Falling leaves and cold wind show the arrival（到达）of another season. Nov. 7 is Lidong. It is a Chinese word for one of the 24 solar terms（节气）. It________the start of the winter.

To welcome Lidong, people have many colorful________that light up the cold days.

One of the most popular customs is to have a big meal. Winter is believed to be the season for storage（储藏）.________well helps people store energy to beat the cold in winter, and prepare for the growth in the coming spring. In the north, people prefer eating dumplings. The Chinese word for dumpling—jiao（饺）,has a________pronunciation as the word “change”—jiao（交）. Eating dumplings means celebrating the change of autumn to winter,________in the south, eating chick, duck and fish is common.

Throughout history, Lidong was________a time for people to store vegetables. There were not many fresh vegetables to eat in the winter. Therefore, around Lidong some people________the north began to store vegetables like cabbages and green onions in the cellar（地窖）underground. When it was time for cooking, fathers________the cellar with a basket tied to one end of a rope kids were happy to wait beside the cellar holding________end of the rope. When fathers filled the basketball with vegetables, kids helped to pull it out.

However, nowadays some of the customs have faded away（消失）. Most people buy________vegetables in the supermarket. Instead, new winter customs are born in certain places.

Fall has finally arrived. The weather is getting a bit cold and the leaves are changing their colors. Before we________it, the last signs of summer will be gone. Each country has its own way to celebrate fall. China celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival every year. During this holiday, it is a tradition for________to get together to enjoy the moon and eat mooncakes. Do other counties have fall traditions? The US has many, in fact. From enjoying________leaves to picking up apples, fall is a fun time in this country.

When fall arrives, the leaves of different kinds of trees change their colors________. Some will turn bright red, while others will be yellow or green. In some parts of the US, it is popular to have a “color________”. Families will get in their cars and drive around the countryside（乡村）, looking at all the beautiful colors of the trees.

As the leaves change color, they also fall to the ground and make the yards messy. People have to rake（用耙子耙）their yards to keep them________. They will rake these leaves into piles（堆）, and kids can then________into the leaves to play. It’s quite fun!

Apple picking is another fun family tradition for many American families. Outside of New York city, owners of farms and orchards often________customers（顾客）to “pick your own”. Customers will be charged by weight when they leave. This apple picking activity gives families a good chance to experience farm life. Apple pie, spiced apple cider（苹果酒）.

In most parts of China, spring is very short. It usually comes in February___________March. Summer is often very hot. It lasts___________May to July. Autumn begins___________August and it lasts for three months, too. The weather in autumn is___________cool. Winter begins in November. It also lasts for three months. The weather in winter is very cold. It often snows in some___________in China.