for their villages, and to continue the long tradition of distance running in Hopi society.

Valentine’s Day in China

It is really difficult to know the exact time     1     western Valentine’s Day was introduced into China. However, western Valentine’s Day is     2     (wide) celebrated in urban areas where there are a lot of commercial (商业的) events, especially in big cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Valentine’s Day is not so popular in small cities,     3     (town) and the countryside.

So far, Chinese people     4     (accept) the tradition westerners on celebrating Valentine’s Day, such as     5     (exchange) gifts, having a romantic dinner, watching a movie in the evening or even making a marriage registration if Valentine’s Day falls on a workday.

On this day, larger amounts of chocolate will be on sale in supermarkets,     6     compared with the ordinary days, cinemas will be much     7     (busy) and the price of flowers and restaurants and hotels can be a lot higher. Many restaurants will have special menus, especially those in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. If you want to have a smooth     8     (celebrate) on Valentine’s Day, remember     9     (make) reservations (预定) as far in advance as you can.

Chinese people have also made some changes to the western way of celebrating Valentine’s Day. For some couples, the husband may prepare a rich dinner or buy a beautiful dress     10     his wife on this day to show his appreciation.

New Year’s Eve is a public holiday in many places around the world     1     (include) Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Schools, post offices and government offices     2    (close). On the special eve, many people     3     are up to welcome the New Year and have a day off work have the chance     4    (sleep)in and spend the day either attending church service, visiting friends or relatives, going to the movies, staying in, or watching or playing sports. Feasting on traditional New Year’s food is also a     5     (relative) widespread practice but dishes vary across cultures.

New Year’s Day marks the start of a new year according to the Gregorian calendar(公历). Although Romans began marking the start of their civil year     6     January 1 in their calendar （prior to the Gregorian calendar）, the     7     (tradition) springtime opening of the growing season and time for major military campaigns still held on as the popular New Year celebration.

Pope Gregory XIII     8     (introduce)the Gregorian calendar in 1582. It was adopted immediately in some areas of Europe     9     it was not used in various     10     (country) until even centuries later. For example, the United Kingdom and the United States started observing the Gregorian calendar in 1752, in which 11 days were dropped.

Letters from Father Christmas is a book which illustrates how the famous writer Tolkien keeps Christmas as the magic moment     1     his children as long as he can. Many people regard Christmas as a special moment in a year     2     (especial) for children. So Tolkien wrote this book,     3     (extend)the magic moment for his children.

Every Christmas, besides the gifts, an envelope will     4     (address) to the children from Father Christmas, which is truly written by their father——Tolkien. The letters show the magic and awesome     5     (story) about Santa Claus, for example the Polar Bear as well as the troubles that Father Christmas might encounter. Surprisingly, unlike other parents,Tolkien did not mention how to punish his children, if they were not good. Nevertheless,as children grow up, Tolkien writes something     6     (differ) in order to educate his children. He reminds them in his book that not all of the things     7     they wish will come. If they are not satisfied with the current issues, just remember there are plenty of starving and poor people all over     8     world. By     9     (show)of Father Christmas, Tolkien wishes people can enjoy Christmas and share true spirit with others. Meanwhile, he also     10     (indicate) his special love for children and he is the real Father Christmas for his children.