1 . A Letter to Mom and Her Mince (肉末)Pies

When I was a little girl, on Christmas Eve, you and I would bake cakes. “Make enough mince pies, because Santa likes them, ” you would tell me.

On Christmas morning, I’d wake up and thrill at the________ before me. At the bottom of my bed would be loads of presents. I’d scream in delight, ________ tearing the wrapping paper. Running downstairs, I would________ that Santa hadn’t just stopped in the________. There were also lots of________ around the Christmas tree.

Many years later, the________ continued. One afternoon________ we were making extra mince pies, it________ hit me that the extra wasn’t for________. I said, “Those extra mince pies were never for Santa, were they? They were________ you!” You never said a word- a smile was your only________.

Christmas changed in 1986, when you suffered a________ brain disease. After________ throughout Christmas, you passed away on December 29.

Only now am I starting to enjoy Christmas again. And while I don’t do the________ any more, I do have mince pies in the house. I leave one out just for you, as if you were________ a part of my Christmas.

2 . Paper cutting is a special form of folk art in China, with a history of nearly 1,500 years. The first paper cutting _______ the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420—589) period. The _______ and spread of paper cutting had a close relationship with Chinese _______ festivals.

In rural areas, paper cutting is _______ a handicraft for women. In the past, every native girl was _______ to master it. _______, professional paper cutting artists were usually males who earned poor incomes by working in workshops.

The main cutting _______ are simple: paper and scissors or cutting knives. It is easy to learn how to make paper cuttings but very difficult to master it with perfection. This is because making paper cuttings _______ much effort, practice, craftsmanship and imagination. Flexibility (灵敏度) is also needed, but any _______ or wiggling (摇晃) will lead to imperfection or __________ damage the whole image.

Wishes for wealth, health and longevity (长寿) are mostly __________ through paper cuttings. For example, during the Spring Festival, the character “Fu” is pasted (粘贴) upside down on the door to express people’s wish for good __________; at a wedding ceremony, a big red paper-cutting with the character “Xi” is a traditional and essential __________; upon the birthday party of a senior, the character “Shou” is often seen and will __________ delight to the whole celebration; a pattern of chubby (胖乎乎的) children hugging fish implies that every year they will be rich in __________.

5 . China is a country well known for courtesy(举止有礼). In traditional Chinese people' s daily life, etiquette (礼节), can be seen everywhere like sitting and standing positions, the way of speaking to others, the polite behaviours when _______people, as well as table manners.

Eating is an important aspect of Chinese culture .And eating out is one of the most common ways to honour guests, socialise, and deepen friendships. So it's _______to learn proper etiquette in formal dining, _______how to arrange seats, how to order dishes, and how to eat.

Seating arrangement is a very important part of Chinese dining etiquette, no matter at home or restaurant. _______,the seat of honour is usually the one facing the entrance and will be _______for the guest with highest status or the master of the banquet. Those of higher position sit closer to the seat of honour. The guests of lowest position sit furthest from the seat of the honour and it's normally where waiters _______the dishes. Attending a banquet with many tables, you should_______that the most important table serving for guests of honour will be in the front or in the middle of the restaurant hall. It is better to _______after the elders have taken their seats.

Ordering dishes is another important part of Chinese table manners. If time _______, the menu will be passed round among the people________. If you are the host, make the final decision after asking for the others'   ________.If you are one of the guests, you may order a(n)________and commonly-favourite dish. Chinese table manners encourage that we must not waste food and should consider the others' dietary restrictions. For example, vegetarians don' t eat any kinds of meat.

Last but not least, you need to know how to eat at the table. ________you will be considered rude. Chinese are ________about food, as well as what they look like when eating food. After being seated, the waiter will give you a towel to ________the hands. When there are dishes about lobster, crab or fruit, a bowl of water may be served with some rose petals or lemon slices, which are not drinks ________ to wash your hands. At a formal Chinese banquet, the cold dishes will be served first, then the hot dishes, and dim sum and fruits at last. Here are some important ________ for the table manners in China.

∗Be graceful and polite when taking food with chopsticks

∗Don't make much noise when eating or drinking soup

∗Don' t talk with mouth   ________

∗Don't point at someone with chopsticks or play with chopsticks.

∗Don't ________the teeth with a toothpick in public.

∗Don't insert chopsticks in the bowl with rice, ________it indicates ancestor worship.