Dragon Boat Festival is 1. It is a holiday 2 a long history. We all have a 3 during Dragon Boat Festival. Because Dragon Boat Festival is a(n) 4 and interesting festival in China. It comes in the 5 lunar (农历) month around the middle June.

    People celebrate it 6 many ways. One of them is to have dragon boat races. Dragon boats are 7 and special. More than ten people 8 on a boat. They often get everything ready 9 the race comes. They practice more because they want to have 10 results. Lots of people come to 11 and enjoy the race.

    In some cities, it is a festival for the 12. Children 13red and yellow strings (线). With these, they think they will get away from the ghosts. Parents buy sweets and other delicious food 14 their children. They usually get together to 15 a big dinner on that day.

    Jazz is a type of music. Some people say that jazz is America's only true art form. That's because it began here. Hundreds of years ago, black people worked as slaves (奴隶) and made up songs to pass the time. It wasn't called jazz then, but the way the slaves were playing and singing music was special.

    The music of America's black people began to be called jazz in the early 1900s.

    What makes jazz special is improvisation (即兴创作). That means making the music up on the spot (当场). No music in front of you. No long discussion with other people in your band.

    "It's free. It's beautiful," says Geoffrey, a sixth-grader at Stratford Landing Elementary School. Geoffrey is such a good musician that he has performed at the Kennedy Center.

    Geoffrey says, "It's easy to express your feelings through jazz. You are more focused on being creative and using your imagination in jazz. "

    Washington DC is a very important place in the history of jazz. It has a famous jazz piano player: Duke Ellington.

    Born in Washington in 1899, Ellington as a child wanted to play baseball instead of the piano. But his parents played the piano, so he started playing the piano when he was seven years old.

    In 1920, he played small shows at the Howard Theatre. When he was 24, he moved to New York, but he didn't forget his hometown. He called his band the Washingtonians and later he returned to perform at the Lincoln Theatre.

    People all over the world celebrate the new year. However, not all countries celebrate in the same way, and in some countries, the new year doesn't begin on the 1 day every year.

    In many countries, the new year begins on January 1^st, but people 2 celebrating on December 31^st, New Year's Eve. In New York many people go to celebrate in Times Square. 3 they're waiting for the new year, they listen to music, sing traditional songs and have fun. Just before 12 o'clock, everyone 4 down from 10:10, 9, 8…As soon as it's 12 o'clock, everyone shouts very 5, "Happy New Year!"

    New Year's Day is often a family day. Some families get together for a 6 meal, when the weather is fine, many families go out for a  7.

    On New Year's Day, many people make 8 for the new year. They write down a list of things, such as "I will help out more 9the housework." "I will work10 at school than others. "or" I won't 11so much time playing video games." When they have made12resolutions, they read them to their family or friends and promise to13them.

    It doesn't matter 14people all over the world celebrate.15all of them, it's a time to say goodbye to the old year, and to welcome the year.

    "Readers(《朗读者》"is a popular TV show. It invites1people to read aloud on the stage(舞台). Some are famous actors and actresses. Some are students. Some work in different places. The show also tells the moving stories behind those people. They can read everything, like poems, books, and letters. By reading aloud, the 2 on the paper come to life.

    Many people are fans of the show. They begin to 3 reading aloud at home. Now, the show gives people a special 4 to read across China. It is a reading pavilion( 朗读亭). They are in many cities, including Shanghai, Hangzhou and Xi'an.

    The pavilion is very small. Only one person can come into it each time. There is a microphone in it and it records(录下) people's voices. Everyone can read for three minutes in the pailion. They can read anything they like. The show will 5some of the readers to read on TV.

    People of all ages read in the pavilion. "Reading should be just like singing and talking," said Dong Qing, the host and producer(制作人) of the show." We can express our 6 feelings by reading aloud.