2 . My interest in Chinese Kunqu opera began when I was eleven. It is the age when one can first ______ its words and start collecting them. I copied the great words into a notebook because I enjoyed the imaginative ______. Then, I ______ to notice the tones(腔调)and appreciate the melody. I understand that Kunqu opera is not only what’s written-—it is also the ______, the dance moves and the headdress(头饰).

I grew up in a northern town with no Kunqu opera performances. Thus, I never ______ I could learn and perform it myself ______ I attended Saturday classes. At that time I was ______ and often got up before 5 am to go to class. My training ______ basics, like walking onstage. I realized that the many requirements on the form are the only way to artistic ______. Performers put in so much effort to show how ______ effortless(不费力的) they are onstage.

I continue to ______ Kunqu opera after moving to the US for college. This ancient art form has been ______ with my studies and creations in modern ______ and poetry. When people ask me why Kunqu opera is connected with my ______ and with the Western art world today, I say that, its ______ and influences(影响) will never disappear.

Kunqu opera has a magical power, which means I’m willing to step into different art forms. Thanks to this cultural heritage(遗产), I know I have la home within myself.

4 . Third Culture Kids

As more cities and companies become increasingly international, there is a growing number for children that are creating their own sub-culture. Often ________ to as TCKs (Third Culture Kids) or Global Nomads, these students have a tremendous impact on the global community.

So who are these Third Culture Kids? They are not a new phenomenon. As one looks ________ history, there is a realization that certain groups of people have led highly ________ lives, a key factor in describing TCKs. They often ________ their parents into another country and spend a significant part of his or her development years outside the parents’ culture. They are ________ to new cultures and to people in the community who also move constantly. Their numbers ________ into the hundreds of thousands and are increasing. Each of travel and constant ________ of people through multinational companies and global business links contribute to this ________. The question “Who am I?” is frequently asked by TCKs. They have accumulated a host of cultural ________, and have built relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership of any. Although elements from each culture are absorbed into TCKs’ life experiences, the sense of ________ is in relationship to others of a similar background.

As you enter into the world of TCKs, one might suspect they are not different. But it is clear, after spending only a short time with them, that they bring a deep knowledge from inside and a special ability to compare international and ________ issues. They represent many countries and cultures. They are the future cross-agriculturalist and ________ future politicians, diplomats, government employees and educators.

They certainly experience a different lifestyle compared to their mono-cultural peers but we can benefit from their ________ and professional lives. So, whatever one chooses to ________ the international students as--TCKs, Global Nomads, or Global Souls--we will gain unbelievable ________.

6 . April Fool’s Day

April Fool’s Day is a western festival. No one _________ exactly when and how April Fool’s Day began. However, there are some stories about _________ it came into being. One story _________ like this: in the sixteenth-century France, the start of the new year was on April first. It was celebrated _________ much the same way _________ it is today with parties and dancing into the late hours of the night.

Then in 1562, Pope(教皇)Gregory introduced a new calendar for the Christian world, and the new year fell on January first. There were some people, _________, who hadn’t heard or didn’t believe the _________ in the date, so they _________ to celebrate New Year’s Day on April first. _________ played tricks on them and called them “April fools”. They tried to make them believe that something false was __________. In France today, April first is called “April Fish”. French children fool their friends by sticking a paper fish to their friends’ __________. When the “young fool” __________ this trick, the prankster(恶作剧者)shouts “April Fish!”

Today Americans play small tricks on friends and strangers alike on the first of April. One __________ trick on April Fool’s Day is __________ down to a friends shoe and saying, “Your shoelace is untied.” School children might tell a classmate that school has been canceled(取消). __________ the trick is, if you fail for the joke the prankster shouts “April Fool!”

7 . “Long time no see” is a very interesting sentence. When I first read this sentence from an American friend’s email, I laughed. I thought it was a perfect _________ of Chinglish. Obviously, it is a word-by-word literal(照字面意思的) translation of the Chinese greeting with a _________ English grammar and structure! Later on, my friend told me that it is a standard-American _________. I was too _________ to believe her. So I did a _________ on Google. Much to my surprise, there are over 60 thousand web pages _________ the expression “long time no see” in them. This sentence has been _________ used in emails, letters, newspapers, movies, books, or any other possible place. Though it is a little informal, it is part of the _________ that Americans use daily. However, if you _________ this sentence in Microsoft Word, it will tell you that the grammar needs to be ____________

Nobody knows the ____________ of this Chinglish sentence. Some people believe that it came from Charlie Chan’s movies. In the 1930s, Hollywood moviemakers successfully ____________ a world-wide famous Chinese detective(侦探) named “Charlie Chan” on wide screens. Detective Chan liked to teach Americans some Chinese ____________ by quoting Confucius(孔子). “Long time no see” was his trademark. Soon after Charlie Chan, “Long time no see” became a ____________ sentence in the real world ____________ the popularity of these movies.

Some people ____________ America to a huge pot of stew(炖菜). All kinds of culture are ____________ in the pot together, and they ____________ the color and taste of each other. American Chinese, though a minor group in the United States, is also ____________ some changes to the stew! Language is usually the first thing to be ____________ in the mixed stew.

9 . Suppose you are offered a job or an opportunity to study in another country. You are going to make _______ for your big adventure. Preparations for culture shock are _______ things you should _______. Your views may fight with different _______, values, and traditions. You may have difficulty in getting used to a new culture, which is not _______ to you. This is culture shock.

There are four stages（阶段）to culture shock which you will _______.

In the first stage, you see the new culture in a _______ light. The new country seems _______. The local habits are interesting and the people you come across are welcoming and _______. Unfortunately this stage will finally come to a(n) ________.

Usually around three months after arriving at the new ________, differences between your own culture and the new culture begin to ________. These differences often create anxiety. Excitement ________ feelings of stress and anger due to some unfavorable events. Loneliness begins to ________ a sense of disconnection.

As much as one year ________, you become used to the new culture. You begin to see that even though the ________ of the culture are different from your own, it has something that you can learn to ________.

Then, you are able to participate ________ in the host culture. This stage can be considered as bicultural where you keep many differences.

Obviously, culture shock is something you cannot ________ when living in a foreign country. However, when you have completely got used to a new culture you can more fully ________ it.

10 . I was born into a family of educators. Growing up, I heard stories about my grandfather, a headmaster in Guyana. His wife was a teacher. My father and mother continued the ____, teaching at the secondary school levels. As National Teacher Appreciation Week is approaching, I am ____ by Charles Blow’s article in The New York Times to ____ two teachers who have never failed me: my parents.

I hardly remember a period when my parents were not engaged in the act of ____ and teaching. When I was born in1991, my dad, William Panaram, was trying to ____ a doctor’s degree in plant science in North Dakota. After we ____ to the Bronx, my mom started night classes to get a master’s degree in nutrition.   ____ my mom studied, she also managed a full-time job, raised me and learned a new city.

As I watch their schooling ____, I learn that receiving an education means much more than getting high grades. In fact, a true education has the meaning when its learners ____.

My parents both show me how to live as a good ____. Both teach me how to love. My parents — my educators for life — make it ____ that a teacher’s job is beyond the classroom. A meaningful teacher stays with students ____, in mind or in person. I am determined to be a good teacher myself, helping young students think freely and ____ their own ideas, which is a result of living, learning, and loving with my first teachers.

We ____ National Teacher Appreciation Week once a year, but the reality is that every single day we need to thank those who ____ more for others than they do for themselves. Who will you thank today?