1 . 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.

1.

A．excited

B．surprised

C．fascinated

D．relieved

2.

A．stress

B．consider

C．desire

D．discuss

3.

A．rule out

B．take to

C．touch upon

D．focus on

4.

A．arguments

B．interactions

C．agreements

D．relationships

5.

A．embarrassed

B．confused

C．relaxed

D．disappointed

6.

A．Besides

B．Occasionally

C．Frankly

D．Instead

7.

A．values

B．features

C．statuses

D．dreams

8.

A．culture

B．independence

C．privacy

D．freedom

9.

A．giant

B．unique

C．similar

D．aggressive

10.

A．specialized

B．basic

C．common

D．written

11.

A．moreover

B．however

C．therefore

D．anyhow

12.

A．super

B．worthless

C．magical

D．negative

13.

A．beneficial

B．impressive

C．dangerous

D．emotional

14.

A．achievements

B．secrets

C．lives

D．failures

15.

A．audience

B．designer

C．target

D．interpreter

2 . 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.

1.

A．cheered

B．hid

C．quarrelled

D．stared

2.

A．tear

B．smile

C．expression

D．behavior

3.

A．agreed

B．threatened

C．insisted

D．opposed

4.

A．amazed

B．satisfied

C．afraid

D．anxious

5.

A．whether

B．that

C．where

D．how

6.

A．kissed

B．took

C．shook

D．helped

7.

A．stand

B．stay

C．leave

D．visit

8.

A．through

B．across

C．over

D．in

9.

A．misunderstanding

B．seriousness

C．admiration

D．gratefulness

10.

A．found

B．borrowed

C．paid

D．saved

11.

A．packed

B．wrapped

C．cleaned

D．protected

12.

A．invested

B．earned

C．spent

D．wasted

13.

A．well

B．little

C．poorly

D．differently

14.

A．less

B．cheaper

C．prettier

D．greater

15.

A．intention

B．memory

C．promise

D．journey

3 . 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.”

1.

A．escaped from

B．struggled against

C．competed with

D．depended on

2.

A．bought

B．borrowed

C．collected

D．begged

3.

A．wrapping

B．cleaning

C．making

D．sending

4.

A．sale

B．delivery

C．memory

D．production

5.

A．fear

B．envy

C．sadness

D．joy

6.

A．toys

B．calls

C．visits

D．promise

7.

A．pain

B．love

C．strength

D．passion

8.

A．finally

B．gradually

C．happily

D．worriedly

9.

A．arrived at

B．looked for

C．pointed to

D．shouted to

10.

A．and

B．but

C．so

D．for

11.

A．guests

B．gifts

C．adults

D．children

12.

A．eagerly

B．questioningly

C．anxiously

D．calmly

13.

A．whispered

B．cried

C．greeted

D．added

14.

A．father

B．mother

C．son

D．daughter

15.

A．with amazement

B．with relief

C．in horror

D．in sorrow

16.

A．empty

B．silent

C．noisy

D．tidy

17.

A．hugged

B．hid

C．dropped

D．hit

18.

A．suggestion

B．answer

C．box

D．place

19.

A．behind

B．before

C．over

D．around

20.

A．surprised

B．familiar

C．choked

D．loud

4 .        The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish from each other a lot. This is because the culture systems are two separate systems __1__.
       The origin of the eastern cultures is mainly from two countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are gestated (孕育) by _2__. In China, the mother river is the Yellow River __3_ the Indian one is the Hindu River. These two cultures were _4___ for several thousand years and formed their own styles. Then in the Tang Dynasty of China, the Chinese culture _5___ went overseas to Japan, _6___ into the Japanese society and _7__ the Japanese culture nowadays. Though a bit different from the Chinese one, it __8__ to the same system.
       When the two mother rivers gave birth to the eastern culture, another famous culture was __9__ on the Mesopotamian Plain (美索不达米亚平原) — the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of the Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. And these two are well­-known as the __10__ of the European culture. _11___ the Chinese culture, the European one also __12__ waters. When the colonists of England __13__ in America, their culture went with them over the Atlantic Ocean. So the American culture doesn’t __14_ from the European one a lot.
       At the same time, the __15__ of the language systems adds to the cultural differences. In the East, most languages belong to the pictographic (象形文字的) languages while the Western languages are __16__ based on the Latin system, for example, the one I’m using to write this paper.
       Other factors like human race difference _17___ as well. However, _18__ the far distance and the steep areas between the East and West, the two cultures seldom _19__ until recent centuries.__20__ they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference (干扰) from the other.1.

A．above all

B．on the whole

C．in all

D．in no case

2.

A．mountains

B．plains

C．lakes

D．rivers

3.

A．or

B．for

C．while

D．when

4.

A．developed

B．improved

C．created

D．protected

5.

A．suddenly

B．quietly

C．gradually

D．naturally

6.

A．mixed

B．changed

C．decided

D．forced

7.

A．expanded

B．interrupted

C．influenced

D．shaped

8.

A．comes

B．belongs

C．amounts

D．adds

9.

A．brought up

B．carried out

C．given out

D．picked up

10.

A．result

B．sign

C．base

D．content

11.

A．Via

B．Except

C．With

D．Like

12.

A．affected

B．spread

C．crossed

D．formed

13.

A．joined up

B．went up

C．broke down

D．settled down

14.

A．come

B．suffer

C．result

D．differ

15.

A．difference

B．development

C．appearance

D．feature

16.

A．properly

B．part

C．simply

D．mostly

17.

A．last

B．count

C．reduce

D．change

18.

A．in terms of

B．due to

C．as to

D．in case of

19.

A．transform

B．display

C．communicate

D．distinguish

20.

A．Furthermore

B．Meanwhile

C．Therefore

D．However