A .Christmas Day

    It is the biggest and the best-loved holiday in the United States。The Christmas tree is very popular during this time．

B .Halloween

    This holiday comes on October 31．Children make all kinds of masks(面具)and go from ho use to house to play the game called “Trick or treat".

C .New Year's Day

    It is a legal holiday in the United States．Most people have a day off from work．They say “Happy New Year to you and your family” to each other to express their hope for the happiness in the new year．

D .Valentine's Day

    Valentine's Day is a day for lovers and one of the loveliest holidays in the United States．It comes on February l4th．

E .Lincoln's Birthday

    The holiday is celebrated to memorize one of America's most admired presidents．Lincoln．It is on February l2th．

F .Thanksgiving Day

    The holiday is on the fourth Thursday of November．On this day Americans usually have Thanksgiving dinner with their family．Turkey is one kind of the traditional foods．

G .Memorial Day

    Americans celebrate this holiday on the last Monday in May so that all can enjoy a three-day weekend．It is a day to memorize those people who have lost their lives for their country．

H．Independence Day

    Independence Day is a holiday throughout the United States．It is America'-s most important holiday．

    There are four seasons in a year. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} My favourite season is winter.

    Many people think winter is a freezing season, but {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. I think winter is a beautiful season, especially when it snows. White snowflakes fly everywhere. The ground is covered in white and the snowflakes glisten in the sunshine.

    During winter, there are not only snowflakes, but also beautiful plum blossom. Plum blossoms in the cold winter. They represent a strong and unyielding spirit. I can learn from the plum blossoms and {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    Winter is also a season of reunion for Chinese people. People get together during Spring Festival. Whenever the Spring Festival comes, my parents and I will go back to our hometown. We will make many preparations for the Sprint; Festival. We often put couplets on the wall for good luck in the new year. On New Year's Eve, my family and I get together to have a big family dinner and {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Finally, Spring Festival is not only a time for relaxation, but also a part of cultural traditions.

    In my opinion, winter has beautiful scenery that {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. It is the most beautiful season. I hope more people will like winter.

A. dumplings are a traditional dish for the New Year's Eve dinner.

B. makes it different from other seasons

C. watch the full moon

D. Each season has its own features.

E. never be afraid of any difficulties

F. I love it all the same

G. everyone will love

    Mr White works in a factory. There are not many people in the factory. They make shoes there. The workers go to work very early in the morning. On Saturday and Sunday they don't go to work. They stay at home. Mrs White cooks for the workers in the factory. She likes cooking and she cooks well. In the middle of the day the workers have lunch in the factory. They are very friendly. They like the food Mrs White cooks.

    Researchers from two universities in Britain recently carried out a very interesting project. They aimed to find out what modern family needs from their home. The lucky family chosen to take part in the project was the Joneses parents Paul and Eve and their two sons, Jimmy(16) and Harry(13). They have just spent two months living in a specially designed hi- tech future house, where cameras recorded everything they did.

    TV while you bathe

    So what's in this modern house? It boasts(拥有) five bedrooms and five bathrooms. The sitting area has a huge TV and a digital picture frame- you can decide which photos you want to appear and change the picture as often as you like. The baths all have waterproof TV screens and DVD players. There is a remote control(遥控器) in every room which controls everything in the house from the lights to the cooker. The floors are all made of glass and all have under floor heating. The windows clean themselves and there is even a robot called "Iron Man" to do the ironing. Dirty washing goes into a lift which takes the clothes automatically to the washing machine. The "Iron Man" then does all the ironing.

    So how did it go?

    The Jones family were over the moon to be chosen to spend some time in the house. Here's what they said:

Paul: It was great. The house was so comfortable. One day our friends called round with their dog. The dog felt so warm and comfortable; he even slept on the floor! Oh, but there was one problem. One night we were all in bed and all the lights switched themselves on for no reason. It was a bit frightening!

Jimmy: I loved it, but I wish there had been a robot to help me with my homework.

Harry: Staying in was as much fun as going out!

Eve: I loved the TV in the bath but I never watched it before going to work in the morning. If I did, I don't think I'd ever get out!

    The Jones family are now back in their very ordinary home, but planning some hi-tech additions as soon as they can afford them!

The experts hope that results from their project will help developers meet the needs of a 21st-century family. One of the experts wrote a few sentences about his findings on this project: