In much of Asia, especially the so-called “rice bowl” cultures of China, Japan, Korea,     1     Vietnam, food is usually eaten with chopsticks.

Chopsticks are usually two long, thin     2    (piece) of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. Sometimes chopsticks are quite artistic. Truly elegant chopsticks might     3    (make) of gold and silver with Chinese characters. Skilled workers also combine carious hardwoods and metal     4    (create) special designs.

The Chinese have used chopsticks for five thousand years. People probably cooked     5    (they) food in large pots,     6    (use) twigs (树枝) to remove it. Over time, as     7     population grew, people began cutting food into small pieces so it would cook more quickly. Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs which gradually turned into chopsticks.

Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius,     8     lived from roughly 551 to 479 B. C., definitely influenced the development of chopsticks. Confucius believed knives would remind people of killing and     9    (be) too violent for use at the table.

Chopsticks are not used everywhere in Asia. In India, for example, most people     10    (tradition) eat with hands.

It seems that Chinese people have always loved to discuss     1     differences between northerners and southerners. Now, another difference has drawn wide attention: the way northerners and southerners shop for food at markets.

People from southern China normally buy     2     they need for just one or two meals at a time. It’s normal for them to buy just half a Chinese cabbage, two     3    (potato) and 25 grams of beef at a time.     4    , a person may be laughed at if they do this in the north. Instead, buying enough vegetables and meat for a week     5    (be) normal.

The difference could be because     6     the different climates. Food can     7    (keep) for a long time in the north, as it’s     8    (usual) cold and dry there. Many northerners have the habit of     9    (store) food for a long time. But due to the hot and wet weather in the south, southern Chinese people prefer     10    (buy) just enough food for one meal or one day. Otherwise, the food may go bad.

Maybe these debates about different customs help us to understand each other better.

This season millions of Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving Day with turkeys on the table. But the turkeys can't     1    （consider）to have changed American culture more than their cousin，the chicken.

When English settlers arrived at Jamestown，they     2    （bring）some chickens. However，the popularity of chickens soon disappeared because plenty of much tastier native animals appeared. But slaves who were not allowed     3    （raise）horses，cattle or pigs benefited from the fact，especially those coming from West Africa，    4     raising chickens had a long history. Many slaves could make money     5     raising chickens. At that time black cooks were in a position to influence their masters'     6    （choose）of dishes，and they     7    （nature）favored the chicken raised by their friends and relatives（亲戚）.One of the West African dishes     8    （prefer）by white people was chicken pieces fried in oil-a dish that now，around the world，is considered American.

Nowadays chicken is cheap, and it has become Americans' favorite meat. In the land of the hamburger, we eat     9    ( much) of it than beef.

So as we celebrate and give thanks this season, take     10     moment to consider the chicken. The bird that gets little respect is the creature that has given us more than we know.

The Hezhen is one of the smallest minorities in China. Early Hezhen people developed methods     1     producing clothes, bedding and thread out of fish skin. But over time, there has been a loss of Hezhen culture, including     2     (make) clothing from the skin of fish. Besides, few young Hezhen wanted to learn the skill. Fish-skin clothing is also not     3     Hezhen people wear today.

Knowing this, You Wenfeng, a now 68-year-old woman, started to share her knowledge with local Han Chinese women in the 1990s. Her followers also learn the Yimakan,     4     kind of storytelling that uses both speeches and songs in the Hezhen language. They also memorize songs sung by the Hezhen people. For environmental     5     (protect), You Wenfeng has decided to buy fish from the market and use a special sewing tool and cotton thread. The first step is to remove the fish's skin     6     (cautious) and dry it. The skin is then repeatedly passed through wooden “teeth” to soften it. The process takes a month, and sewing it then requires about twenty     7     (many) days.

So far, fish leather     8     (inspire) some high-end clothing design houses, including Dior and Prada, to use it in their clothes. But the material     9     (be) still not common. In 2006, Hezhen fish skin clothing was listed by China as intangible cultural heritage（非物质文化遗产）, which means a special effort is made     10     (preserve) the tradition.

Grand Canyon National Park has more than six million visitors every year. Tourism brings much-needed money to American Indians in the Grand Canyon area.

To the east of the national park    1    (lie )the Navajo Nation. The Navajo and other tribes view the place    2    two rivers meet there as sacred.Developers asked the Navajo for    3    (permit)to build a tramway, hotels, and restaurants in the area. The issue divided the Navajo community. Some people wanted the economic benefits. Others saw the plan as    4    (damage ) to their culture, and    5    (concern) about its environmental effect. In February 2018, the Navajo voted to refuse the plan. Sarana Riggs is a member of the Navajo Nation and the Grand Canyon Trust, a group that works    6    (preserve) the region. “There is always a need for    7    (economy)development, ”she says.“The question is:How can the Navajo tap into tourism    8    a sustainable way?”“The millions of tourists who come to Grand Canyon National Park each year are bound to have    9    effect,”says Cobb. But she believes those visitors will appreciate the park's history and beauty, and    10    (inspire ) to protect it. “People who visit national parks love them,” she says.