Red Packets in Chinese Culture

Giving Hongbao (red packets) is a tradition in China. Traditional red pockets are often decorated with gold Chinese characters（汉字）, such as ____ and wealth.

How red packets are used

During Chinese New Year, ____ is (are) put inside red packets which are then handed out to younger generations by their parents, grandparents, relatives, and even close neighbours and friends.

The ______

Red represents luck and good fortune in Chinese culture. That is _____ red packets are used during Chinese New Year and other celebrations.

How to give and receive

Giving and receiving red packets is a ____ act. Therefore, red packets are always ____ and received with both hands.

Someone who receives a red packet at Chinese New Year or on his or her birthday should not ____ it in front of the giver. _____, things are different at a Chinese wedding, where the guests usually give the red packets to the attendants and sign ____ names on a large scroll ( long piece of paper). The attendants will open the packets at once, _____ the money inside, and record it on a register（登记簿） next to the guests’ names.

The amount（数量）

The amount of money is relative to your relationship to the person who receives-the _____your relationship is, the more money is expected. Anyway, it is not the amount of the money that matters, but the care and love you hold for others .

What not to gift

Certain amounts of money are to be ____. Anything with a four is not good because four sounds similar to ____ in Chinese. Even numbers（偶数）, except four, are better than odd-as good things are believed to come in ____. For example, gifting ＄20 is better than ＄21.

The money inside a red packet should ____ be new. Folding the money or giving dirty or wrinkled bills is in bad taste.

Hongbao is a symbol of love from others, as well as a sign of good luck.

   The following is adapted from a promotional film about Yancheng.

Here, you can come and go as you please. ___①___	Here, cars are manufactured, as well as happiness. Here, we open the door toward the future by upgrading industries.	Here, agriculture is about scientific cultivation, and also for tourism and education. ____②___	Here, we live in harmony with nature. ____③__	Here, the spirit of the Iron Army is remembered and carried forward. ____④___
Here, a modern city is being built and enriched with passion. Here, broaden your horizon and open your heart. Welcome to Yancheng!

It was the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992; the semi-final of the 400 metres. The sun was shining and the crowd were ready for a great race. The British athlete Derek Redmond was a top runner: he had a very good chance of winning a medal.

The race began. At first, Derek was running well. Then, after about 150 metres, he felt a pain in his leg. He fell down on one knee. He had a bad injury and couldn’t carry on. The other runners went past him and finished the race.

After about five seconds, Derek got up and started to run again, on one leg only. Some organizers tried to stop him but he kept going. The crowd stood up and started to clap. Then another man came onto the track—Derek’s father, Jim. His father put his arm around him and said, “Derek, you don’t have to do this.” Derek replied, “Yes, I do. I have to finish.” And so together they walked the last 50 metres and crossed the line.

When he finally crossed the line, Derek was crying and 60,000 people were cheering him.

In the summer of 2010, mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner was almost at the top of a mountain called K2 in Nepal. She was trying to climb the 8,61l-metre mountain for the fifth time and this time she was climbing with her friend Fredrik Ericsson,

It was about 7 o’clock in the morning and it was snowing a little. The two climbers were getting ready to go up the last 400 metres. Fredrik was trying to tie some rope but he slipped and fell past Gerlinde. He fell 1,000 metres and was killed.

___▲  K2 was now a very sad place for her, and she thought perhaps she would never climb the mountain.

But there was something very important that she wanted to do: K2 is one of 14 mountains in the world that are 8,000 metes or higher, and her dream was to climb them all.

So in August 2011 she went back to Nepal and K2, and tried again. This time, she got to the top. Her dream was complete.

   Homestays are becoming more and more popular, and people around the world are offering their homes as hotels. Homestays offer cheap places to stay, and the chance for guests to see the area like a local. They are very popular with people who want to stay in another country to study or on holiday. We asked three families who run homestays to tell us about where they live.

The Atal family

Our family home is in a small village in the north of Pakistan, in the Himalayan mountains. The village is quite small and very quiet. The mountains are extremely beautiful. You can go for long walks and swim in the rivers but there are no shops, cinemas or cafes.

Kate and Julian Foxton

Our two-bed house is by the sea in the south-west of England. It is about five minutes’ drive to the nearest village of Portreath. There are lots of beaches, rivers and forests and it is very quiet. We spend a lot of time reading books, watching films and going for walks. Our area is great for sports like surfing, kayaking and mountain biking. However, the houses here are expensive, which can be a problem for local people. There are no buses or trains here, so it can be difficult to get around without a car。

Chafic and Aline Halwany

Our home is near the centre of Beirut, Lebanon, one of the largest cities in the Middle East. There are lots of cafes and restaurants, which open late at night. We love it here because it’s so friendly and you can always find what you need—lots of people come to stay to learn Arabic and French. However, it can be noisy at night, and there is quite a lot of traffic during the day.

Homestay holidays — A home
46． from home

Eyes always on us

Video cameras are everywhere: schools, theatres and stores. But in recent years, they have entered our homes. Many parents set up cameras at home to watch their children’s online classes and homework. Are cameras really helpful? What do students think about it?

Ways to reduce food waste

Food waste is a big problem around the world. While some people t
71． away unwanted food, lots of people in other parts of the world face food shortages.

In order to reduce food waste, many c
72． in the world like German and France have food banks. People and grocery stores can give extra food to them and they can give the food to t
73． in need. Shanghai Oasis opened China’s first food bank in 2015. In five years, it saved seven million tons of food and h
74． 760,000 people.

Many fruits and v
75． go to waste because they look ugly. For example, about 25 to 30 percent of carrots don't make it to the store because of their l
76．. So try to buy ugly food next time, since it is j
77． as good as “normal” food.

Many Chinese restaurants are telling people to o
78． dishes by using the “N-1”formula. “N” s
79． for the number of people in your group. So if you’re in a group of s
80． people, you should order five dishes.

To reduce food waste is a big task, and it needs time. Everyone can do something to make a difference.

初中三年，我们都有一些难以忘怀的经历。学校英语俱乐部将组织题为“An Unforgettable Experience”的征文比赛。请根据提示，写一篇短文参赛。

An Unforgettable Experience

Looking back on the past three years, everyone had some unforgettable experiences.