WhenwethinkofChristmas，weprobablythinkof（16）___，ChristmastreesandSantaClaus．ButbehindallthesethingsliesthetruemeaningofChristmas：theimportanceofsharingandgivingloveandjoytopeoplearoundus．ThestoryinA
When wethink of Christmas，we probably think of （16）___，Christmas trees and Santa Claus．But behind all these things lies the true meaning of Christmas：the importance of sharing and giving love and joy to people around us．The story in A Christmas Carol is perhaps the best example of this．
A ChristmasCarol is a famous short novel written by British writer Charles Dickens （1812-1870）．It is about an old man （17）___ Scrooge who never laughs or smiles．He only thinks about himself and is （18）___ to share things with others．He doesn't treat others nicely．He just cares about whether he can （19）___ and he hates Christmas．One Christmas Eve，Scrooge sees the ghost of Jacob Marley，his dead business partner．Marley used to be just like Scrooge，so he was （20）___ after he died．He warns Scrooge to change his ways if he doesn't want to end up like him．He also tells Scrooge to expect （21）___ ghosts to visit him．
That （22）___，theghosts visit Scrooge．First，the Ghost of Christmas Past takes him back to his childhood and reminds him （23）___ his happy days as a child．Then the second ghost，the Ghost of Christmas Present，takes him to see （24）___ others are spending Christmas this year．Everyone is happy，even poor people．The last one，the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come，takes him to the （25）___．Scrooge sees that he is dead，but nobody cares．He is so （26）___ that he wakesupin his bed and finds out it is only the next morning-Christmas Day!
Scrooge decidesto change his life and （27）___ to be a kind person．He （28）___ celebrates Christmas with his relatives．He also gives gifts to people in need．He now treats （29）___ withkindness and warmth，spreading love and joy everywhere he goes．And that is the true （30）___ of Christmas!
16．A．prizesB．giftsC．fireworksD．tricks17．A．namesB．namingC．namedD．to name18．A．unwillingB．gladC．ready