In many Asian cultures,     1     shows respect. It is done when talking with anyone     2     or with anyone older.

Habits like this can     3     when people do not understand them.     4    , an Asian might close his eyes     5     or look down while listening to a speaker. A Western speaker might think the man is not interested.

2 . Music

Everyone has the inborn ability to understand and enjoy music. Since the beginning, humans     1    (express) themselves through music.

I recently had a chance to experience conversation through music. In 2008, I    2     (travel) to Manila, Philippines to participate in a high school jazz exchange     3     many students from all over Asia came together to share their talents. Everyone was mixed into different small groups to prepare for a concert at the end of week. Although     4     people spoke fluent English, everyone seemed to understand each other simply through the music and there were few times where direct translation     5    (need). At the performance, every group played for a live audience. During my group’s performance, I was able to improvise(合奏) with a Korean boy     6     spoke very little English. But we managed to have a conversation through our instruments. It was     7     great experience.