A samovar is a traditional Russian water boiler that can also brew（煮）tea. It played     1     important part in Russian history and was a central part of Russian family life for a very long time. There is a very old samovar in my home. It belonged     2     my great-grandmother’s great-grandmother.

Almost 200 years ago, my great-grandmother’s great-grandmother was trying to survive another freezing Russian winter when she heard about a new invention     3     (call) a “samovar”, which means “self-boiler” in Russian. In her family, they could only boil water on their big stove. The new samovar could make it much     4     (easy) to boil the water with much less fuel and could be transported anywhere.     5    they were poor, they decided to use their savings to invest in a samovar. So early one cold winter morning, she set out to a     6     (distance) town. After four hours of struggling through snow, she found the town and quickly bundled her new samovar into her sack and     7     (hurry) home. The samovar was then     8     (proud) placed in her main room and     9     (be) in use by my family ever since, true.

It’s true. Every time we have a special occasion in my family, out comes the family samovar. The samovar symbolises happiness, and it’s the most important thing     10     I want to keep in my family forever!

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.

Most people relate "You are what you eat." To healthy eating. It     1    （actual）refers to personality, character, and culture, Chinese cuisine is a case in point. When introduced to America, it     2    （change）to suit American tastes, which tells us Americans like trying new foods.

Later, I visited China and     3    （experience）authentic Chinese food. In Beijing, we ate in a restaurant where the chef treated us to dinner     4    （consist）of Sichuan peppercorns. It was wonderful but what was even more important was the friendship. In Shandong Province, we had     5    （boil）dumplings with vinegar. I found making dumplings is always an affair with the whole family. In South China and central China, I experienced local dishes from Guangdong's elegant dim sum to the     6    （exception）stewed noodles in Henan. Through food, Chinese people everywhere show friendship and kindness. At     7    minimum, the kinds of food     8    （consume）by local people tell us what they grow in their region, what kinds of lives they lead, and     9    they like and do not like.

All in all, culture and cuisine go hand     10    hand, and if you do not experience one, you can never really know the other.

【推荐2】    1     we all know, cultural relics belong     2     the people all over the world. Nowadays, more and more people are interested in the topic about     3     to protect cultural relics such as places of interest, old city     4     (wall), folk arts and so on. Some even advise     5     (devote) to new culture exhibitions in order to educate the public. As     6     matter of fact, the Chinese government has been     7     (concern) about the topic and     8     (take) measures. At the same time, more and more foreigners are coining to enjoy Chinese culture,    9     we are sure the interest in Chinese relics abroad will be     10     (great).