Chinese was formally announced an     1     (office) language of the United Nations World Tourism Organization on January 25.

That means the organization will use the Chinese language,     2     will improve China’s soft power in global tourism and, by extension, the cultural domain (领域). It will advance the growth of China’s tourism,     3     (encourage) other countries to adopt its policies. Also, tourist places in China will get more exposure.     4    (consequence), the number of people learning Chinese will definitely grow.

There are two main reasons     5     that. First, Chinese cultural and tourism authorities     6     (promote) Chinese culture for long. As far back as in 2006, Spring Festival was listed as a national cultural heritage (遗产) and given special protection. Now, there are numerous influential festival lists in the world and almost all of them list the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. Many even list     7     at the top. Second, the year-on-year growth in the number of Chinese tourists before 2020 has played     8     important part in promoting the Chinese language and culture. Globally, Chinese faces have become common at scenic spots. That has a lot to do     9     China’s improving economy and the constantly rising per capital income (人均收入).

With China’s comprehensive capability (综合实力) increasing, it is expected that its influence in other soft power domains will also grow in the years     10    (come).

Besides words, we use-body language to express our thoughts and opinions in our interaction with other people. We can lean a lot about     1     people are thinking by watching their body language.

Body language     2     (vary) from culture to culture. It is crucial     3     (use) body language in a way that is appropriate to the culture     4     you are. For example, making eye contact-looking into someone’s eyes--in some countries is a way to display interest. In other countries,     5     contrast, eye contact is not always approved of.

The gesture for “ok” has different meanings in different cultures. In Japan,“Ok” means money, while in France, it means zero. Even the gestures we use for “yes” and “no” differ around the world. In many countries,     6     (shake) one’s head means “no”, and nodding means “yes”. By     7     (compare), in Bulgaria and southern Albania, the gestures have the opposite meaning. There are also differences in how we touch each other, how close we stand to someone we     8     (talk) to, and how we act when we meet or part. Some gestures seem to have the     9     (identify) meaning everywhere. Some body language has many different uses. Perhaps the     10     (good) example is smiling.

Different cultures communicate in very different ways. In Asia, people use lots of body language, facial expressions, and silence     1     (express) meaning. For instance, in Japan, it might be     2     (normal) viewed as rude to directly object to a statement. However, in the West, speaking directly is not only normal but valued. People place     3     (much) focus on the actual words being used than on cues (暗示) of body language.

Additionally, in China, it is common for someone to smile when they don’t understand something. This could be     4     (confuse) for a Westerner who might think this means the listener understands and agrees with     5     is being said.

Another communicative feature     6     is viewed differently across the world is interruptions (插嘴). In many     7     (part) of the West, interrupting another person when they are speaking is considered to be rude. However, in some African and Latin American countries, it is viewed as a means to join and actively participate in the conversation.

Even within     8     same continent (洲), cultures can vary from country to country. For example, in the UK, it is very common to say “please” and “thank you” to someone     9     (serve) you in a shop or restaurant, but in Spain, these expressions     10    (hear) much less often and are reserved more for requesting or receiving kindness.

Gestures can     1     (use) to express people's thoughts and opinions in their interactions     2     other people,     3     means we can learn a lot about     4     people are thinking by watching their body language. However, in different countries the same gesture may have different meanings. For example, in some countries, looking into the eyes of the person you are talking to     5     (be) a way to display interest, but in many Middle Eastern countries men and women should avoid     6     (make) eye contact. In most countries,     7     (shake) one's head means "no," and nodding means "yes." By contrast, in Bulgaria and southern Albania, the gestures have the opposite meaning. In countries like France and Russia, people may kiss their friends on     8     cheek when they meet. Elsewhere, people favour shaking hands, bowing from the waist, or nodding the head when they meet someone else.

All in all, body language     9     (vary) from culture to culture, but it is safe     10     (follow) the golden rule—When in Rome, do as the Romans do.