Body language is an important form of communication that is used everywhere, a    1     we don’t often think about it. Some messages are understood by people around the world just because they are not c    2     by words. For example, in many countries, people nod their heads to show agreement and they put their fingers up to their mouths to ask for s    3    .

H    4    , body language is used differently in different cultures. For example, in some western cultures, people shrug (耸肩) their shoulders to show they don’t understand or they don’t care about something. This isn’t common in o    5     places. In Japan, people b    6     to show respect (尊敬) when they greet each other or say goodbye. This isn’t done in the West.     

Sometimes, people think they know about the body language customs of certain cultures, but in fact, they don’t know enough. Kissing is an example that we need to l    7     about. In many European cultures, women and children are kissed on each cheek (脸颊) by family members or friends when they m    8     in the street. New friends are often greeted with a kiss on the cheek by Europeans at parties. In the Middle East, you must be c    9     about your feet. It is very rude to show the bottom of your shoes when you rest one leg on t    10     of the other. It is also not polite to touch people with your shoes.

So, as we can see, body language is just as important as spoken language when we communicate with people from other cultures.

2 . Paris is the capital of France. Its subway is very special (特别的). You can enjoy its culture (文化) when you are in this city.

Look, you can see many people listening to music with their headsets (耳机) on the subway. When they are on the subway or at the station, there is always a book in the hand, too.

The subway station in Paris is not big. However, each of them has its special things. Some stations look like ships. Some have clothes, hats and shoes. And every station has a big ad picture. But many of them are for selling clothes and cosmetics (化妆品).

You can meet some beggars (乞丐) on the subway. But the beggars on the Paris subway are also very special. They enjoy playing the violin or guitar. After playing, it is natural (自然的) for them to go around the train and ask you for some money. They think they should get the money because of their show.

If you want to learn more about Paris, go to the subway and enjoy its culture by yourself.

3 . In America, it is not polite to telephone someone very early in the morning. The time of the call shows that the matter is very _________ and requires quick reply. It is the same to _________ telephone calls after 11 p.m. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he thinks it’s a matter of life and _______. The time chosen for the call communicates its importance.

In social life, time ________ a very important part. In America, guests may ________ that they are not highly respected (尊重) if they get the invitation to a dinner party only three or four days before the party date. But it is not the _______ in all countries. In other parts of the world, it maybe ________ foolish to make an appointment too early because it is easy to be forgotten.

The ________ of time is different in different parts of the world. So misunderstandings happen between people from cultures that treat time differently. To be on time is valued ________ in American life. For example, if people are not on time, others may think they are impolite. In the United States, no one would keep a business partner ________ an hour because it would be too impolite. A person who is five minutes late will say a few words of explanation to show his apology.

Most Chinese people like drinking tea. In fact, tea is the ________ popular drink after water. There are many kinds of tea in China like black tea, green tea, white tea and oolong tea.

Chinese people use tea in both medicine and food. Some people say they can’t live three days ________ drinking tea. So we can know how ________ tea is in China.

There are many teahouses in China. Drinking tea and serving tea are ________. Tea ceremony (茶道) is ________ in China. And it is now getting ________ for Chinese people to learn it. And many people from other countries begin to learn tea ceremony, too. A cup of tea is almost a(n) ________ of Chinese culture.

The tea-drinking habit in the UK is ________ from that in China. British people ________ afternoon tea. Afternoon tea is between lunch and dinner. It is the third meal in a day. Most English people like to put ________ into tea. Some may put honey, or even cream into tea. But most Chinese people only like to drink tea with nothing in it.

No matter how people enjoy their tea, tea is really part of their life.

Gift-giving is an important part of all human societies. Gifts can express how we feel, but they can also pass on messages that we didn’t plan to give. So gift-giving manners in any culture should be dealt with carefully.

In some cultures that think highly of gift-giving, there is a ritual (仪式) in the giving and receiving of gifts. In Japan, for example, gifts are both given and received using both hands. The giver says something like “It isn’t much, but I want to show my appreciation (感激)”.     1     Then the receiver will accept the gift and put it away to be opened later.

The choice of gifts is important, naturally, and in some cultures it’s easy to offend (冒犯) a person by giving the wrong gift.     2     For example, a gift of a knife in Brazil or an umbrella in China might be seen as the ending of a relationship.

The relationship between the giver and the receiver can also tell us what kind of gift is suitable. For example, in the United States, gifts such as perfume (香水) are only given to women by boyfriends or husbands.     3    

Although the culture of gift-giving is different from one society to another, they all have an idea in common: In any country, when choosing gifts we must always consider the message we wish to show with the gift and think about whether or not it is suitable for the receiver.    4     Your gift will be valued if it shows consideration and respect for the receiver’s culture.

8 . This year’s Spring Festival falls on Jan 22, marking the ending of the year of the Tiger. In this year, many couples gave birth to their “tiger baby”, which they think has a good meaning. Do you know anyone born in the Year of the Tiger? What’s their personality like?     1     If so, then they are a typical “tiger”.

In Chinese culture, tigers are considered the king of all beasts. They symbolize power, energy, protection, generosity and unpredictability (难以捉摸). Tigers are regarded as fearless creatures.     2     Tigers have an important cultural significance not just in China, but across Asia. As they mostly live in Asia, for many people in the West they have become a cultural symbol of Eastern countries.     3     In the book Life of Pi (少年派的奇幻漂流), Canadian writer Yann Martel chose a Bengal tiger (孟加拉虎) as the partner for Indian boy Pi on his survival adventure in the Pacific Ocean.

    4     Brave warriors were given the name the “lion”. In Europe, the animal is a national emblem (象征) for England as well as for Norway, Spain, Belgium and 13 other countries.

But in the West, tigers are also seen as a very powerful animal.     5     Another famous phrase is: “Eye of the Tiger”, which means fierceness and strength.

Just like tigers serve as a symbol of protection in Chinese culture, we can only hope that in the Year of the Tiger more people can learn about tigers and help protect them and their habitats from further destruction.

10 . Different countries have different body language. ________ you go to another country, it is a great help if you know the language and some of the customs (习俗) of the country.

When people ________ each other for the first time in Britain, they ________ “Hello!” or “Nice to meet you!”, and shake hands. Usually they do not shake hands when they just meet or say goodbye. ________ they shake hands after they haven’t met ________ a long time or when they will be away from each other for a long time.

Last year a group of German ________ went to England for a holiday. Their teacher ________ them that English people hardly (几乎不) shake hands. So when they met their English friends at the station, they kept their ________ behind their backs (背). The English students ________ that the Germans shake hands often, so they put ________ hands in front and got ready to shake hands with them. It made both of them laugh (笑).