Maria and Pablo lived in a tiny village in Mexico. Because Christmas time at their house did not include many gifts, Maria and Pablo _________ to the Christmas festivities at the village _________ with great joy.

To honor the birth of Christ(耶稣), the church _________ a beautiful manger(食槽) that drew crowds of admirers. Villagers walked miles to admire the manger, bringing lovely, _________ gifts for the Baby Jesus. As Maria and Pablo watched the villagers _________ their gifts in the soft hay(干草) around the manger, they felt _________. They had no money to buy _________ for their family and no money to buy one for the Baby Jesus.

On Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo _________ to the church for that evening's services, _________ wishing that they had a gift to bring. __________ then, a soft glowing light shone through the __________, and the shadowy outline of a/an __________ appeared above them.

Maria and Pablo were afraid, but the angel __________ them, telling them to pick some of the short green __________ that were growing by the road. They should __________ the plants to the church, the angel explained, and place them near the __________ as their gift to the Baby Jesus. Then just as __________ as she had appeared, the angel was gone, __________ Maria and Pablo on the road looking up into the dark sky. Confused but __________, the children filled their __________ with large bunches of the green weeds and hurried to the church.

Chances are the first Monday in September is a day off from school for you. If it is, you can _______ a man named Peter McGuire. Who's Peter McGuire?According to_______   , he's the founding father of Labor Day. On September5, 1882, McGuire led a_______ of 10, 000 workers in New York City一workers who took the day off from their jobs to hold a parade(游行) and a picnic. The_______ came to be known as Labor Day，and the idea_______ throughout the country. In 1887，Oregon became the first state to make it a statewide holiday, on the first Saturday in June. And in 1894，President Grover Cleveland_______ a bill that made . Labor Day a(n)_______ holiday, on the first Monday in September一the date we still celebrate to this day.

Labor Day began as a day for workers to protest, (抗议)_______ poor working conditions一long days, low pay and a lack of job security. Back in Peter McGuire's day, you could be_______ just for calling in sick -________   you were really too sick to work. Twelve-hour workdays were also________   . And workers had only short breaks for meals and other necessities.

McGuire went to work at the age of eleven, ________ newspapers on the streets of New York City. He had to help________ his family. McGuire saw poor working conditions first-hand. And he________ those conditions himself. That urged him to help________ the first trade unions in the United States.

The workers hoped strength in numbers would________ their employers to improve working conditions. They weren't always ________ . But' thanks to their________ the eight-hour workday and the five-day workweek became common practices. So did________ vacations and sick days. As for Labor Day itself, it became a day________   labor for most workers. So thanks to Peter McGuire, Labor Day means a day off from school for you and your teachers.

The British love to think of themselves as polite, and everyone knows how fond they are of their “pleases” and “thank you”. Even the simplest business such as buying a train ticket requires _________ seven or eight of these. Another _________ of our good manners is the queue. New-comers to Britain could be _________ for thinking that queuing rather than football was the _________ national sport. Finally, of course, motorists generally stop at crossings. But does all this mean that the British should consider themselves more _________ than their European neighbours? I think not.

Take forms of address(称呼) for example. The average English person -- _________ he happens to work in a hotel or department store--would rather die than call a stranger “Sir” or “Madam”. _________ in some European countries this is the most basic of common address. Our universal “you” _________ everyone may appear more democratic, but it means that we are forced to seek out complicated ways to express _________. I am all for __________ to the use of “thee” and “thou” (Thee and thou are old-fashioned poetic words for “you”); “you” would be reserved for strangers and professional relationships.

And of course, the English find touching and other shows of friendship truly __________. Have you noticed how the British __________ ever touch? Personally, I find the Latin habit of shaking hands or a friendly kiss quite charming. __________ kissing the average English person, and they will either take two steps backwards in horror, or, if their __________ is blocked you will find your lips touching the back of their head. Now what could be __________ than that?