Have you heard from Singles’ Day (November 11) in China? Many people stay up lately, shopping online to get big savings. Well, the US has something like it calling Black Friday.

Black Friday is one of the bigger shopping days in the US. It always fell on the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. On Black Friday, stores will offer special deal, just like Singles’ Day in China. Shoppers will often wake up very early to wait in the line at stores after they open. Sometimes, the crowds will be such big that it is impossible get inside the store. People sometimes fight over things because there are only a few left.

World Read Aloud Day is celebrated each year on the first Wednesday of March. It 【小题1】 (start) by the Lit World. org website in 2010 and has now reached 65 countries. 【小题2】 (it) aim is to encourage people worldwide who cannot read to enjoy the benefits of a book. The website asks everyone 【小题3】 ( celebrate) the day by taking a book, finding an audience, and reading out aloud. It is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people.

The website asks visitors to join in the movement to reduce 【小题4】 number of illiterate（不识字的）people in the world. It is 【小题5】（absolute）necessary to help those who cannot read. The website says，"It's time to start by reading aloud to 【小题6】 might like it. Share a book with a child who might need it，share a story with someone who would treasure it，listen patiently 【小题7】 someone else's story as they share it with you." The United Nations says，"Literacy（有读写能力）involves a variety of learning in 【小题8】（be）able to let individuals achieve their goals，to develop their knowledge，【小题9】 participate fully in society." In that way，World Read Aloud Day does help make a 【小题10】（different）.

   Why do people give gifts in the first place? Throughout the world, many culture _______ special holiday with gifts and food. Holiday _______ bring people together and allow us to feel a part of the family and community. The gifts and food that we share are about _______ a sense of gratitude and joy.

The gifts of a few generations ago were _______ more useful and homemade. Even the people who could _______ wonderful presents probably didn’t do as much buying and spending as we do today. Our culture has grown more _______, and gift giving has become a booming industry. Sometimes the _______ meaning behind the tradition gets lost, and the gift giving _______ a life of its own.

Not only is the pressure on spending money on the right _______, but many people also find that when gifts become the central point of a holiday, they put too much ________ on receiving, too. It’s all too ________ to have high expectations of what’s in that beautifully wrapped box — but that can set anyone up for ________.

When the materialistic aspects of the holiday overshadow (使显得较不重要) its ________, it can leave people feeling empty and ________ for something more. It’s no wonder that we often hear about people having the “holiday blues” — feeling sad or empty instead of feeling ________ and fulfilled (满足的).

Not all people think the holidays are too materialistic, of course. Most ________ the traditional aspects of the holidays, like getting together and ________ with friends and family. And some love shopping and are ________ fine with all the giving and receiving.

But if you’re feeling a little ________ about the holidays, what can you do? One way to take back the holiday ________ is to focus on traditions and service — putting real meaning into your giving.