Cold Food Festival is a    1     (tradition) Chinese holiday celebrated before Qingming Festival, which usually falls    2     April 4 or 5.

Legend has it that Chong’er, a prince of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period, experienced many hardships while he moved around the warring states. Once, when the prince suffered from     3     (starve), Jie Zitui, offered him food. Later, when Chong’er became the duke of Jin, he ordered a search for Jie who had gone into hiding in the remote mountains with his mother. The duke wanted Jie    4     ( serve) as one of his ministers. Contrary to    5     many people might assume, Jie, who preferred living a simple life in the Mianshan Mountain to     6     (become) a politician, refused the duke’s invitation. Chong’er ordered the mountain to be burned down to force Jie out of hiding.     7     (fortune), Jie did not give in and the fire ended up killing him and his mother. Feeling extremely sorry, Chong’er required that the setting of fire    8     (forbid) on the anniversary of Jie’s death. This meant all food was eaten cold. Therefore the festival is thus named.

Mianshan Mountain,     9     the tragedy happened, is now a famous tourist destination in Shanxi Province. In many areas of Shanxi, locals still remember this tradition.     10     cold food is not the only choice for people during the celebration, the practices of making typical cold dishes for the event have been preserved.

Strange things happened before Tangshan Earthquake happened. The well walls had deep cracks. A     1     (smell) gas came out of them. At 3：42     2     the morning of July 28, 1976, everything began to shake.     3     seemed as if the world were coming to an end. One of the     4     (deadly) earthquakes of the 20th century had begun. Soon the whole city lay in     5     (ruin). Many people died or were injured. Everything in the city was destroyed. People were     6     (shock) at this and wondered how long the disaster would last.

The army organized teams to dig out those who     7     (trap)and to bury the dead. Workers built shelters for survivors. Food and water were taken to the city. Slowly the city began to     8     (breath) again. Tangshan began to revive     9     (it) and get up on its feet again. With strong support from the government and the tireless efforts of the city's people, a new Tangshan was built. Tangshan city has proved that in times of disaster, people must unify and show the wisdom to stay positive and rebuild for     10     brighter future.