1 . Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing （令人疑惑的）. A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They decided that misunderstandings and miscommunications were always possible, even over something as simple as “yes” and “no”.

On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought people weren’t paying any attention to her. The day was hot. She went into a store and asked, “Do you have cold drinks? ” The woman there didn’t say anything. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She had raised her eyebrows （眉毛）, which in Micronesia means “yes”.

Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was known for its cabbage. She asked the waiter,   “Do you have cabbage today? ” He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.

Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. They answered with different nods （点头）and shakes （摇头） of the head. He thought some people had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean “yes” or “no”.

Many foreigners move to China because of strong interest in its culture. One man turned his interest into love and this love made     1     write many books about China. He is William, an English man who has lived in China for 33 years. His Chinese name is Pan Weilian. His Chinese friends     2     him “Lao Pan”.

In 1988 Lao Pan first came to China and     3     as a teacher at a university. But Lao Pan did not begin to understand China     4     he and his family took a 3-month drive around the country. In     5     to let more people in other countries know about China, Lao Pan began to write books. And these experiences(经历) in China offer good ideas     6     him for his books. These books give the world a fuller picture of China and Lao Pan is     7     of what he is doing.

Lao Pan’s new book includes(包括) his forty-seven     8     to his family back in England. The letters show China’s development in different periods. Lao Pan often says he loves China     9     its people so much. He sees it as a little-long task to let more Westerners know     10     China is like. He will continue telling the nation’s stories to the world.

4 . A French boy went to London for his holiday. He thought, “I know a little English. I think people can ________ me.” One day, he went to a restaurant and ________ at the table. He wanted to ________ a cup of tea and some eggs. Soon the waiter came up to him, and asked, “Can I help you?” “A cup of tea and…” He could not remember how to say eggs ________ English.

He ________, but nobody was eating eggs. Then he saw a picture book on the table next to him. He was ________after seeing a picture of a cock(公鸡) in the book. He ________ the picture to the waiter. “What’s this in English?” he asked. “A cock,” answered the waiter. “What do you call a cock’s wife?” he asked again. “A hen.” “And what do you call a hen’s ________?” “Chicks(小鸡).” “And what do you call chicks ________ they’re born?” “Eggs.”

“Very well,” said the French boy ________. “Bring me two eggs and a cup of tea, please.” And he sat down with a smile on his face.

6 . Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing (令人迷惑的). A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They decided that miscommunications (沟通误解) were always possible, even over something as simple as “yes” and “no”.

On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific (太平洋), Lisa thought people weren’t paying any attention to her. The day was hot. She went into a store and asked, “Do you have cold drinks?” The woman there didn’t say anything. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She had raised her eyebrows (眉毛), which in Micronesia means “yes”.

Jenny remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was famous for its cabbage. She asked the waiter, “Do you have cabbage today?” He nodded his head. Jenny waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.

Tom had a parallel problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. They answered with many different nods and shakes of the head. He thought some people had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean “yes” or “no”.

8 . Giant pandas are China’s ambassadors(大使) and are loved by people around the world. This year, Xiang Xiang, Yong Ming and some other pandas come back home from foreign countries like Japan. From early 1960s, China stopped giving away pandas as gifts because they were getting fewer and fewer. In the 1990s, China started to send pandas to foreign countries again. Today about 60 pandas live abroad.

You may have a question: How do foreign zoos meet the pandas’ needs? Wei Rongping, the head of the Wolong Shenshuping panda base(基地), tells CRI Online that foreign zoos have a lot to do to keep giant pandas. For example, there must be a healthy and safe environment(环境) for pandas to live in.

To welcome pandas Xing Ya and Wu Wen, Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen, Netherlands(荷兰雷嫩) builds a Chinese-style panda house named Pandasia. It has a small hospital for sick pandas, a cold room to store bamboo and a nursery(儿童房) room for baby pandas.

Also, a giant panda may eat 12 to 38 kilograms of bamboo in a day. The zoo must give pandas enough food. Pandas Si Hai and Jing Jing traveled to AI Khor Park in Qatar in 2022.Every week, the park buys 1000 kg of fresh bamboo from their hometown, Sichuan. Workers at the park also learn the Sichuan dialect(方言) to better talk to the pandas.

Living away from your country can be a really unforgettable experience. But at the same time, it has very important effects on your life.     1    

The major effect, and also a very common one, is that once you start a regular life away from home, you miss everything.     2     Little things like sitting on a Sunday morning watching TV alone instead of having a nice chat with your mom make you realize how valuable your family really is.

    3     Since you are living in a place with different customs and traditions from yours, you have to be able to develop yourself in conditions which you are not used to. This means making new friends, accepting different opinions, and catching every opportunity you have to go to new places.

The most significant（显著的）effect of living away from home is the independence that grows inside you. Living far from home, even for a short period of time, can be really hard at the beginning. There is no one else to clean your room, or wash your clothes.     4    

Living on your own far from your family gives you a lot of experience of organizing your life.     5     You will eventually learn to feel thankful for everything you have.