中級閱讀模擬測驗　第三十回

Every spring the small town of Baxter holds a 11 that fills the main street with music and color. The event began in 1925 as a simple 12 of the end of winter, and it has grown ever since. Dancers in bright costumes 13 from the church to the river, followed by children carrying paper flowers. Older residents say the 14 has hardly changed in a hundred years: the same songs, the same route, the same hot soup afterwards. This year the mayor will also 15 three families who have taken part every single year.

In many cultures a 16 is not only a sad goodbye but also a quiet 17 of love and respect. Guests wear dark clothes, speak softly, and give the family a long 18 before they leave. In some places, however, the 19 way of saying farewell is changing. Families now play the songs the person loved, show old photographs on a screen, and hold the whole gathering 20 in a garden instead of in a dark hall. Younger relatives say the new style feels honest; older ones sometimes murmur that something valuable is quietly being lost.