1 . Once a year, around the time when Christians celebrate Easter, Muslims celebrate Ramadan and Jews celebrate Passover, I often invite my 24-person team to a joyful and special dinner at my place. To _________ the needs of all my team members, I usually _________ different kinds of typical food from different religions.

I think this _________ reflects the wider philosophy of my science lab: we aim to be a _________ yet united group of people working in a global scientific network. My lab _________ people with different _________. One of the most obvious _________ is our religions. Yet when people _________ my lab, they gather together, first through their common _________ for science, and then as they get to know one another and enjoy spare time activities, we become a cohesive (有凝聚力的) team. I am __________ this cohesion and the new friendships in my lab, and do my best to encourage them.

I’m also really __________ , while looking for new members. I interview many people before I __________ the right ones for my lab. They must be __________ capable of course, but it’s just as important that they’re friendly, interesting and interested in others. They should be prepared to __________ various points of view and cultures.

As the person in charge of the lab, I see preserving a variety of cultural backgrounds as an important part of my job. Such an accessible, varied and supportive __________ promotes new ideas and scientific breakthroughs.

2 . 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.

3 . 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 __________.

6 . Imagine meeting someone for the first time who comes from some distant country but is fluent in your language. There may appear to be no immediate communication_______, so would you adapt the tone of your voice? How about adjusting your body language and facial expressions, _______ on the background of the person in front of you? Would you sit or stand differently and think carefully about your hand gestures?

These are just a handful of the unobvious_______ in behavior that indicate your “cultural intelligence,” or CQ. Now, there is growing evidence that suggests they are well worth learning.

“The top _______of your success in today’s borderless world is not your IQ, not your resume, and not even your expertise (专长),” writes social scientist David Livermore in his book The Cultural Intelligence Difference. “It’s your CQ.”

Much of the research on CQ has been conducted by Soon Ang, a professor of management at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Ang_______ an international team of programmers to help solve problems.

These programmers were some of the brightest minds in the business, but Ang soon found that they have difficulty working _______. Often, individual members would appear to agree on a solution, but then carry it out in completely _______ways.

These findings led Ang to team up with British psychologist Christopher Earley. Together, they built a theory of CQ, which they defined as "the ability to function effectively in a variety of cultural _______.”

Typically, CQ is measured by evaluating four key components (组成). The first is “CQ Drive” — the_______ to learn about other cultures. Then, there is “CQ Knowledge,” which is an understanding of some of the general cultural differences. “CQ Strategy,” meanwhile, examines how you ________those difficult conflicts and learn from them. Finally, “CQ Action” involves your behavioral flexibility (灵活) — whether you are able to ________your behavior like a “cultural chameleon (变色龙).”

Someone with ________ CQ might have a tendency to view everyone else’s behavior through his own cultural lens (文化透镜). If he comes from a more sociable environment, for instance, and notices that his Japanese colleagues are very ________ in a meeting, he may think that they are being unfriendly or bored. A person at the top of the scale, ________, might realize that silence is a sign of respect and that feedback won’t be given unless it is invited.

A high CQ could be essential in a wide range of careers, from bankers and soldiers to scientists and teachers — anyone, who regularly interacts with people from different backgrounds. Therefore, instead of just caring about your IQ and EQ, perhaps you should put __________value on enhancing your CQ!

9 . 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?

10 . We should pay attention to different customs in different cultures. For example, in America, if you are invited to a wedding, baby shower, bar mitzvah (成年礼) or other ______, you’re expected to bring a gift. Usually, it should be modest in _______, about $25.

For a ______, the bride will often have “registered” a list of gifts at a local department store, indicating the items she ________. When you buy a registered item, tell the store that you’re doing this, so the couple doesn’t receive the ________ gift twice. For a baby shower, bring a gift ________ for a newborn baby. For a bar mitzvah, bring a gift appropriate for a 13-year-old boy. Because they are such important occasions, gifts for bar mitzvahs tend to be more ________, for example, a lovely pen with the boy’s full name on it is very meaningful and will be ________ by him.

If you wish to give a gift to American friends, choose something that is ________ to your country. It needn’t be valuable or ________, just typical of your home land. Such ________ include a book about your country, an inexpensive souvenir, or something else that reflects the ________ of your country. Young children who like collecting will probably be very ________ with a set of your country’s coins or stamps. Items that are ________ in your country but difficult to find abroad are also good.

If staying with an American family, a good way of ________ your thanks is to take them to a form of ________, such as a basketball game or a concert.

When giving gifts to a business acquaintance, don’t ________ anything too personal, ________ for a woman. A scarf or a hat is okay, but other types of ________ are not. Something fit for the office is also _________.