1 . During my stay at the University of Michigan, one of the senior professors asked me to join a seminar on culture and emotion. In a general ________ of self-introductions, I introduced myself in a(n) ________ Dutch way as one of those who are “interested in culture and emotion”. The professor supplemented (补充) my self-introduction to________ American standards, saying I was one of the world’s experts on the________. In response, I looked down in________, and thought that “expert” was a big word.

When I lived in North Carolina, my new friends came over to________. Conversations were full of interest and energy, and there was a lot of________. At the end of the evening, when my guests left, they thanked me for the dinner. My heart________, because I was born and raised in the Netherlands, where “thanking for dinner” means the relationship is ________. Emotions are different enough to feel out of________ when you move from one culture to another. The professor at the University of Michigan meant to make me feel________, but instead made me uncomfortable. My friends meant to show ________, but they made me think they were distancing themselves from me.

We think about emotions as feelings deep inside us, but in________, our emotions happen in interactions with others. In my own culture, it was hard to observe the________ emotions of others, but I was able to see them when I moved to the US—a different________ from where I was raised.

3 . As is customary in many cultures around the world, when a Japanese couple _________ a baby into the world, relatives come to visit the family and _________. However, because of the pandemic and social distancing rules, that hasn’t been _________ lately. Dakigokochi—rice babies _________ in Japan have been around since the early 2000s，but their popularity has _________ once again because of COVID-19. With relatives unable to _________ , baby-shaped rice bags have become a much-needed way of _________ the joy of having a baby with _________ ones. Rice babies are bags of rice that weigh _________ as much as the babies they are replacing, and that have photos of the __________ printed on them. They are __________ to relatives so they can hug the “new human” while looking at a picture of the baby’s face.

Naruo Ono, the owner of a rice shop, __________ the idea for rice babies 14 years ago when his own son was born and he was thinking about what he could do for relatives who lived far away and couldn’t come and see him. He decided to make rice bags that were the same shape and weight as the baby, and __________ a picture of him on it, so the relatives could see and feel him.

One day, someone saw Naruo’s rice baby in the window of his shop and commented on how interesting it was. That’s when he __________ that there might be a __________ for his cute rice bags. He started making them for customers and has since been shipping them all over Japan.

5 . Every culture on the planet has certain topics that people avoid discussing. But the taboos (禁忌) of one culture may be very different from those of another. You may be ______ that people from other cultures say what you can't talk about.

Paying attention to what people don't ______ can teach us something important about their culture. Their taboo topics give us clues about what they value, respect or even fear. Topics that are considered too personal or too controversial (有争议的) may also be avoided.

America is full of taboo topics. Usually, during a polite conversation, Americans will ______ both politics and religion. They also avoid talking about racial issues.

Why? Because these topics can cause strong opinions and ______. Americans believe it's best to avoid them—especially at social gatherings.

Many Americans also do not feel ______ talking about their personal income, age or health. ______, they prefer to make small talks about the weather, sports or common interests.

What do these taboos tell us about American ______? For one, they show that Americans place importance on ______. America certainly isn't the only place that values it. You will find ______ taboos about asking personal questions in many European countries. "This is especially true in Germany," says Hanna Graf, a German living in Shanghai. "In Germany, you are not supposed to ask about other people's personal business," she says. "But there are no ______ rules about what you can't ask; it's just in people's minds."

In Brazil, ______, almost anything seems open to discussion. "Brazilians talk about all kinds of personal issues," says Mark Quinlan, who grew up in Brazil. But of course, even Brazil has its own taboos. In Brazil, soccer is the one topic that can turn friends into enemies. Brazilians love the sport. Saying anything ______ about soccer can cause big trouble. Even expressing preference for one team over another can be ______.

Like Brazilians, Australians talk freely about almost anything. However, they do not talk about their personal or business ______. They prefer to let people judge them by their actions, not their words. Boasting your achievements will only make you the ______ of other people's jokes.

And what about your taboos? The next time you have a conversation, pay attention to what isn't said. You might be amazed at what you learn about your own culture.

6 . Soon the fire was burning bright, and everyone’s spirits lifted. The kids _________ when Dad handed them each a piece of candy, and Mrs. Clark looked on with a(n) _________ that probably hadn’t crossed her face since her husband died last year.

“God bless you,” she said. Dad _________ that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was _________ when they all fit, and I wondered _________ he had known what sizes to get. Dad _________ each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They became attached to(依恋)him and didn’t want us to _________.

At the door, Dad invited Mrs. Clark and the children _________ for Christmas dinner the next day. With a look of deep _________, Mrs. Clark nodded.

On the way back home, Dad explained that he and Mom had ____________ money here and there all year long to buy me a dress for Christmas. But yesterday, when he had seen little Jake with his feet ____________ in gunnysacks(黄麻袋),Dad knew what he had to do. “I ____________ that money on some shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand,” he said.

I understood very ____________. My father had given me a gift much ____________ than a dress. He gave me the look on Mrs. Clark’s face, the smiles of her three children, and the best Christmas ____________ of my life.

7 . Christmas 1940 makes me misty-eyed every time I think about it. In the hard times, people_______one another. We_______food, clothing, bedding and household items and gave them to the needy.

That Christmas we students found ourselves_______toys we collected and loading packages for_______.As we presented the gifts, we saw_______in many faces, especially those of the children. We had a few more_______to make on Christmas morning. The air was heavy and frozen to the bone. For several hours, we knocked on doors. But as the cold hours passed, our_______gradually faded. When we_______headed home, someone_______a small house down a canal bank. None of us knew who lived there,________we wondered if there were________.We still had a doll, two trucks, some small toys, chocolate Santas and a box of groceries. We decided to make one last visit. When we knocked on the door, a young woman answered it, looking at us________.Three small children watched from behind her skirt—a little girl of about 2, and boys perhaps 4 and 5 years old. “Merry Christmas,” we________as we bent down and handed the gift-wrapped packages to the children and the box of groceries to the   ________, whose eyes widened________.She slowly smiled, then quickly said, “Come in.” The room was________as the children looked at their mother, wondering if the gifts were really for them. The little girl________her doll, and the boys grasped the trucks as they sought a(an)________.She put her arms________them and said in a________voice, “I told you Santa Claus would come.”