The other day, my friend Jane was invited to a 40^th birthday party. The time printed on the _______ was 7:30pm. Jane went off with her husband, expecting a _______ evening of wine, _______, and song.

By 9:45, everybody was having great fun, but no food had _______. Jane and David were restless. Other guests began whispering that they, too, were _______. But no one wanted to _______, just in case some food was about to appear. By 11:00, there was still no food, and everyone was _______ off their heads. Jane and David left _______ and angry.

Their _______ suggests that the words on the printed invitations need to be made ____________. Everyone ____________ and understands the invitations ____________. Most of us would agree that 6:30-8:30pm means drinks only, go out to dinner afterwards; 8:00pm or 8:30pm means possible ____________, but 9:30pm and any time thereafter means no food, eat beforehand, arrive late.

But this is not always the case. If ____________ to a students’ party at 6:30pm, it is normal for guests not to appear before midnight, if at all, and no one cares. Being the first to arrive—looking ____________—is social death. When my mother is asked to a party for 6:30, she likes to be there, if not ____________, then no later than seven. My ____________ group (late thirties) falls somewhere between the two, but because we still think we’re ____________, we’re probably closer to student-time than grown-up time.

The accepted custom at present is ____________, sometimes annoying, and it often means you may go home hungry, but it does lend every party that precious element of ____________.

The Double Ninth Festival (the Chongyang Festival) is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. With a history of more than 2,000 years,It ____in the Warring States period. It developed quickly and had already been quite common _____ the Tang Dynasty.In the 1980s,the Chinese government made it a public holiday also known as"Senior Citizens' Day", trying to_____the moral of respect for the elderly. On this day, people are supposed to visit and_____the elderly. Here's the customs of this festival.

Climbing Mountains

Climbing mountains is a main activity during the festival. Take your families to a mountain to get some exercise and breathe_____air in the woods. Take a deep breath on top of a mountain, enjoy the beautiful natural autumn _____ all to yourself, exercise your body and get prepared for the coming _____. This will provide you with mental peace and _____the ill-fortune or diseases as they may say.

Appreciating Chrysanthemums (菊花)and Drinking Chrysanthemum wine

Appreciating chrysanthemums and drinking chrysanthemum wine have always been a ___during the Double Ninth Festival. In history it was also called"the Chrysanthemum Festival",as it is the flowering time of chrysanthemums. Poets, celebrities and nobles would _____ a feast to write poems to appreciate the elegance of chrysanthemums. Today,_____ chrysanthemum exhibitions are often held in big cities to   _____people during the festivals.

Appreciating the Falling Autumn

As the Double Ninth Festival _____the early autumn in China every year, it also is a good time for families to get together for a hiking to ____ the colours of the falling autumn.

There are other customs _____ visiting the elderly, eating Chongyang cake and wearing cornel(茱萸).

There are so many spring festivals around the country centered on gardening, bluegrass, wine and food, or Earth Day. But if you visit western Colorado's Grand Valley, you'll see a festival     _______to sharing. Congregants（集会者） of more than 100 area churches have decided to_______   what they believe in.

Called ShareFest, the event brings volunteers from different_________for a busy but_______   weekend of house repair, painting, gardening and more. The idea was _______put forward by a group of pastors（牧师） in central Arkansas and was finally_________by First Presbyterian Colorado churches in 2007. A group of people from church decided to offer_______to a local school. Teachers needed desks washed and other work done. And so it began.

Churches have been___________flyers(传单) in their area over the past several months so that people in need can either post their_________for help on a central website or call the team for     ________. Teams of church members "adopt" neighborhoods or organizations to help with those wishes. Project leaders then visit to ________ what materials and time are needed.

Past__________included everything from making the bed for an elderly woman to painting a building, which required 30 gallons of paint. Local businesses__________materials. Participants don't have to be big and strong-or even__________.   In past years, five-year-olds picked up leaves in neighbors' yards. Seniors created care packages for college__________with blue books for tests and other__________that could help them through finals.

The two-day event__________with a prayer and a cheer. Then Saturday morning, volunteers       ________the streets and homes around the town, starting doing voluntary work.

People come together to make a corner of the world a bit________. What a great way to   ________spring!