2 . Group-Centered Societies Have Just as Much Creativity

What does culture have to do with creativity? The answer could be “a lot”. For decades, psychologists trying to understand the roots of creative imaginations have looked at the ways in which two different types of cultures can come to have an effect over its artistic and _________ output. Individualistic cultures encourage people to be unique and to _________ their own interests even if doing so comes at a cost to the group overall. Collectivistic cultures are based on relationships and duties to other people. These types of cultures often _________ the individual’s wants for the needs of those who are close to them or for those in their community.

Individualism has long been thought to have a creative _________. Individualists _________ social convention, the logic goes, and that pushback supports innovation. For instance, around the world, individualistic cultures have more patents than collectivistic cultures do. _________, a new study suggests that these ideas about culture and creativity could be off base. People in collectivistic cultures actually do better with a particular type of creative thinking than those in individualistic cultures. And the findings overall reveal the shortcomings of thinking about innovation too _________.

The new work comes from comparing communities in different parts of China. Though it scores high, as a nation, on measures of cultural _________, China’s 1.4 billion people are more than just a single culture. People from areas north of the Yangtze River tend to be more _________, open to strangers and self-confident, whereas people along the river and farther south are often more inter-dependent, partial to friends over strangers and likely to try harder to __________.

In the new creativity study, researchers investigated innovation with these two groups in mind. The team used a drawing test that had been created by psychologists. They gave kids a sheet of paper with just a few basic elements printed on it: some dots here, squiggles (弯曲的线条) there, and a rectangle that suggested a drawing frame. The children got 15 minutes to use the elements already on the page to draw whatever they wanted. They could get “adaptive creativity” points for doodling in ways that connected the squiggles and lines into an original and __________ image. In addition, a judge checked whether the children chose to incorporate a small shape that could be found just outside the rectangular. This element was easy to __________, so those who included this outside-the-box detail could get points for “boundary-breaking creativity.”

The researchers gave the test to 683 middle school students from north and south of the Yangtze River. When the scientists got the scores back, they discovered that there were no differences in the children’s overall creativity. When they broke down the results into components, they found that students from collectivistic regions scored __________ in adaptive creativity while those from individualistic areas did better in boundary-breaking creativity.

The findings are also a warning against cultural chauvinism (极端民族主义). Western countries have tended to lead the way in innovation — at least as defined by the metrics (指标) we Westerners have created. Perhaps we have been __________ China’s adaptive creativity. For example, while the country may not have invented the assembly line, it is largely thanks to the __________ its people have made to this system that the country has such a thriving manufacturing sector today.

3 . My son Darcy, 10, begged “No more needles”, tears rolling down his cheeks. Seeing him so _______ broke my heart. Darcy had a surgery and the needle would provide a blood transfusion (输血). It looked like the _______ was successful, but Darcy only got sicker.

Darcy often asked, “Mom, when can I see my _______?” “Soon, sweetie,” I’d reply. But with a weak immune (免疫的) system, it was _______ for him to return to school. At first, my words seemed _______ but as the months passed, I watched as Darcy became _______. While he was in hospital, his friends were enjoying their lives without him. I could _______ he was giving up.

I consulted the school about _______ Darcy’s education in the hope of creating more _______ for him and I got the reply “If he’s well enough”. At that point, I wondered if this had happened to thousands of kids around the country. __________, a year later, Darcy got better enough to go back to school!

One day, I talked with some friends, who had __________ kids too. We all agreed that there should be a way to keep them in the classroom __________ with their mates, even if they can’t __________ be there. Later, we got to know some sort of robot, which could just __________ the need. I then became a fundraiser and finally launched a national pilot program. A mother’s pure love now __________ to all children.

5 . A teacher gave his students a test. Most of the students finished all the questions without much effort _______they all read the last one which was “What is the first name of the woman who _______ the school? ”

All of the students thought that this question was some kind of _______. They had all seen the cleaning woman many times during each day at school. It was _______ that she was tall and old, but how would they know her _______?

So they all _______ their test paper, leaving the last question _______. Just before the class ended, one of the students asked if the last question would count toward the results of the _______.

“_______”said the teacher.

He went on to say, “In your lives and careers, you will ________ many people and they are ________individual, so they each are worth your ________ and care, even if all you do is ________and say “Hello”.

Over the following days each of the students ________ the importance of finding out the name of the cleaner and introduced themselves. They all learned that cleaner’s name was Dorothy and they never forgot the ________ that everyone is important.

6 . Young boys often dream of superpowers to solve their problems. It was 1933, while the country was still ________the Great Depression, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster put their ________ down on paper. In the process, they created the world’s most popular superhero, Superman.

Joe was the artist and sketched all the time, ________ out at newsstands absorbed in magazines, especially “Amazing Stories,” and then ________ to recreate them at home. Jerry was the storyteller. The idea of Superman ________upon him in the middle of a sleepless summer night. When the Superman’s origin story started ________ , he dashed over to Joe’s place and showed it to him. Then they just sat down, and worked straight out.

As is often the case, when we experience something ________ in life, we deal with the feeling through ________expression. Jerry’s father had died during a robbery. A young child might ________ that experience by wishing something could have ________   it. For Jerry, out came the Man of Steel, who was ________ to bullets and protecting innocent people was his ________.

The story of Superman has inspired kids for generations. It has ________   their fears and driven their dreams. Most   ________   , the Man of Steel has inspired us all to find our superpower and use them to help others. Therefore, the next time you are inspired to ________   a friend from being bullied, or help the widow next door with your superpower smile, thank Joe and Jerry, two awkward high school kids who dreamt up Superman—making the world a little more safe and fair.

8 . One day last summer, my 9-year-old son Ben and I were riding the waves at a popular ocean beach on outer Cape Cod. As we were playing happily with our surfboard, I suddenly noticed an astonishing _________—some whales were spouting (喷水) well within view of where we _________.

We stared and pointed in _________. “Ben, can you believe it?” I cried. “We’re swimming with the whales!” “Mom,” Ben said in reply, “we’re _________ swimming with the whales. This is their habitat, not ours!”

Ben’s words took my breath away, more than the dramatic waves and the amazing sight of the _________.

He was absolutely _________, of course. These whales live in the waters off Cape Cod. This is their _________—one that we visit, love and protect. So when we set foot into a _________ space, it’s meaningful and important to _________ that we are visiting something that is beautiful and enjoyable to us, but is not __________ for us.

We each have a part to play in __________ space. When we acknowledge our coexistence, as Ben __________, we set ourselves up for success in how we interact with each other. This is as __________ in the vastness of the ocean as it is in our __________ where we live, work, play and serve.

How we __________ and support each other in this vast ocean of life—that’s up to us.

9 . Wu Ming, a young German born after 1995, is a big fan of Chinese culture. As he thought some diseases can’t be treated _______ with Western medicine, he decided to _______traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In 2015, Wu came to Henan province, where a strong TCM culture can be _______. After a year of learning, he _______ the language barrier and started to learn Chinese medicine. Wu always _______ some Chinese herbal medicine by himself to know their flavours and effects, just like Shen Nong, a character in Chinese legend. In Wu’s opinion, TCM is one of the best-preserved _______ of Chinese culture.

Studying TCM also _______ Wu’s mind and lifestyle. He used to be _______ to electronic devices, playing video games every night. Instead of being trapped in the fast-paced but unhealthy daily _______, he now lives a(n) ________ and peaceful life, practicing good habits like drinking tea and reading.

Wu ________ what he has learned to help his family. He always provides his family members with some advice about staying fit after ________ their skin or tongues online. Over time, his family gradually began to understand his ________ for TCM.

Wu thinks there’s no big difference between China and Western countries. “________ comes from being out of touch”, said Wu. He plans to run a traditional Chinese clinic in Germany, which could serve as a(n) ________ between the two countries and publicize TCM and its culture.