28.Celebrating New Year's Day is one of the oldest and most exciting traditions around the world.Since this festival marks the beginning of the year,New Year's Day is thought of as a perfect time for a "clean start".People in the world decide to act better in the year just beginning than the year just ended. No day has ever been celebrated in so many different ways.All over the world,countries have their own special beliefs about what the New Year means to them. In Scotland,the New Year is called Hogmanay.In the villages of Scotland,barrels of tar (瀝青) are set on fire.It represents that the old year is burned up and the new one is allowed to enter. New Year's Day is also the Festival of Saint Basil in Canada.Children leave their shoes by the fireside on New Year's Day with the hope that Saint Basil,who is famous for his kindness,will come and fill their shoes with gifts. The Jewish New Year is called Rosh Hashanah.It is an important time when Jews promise to do better in the future.Special services are held in the church,children are given new clothes and New Year bread is cooked to remind people of harvest time. On New Year's Day in Japan,everyone gets dressed in their new clothes and homes are decorated (裝飾) with bamboos-symbols of long life. In European countries such as Germany,France and Belgium,families start the New Year by first attending church services.Afterwards,they visit friends and relatives.In France,boys and girls receive gifts of money on New Year's Day. New Year celebrations around the world
Country/people
Celebration activities
Special beliefs
Scotland
People(1)
barrels of tar.
The old year is burned up and the new one is allowed to enter.
Canada
Children leave their(2)
by the fireside.
Their shoes will be filled with gifts by Saint Basil.
Jews
It is a time for people to (3)
to do better in the future.People cook New Year Bread to remind of harvest time.
Japan
People wear their new clothes. Homes are decorated with bamboos.
29.Thirty years ago,I walked into your bakery and asked for some loaves(條) of bread to sell.At that time,I was 12 y(1)
old.A young lady served me that day.She gave me five loaves and wished me good l(2)
. I took the loaves and went out to sell them.It t(3)
me all day,but I sold them all.At the e(4)
of the day,I had some money.I was the H(5)
boy in the world as I walked home that evening. The next day,I went to a bicycle shop.I paid a deposit(定金) on a new bicycle..And then I started my next j(6)
as a newspaper delivery(送遞) boy.Soon I c(7)
pay the rest of the money for the bicycle and the bike was mine.I was so proud of m(8)
! Today I still work in the delivery business.I have a lot of trucks to send goods all over the country.I live in a beautiful house,but I don't ride a bicycle these days.I d(9)
a large nice car. I don't know who the young lady was.But because she gave me the start,I have b (10)
a successful man.I'd like to show my thanks to her.