It is {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (say) that in the year of 300 AD, there was a kind old man and his name was Saint Nicholas. He was always ready to help the poor and often gave {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (present) to them.

    Today, Father Christmas is {#blank#}3{#/blank#} imaginary figure, but {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (near) all young children believe in him. They think he is an {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (attract) old man with a long white beard {#blank#}6{#/blank#} a long red robe.

    {#blank#}7{#/blank#} the night of the twenty-fourth of December every year, Father Christmas from some cold northern land comes down the chimney of the fireplace  {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (put) presents by the beds of children or to fill their stockings. So children go to bed that night, {#blank#}9{#/blank#}  (hang) up their stockings, and on Christmas morning they wake to find them full of presents. Of course, it's really  {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (they) parents who fill the stockings.

    First, reading books {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(be) fun. You can always keep yourself {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(interest) and it can help you have an enjoyable time if you like reading. This is especially useful when the weather is bad. It is a {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(relax) hobby too.

    Next，you can read a book anywhere：in a car，in a waiting room, on a plane, in bed—even in the bath.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} you need is a book! Reading is a convenient hobby as it is easy to stop and then start again.

    Another good reason for reading books is {#blank#}5{#/blank#} it is useful. If you read as a hobby，you {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(get) better and better at it. This means that you will read faster and will become {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(good) at understanding what you read. As your reading improves, you will probably find your school work becomes much easier. Many school subjects depend {#blank#}8{#/blank#} good reading and, as you read you learn more and more.

    Good readers are most likely to be good {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(write), too. They are usually good at{#blank#}10{#/blank#}(spell) as well, and have more things to write about. Reading books is really a wonderful hobby.

    A neighborhood watch is an {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (organize) group of people who have volunteered to help prevent crime in their neighbourhood. They do this by {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (keep) an eye on their neighbors' households, patrolling the streets and contacting the police when they see wrong {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (activity). Neighbourhood watches have {#blank#}4{#/blank#} of history, but they{#blank#}5{#/blank#} (introduce) to modem American cities after the public was shocked {#blank#}6{#/blank#}( hear) how a woman was murdered in New York city while a number of witnesses stood by and did nothing. {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(recent), however, some people have strongly objected to the organization after n neighborhood watchman shot to death a black teenager, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} was on his way home in the evening. The shooting has led to a new suggestion {#blank#}9{#/blank#} neighborhood watchmen shouldn't carry guns while on patrol. Many neighborhood watch committees disagree {#blank#}10{#/blank#} this idea, saying that it will discourage volunteers from patrolling more dangerous districts. Besides, since Florida state law allows the carrying of guns, such advice is useless.

    For you, the "Clear and Bright" day that falls in every April might be no more than just another holiday — the fact that it comes with three days off school matters to most students {#blank#}1{#/blank#} more than the fact that it is part of the 24 solar terms.

But the UNESCO has recognized the importance of the 24 solar terms. This ancient system that Chinese people have used to keep track of the time of year {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (add) to the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on Nov 30.

For starters, you may have heard your mom say: "The sanfu days are almost over. The heat won't be here for long." The sanfu days are a period of time that {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (fall) in summer, somewhere {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Minor Heat (in July) and Autumn Equinox (in September). The coldest days, or the sanjiu days, are similar. They cover the 27 days {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (follow) Winter Solstice.

    In some places, solar terms guide people's lives through special foods, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (culture) events and healthy living tips. For example, people from northern China are in the habit of eating dumplings on the day of Winter Solstice. And on Start of Autumn, some people treat {#blank#}7{#/blank#} to a big feast, especially of meat, something they call "putting on autumn weight", or tieqiubiao.

    But no matter {#blank#}8{#/blank#} differently people celebrate the 24 solar terms, they have been here for a long time and could last forever.

    According to Chinese writer and academic Yu Shicun, unlike many other examples of intangible cultural heritage – Peking Opera and Chinese Zhusuan, for example – the solar terms are neither regional (地域的) nor a type of art or skill. Instead, the system is a philosophy of time, {#blank#}9{#/blank#} applies to everything. And this means they are {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (likely) to die out.

    From The Reader to National Treasure, TV programs seeking to take advantage {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Chinese audience's growing interest in traditional culture had a great year in 2017.

    During a time {#blank#}2{#/blank#} hiring famous pop stars and using silly gimmicks (噱头) have become major trends in drawing younger Chinese viewers, no one ever expected that these slow-paced and serious shows focused on Chinese tradition and culture would {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (accept) so widely. But the fact is that shows like Chinese Poetry Conference and Letters Alive quickly climbed to {#blank#}4{#/blank#} top of the national TV ratings. The popularity of this type of program shows that many Chinese {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (be) eager to learn more about traditional culture.

    While Letters Alive and The Reader invite people from all walks of life {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (read) letters, essays or poems written by respectable writers and other great people, National Treasure focuses on the {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (attract) stories and history behind national-level cultural relics (遗物).

    One reason for these shows' being {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (huge) successful might be their human focus. Literary works {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (share) in these shows talk about real life and they also appeal to regular viewers rather than just literature lovers. Though National Treasure focuses on introducing ancient {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (treasure), it focuses more on the human stories behind them.