The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most significant traditional festivals. It{#blank#}1{#/blank#}(celebrate) on the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar.

    The festival is said to be{#blank#}2{#/blank#}honour of Qu Yuan, a great poet who tried all his best to help his own country but failed and committed suicide by drowning himself in Miluo River. The folks respected and loved him so much{#blank#}3{#/blank#}they threw zongzi into the river{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(prevent) fish from eating his body. Later it became a custom for people to eat zongzi and watch dragon boat races on that day.

    To advance and enrich the fine cultural heritage of the nation, the Dragon Boat Festival has been an{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(office) public holiday in our country since 2008.

    The information I {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(collect) over the last few years leads me to believe that speed reading may be less {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(use) than most people think. The claim that you can read and comprehend over 30,000 words per minute is overstated. One researcher proved this in a study where irrelevant and illogical sentences were added to a text. The “speed readers” {#blank#}3{#/blank#} were tested didn't notice the irrelevant lines — the non-speed readers spotted them immediately.

    I've interviewed people who have attended the introductory sessions {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (offer) by some speed reading courses. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (them) stories indicate that improper methods are sometimes used to sell the courses. Here's how: First, you're asked to read a passage from a book {#blank#}6{#/blank#} which most persons would be unfamiliar. Your reading speed and comprehension are tested during this exercise. Then, after about half {#blank#}7{#/blank#} hour of instruction, another reading test is given. But this time the reading is one most educated Americans know well — such as Huckleberry Finn. Not {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (surprising), persons attending these introductory sessions find that their “exit” speed and comprehension are better than their “entry”{#blank#}9{#/blank#} (perform).

    I'm one of the fiction readers who appreciate the beauty in good writing. Occasionally I'll read a passage or sentence over and over just {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (let) the beauty of its construction soak(参透) in. Good writing must be read carefully and thoughtfully to be fully appreciated.

    The Agricultural Feast {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(take) place after the Independence Day. It is not a worldwide celebration. Only Christians in Mexico look forward to its arrival for its {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(religion) origin.

    Long ago, man's ancestors were bad. They fooled and played tricks on each other and never kept {#blank#}3{#/blank#}word. So God turned up and drowned all their crops. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(human) starved day and night, weeping. In order to gain God's forgiveness, a woman poet set off to see God. She admired God and madeapologies, God {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(move). With God's permission, human beings finally had good harvests again. Thus to wipe sadness and remind themselves of the belief {#blank#}6{#/blank#} God, people began the festival. On the festival, people gather in {#blank#}7{#/blank#}open air, such as playgrounds and parking lots, and have fun with each other {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(energetic) all night long, as though they were never tired. When a beauty {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(dress) up in lovely clothing reads poems in memory of the poet, everyone holds their breath. Then, it is the custom{#blank#}10{#/blank#}the bone of a rooster head is given to her as an award. Obviously, the story may not be true, but the festival is interesting.

    If you visit a supermarket in the UK in March or April, you will notice a strange thing: Shelf after shelf is filled with large, brightly-colored eggs.

    Look a little {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (close) and you will discover something else. These eggs aren't real. In fact, they {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (make) of chocolate. And that can mean only one thing—it's Easter time again.

    Easter is a festival {#blank#}3{#/blank#} has been celebrated in Britain for thousands of years. These days we mark the occasion (场合) by {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (give) each other chocolate eggs, or Easter eggs. But what are the roots of this {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (tradition) event?

    For Christian people Easter is a religious festival. According {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the Bible, Jesus Christ was killed by the Romans {#blank#}7{#/blank#} came back to life three days later. That is {#blank#}8{#/blank#} Easter is seen as a time of rebirth.

    However, some people suggest that Easter has its origins in pre-Christian times. They say that the very earliest societies celebrated the end of winter and the beginning of spring—the time {#blank#}9{#/blank#} life returns to the land.

    Whatever its origins, Easter is big business. The UK's biggest retailer (零售商) of Easter eggs sold more than 20 million units last year and some Easter eggs {#blank#}10{#/blank#} cost more than £20!