1 . Endangered languages can be found throughout the world. Many languages now have fewer than 100 or even fewer than 10 speakers. The crisis is not limited to remote regions of the world. When Europeans first arrived in North America, 312 different languages were _______, of which 123 are now known to be extinct. Of the _______ languages, most speakers are grandparents and great -grandparents.

Different researchers offer different definitions of “endangered”. The system of _______used by the Catalogue of Endangered Languages evaluates languages in four areas: the _______ of all the speakers, how often the language is conveyed to the next _______, the rate at which it is losing speakers and the _______ in which it is used. Based on this data, languages are ranked on a six - pointscale from “safe” to “severely endangered.” The midpoint, “endangered” refersto language with between 100 and 1,000 speakers who represent about half of the language’s community or ethnic group. The language is spoken only by some parents, of whom very few teach it to their children. It is _______ used at home and is not taught in schools or used for government business.

Languages become endangered due to a number of _______ factors including globalization,economics, technology, education policy, and changes in _______ attitudes. Asthe forces of globalization make the world more interconnected, previously______________ language communities come under pressure to participate in a larger economy, which means learning the area’s majority language. ______________, local schools often begin to teach the majority language instead of the local tongue.Local languages also ______________ as communities adopt mobile phones and computers most of which run on software that has been translated into only a handful oflanguages. This trend ______________ as these devices connect users to the Internet. At this point, many communities undergo a cultural ______________ in which parents no longer value the language enough to teach it to their children.

Initiatives to ______________ endangered languages have become more numerous inrecent years. These efforts tend to focus on two main areas: the documentation of endangered languages, and efforts to increase the use of endangered languages among younger speakers and in the community at large.

2 . It looked like a typical business meeting. Six men, neatly dressed in white shirts and ties filed into the boardroom of a small Jakarta company and sat down at a long table. But instead of ______ files or hearing reports, they closed their eyes and began to meditate, consulting the spirits of ancient Javanese kings. Mysticism touches almost every aspect of life in Indonesia and business is no ______. One of the meditators said his weekly meditation sessions are aimed mainly at bringing the peace of mind that makes for good decision-making. But the insight gained from mystic communication with spirits of wise kings has also helped ______ the profits of his five companies.

Mysticism and profits have come together since the 13th century introduction of Islam to Indonesia by Indian Moslem merchants. Those devout traders, called ‘Wali Ullah’ or ‘those close to God,’ energetically spread both trade and religion by ______ their appeals to the native mysticism of Java. Legends ______ magic power of foreknowledge to the Wali Ullah. These powers were believed to be gained through meditation and ______.

Businessman Hadisiko said his group fasts and meditates all night every Thursday to become closer to God and to contact the spirits of the great men of the past. ‘If we want to ______ someone at the managerial level, we meditate together and often the message comes that this man can’t hold onto money or he is ______. Or maybe the spirits will tell us he should be hired.’ Hadiziko hastened to add that his companies also hold modern personnel management systems and that formal ______ are essential for a candidate even to be considered. Perspective investments   are also considered through mystic meditation. ‘With the mind relaxed and open, it is easier to be ______ in judging the risk of a new venture. Meditation and contact with the wisdom of the old leaders sharpens your own insight and intuition. Then you have to apply that intuition to the information you have and work hard to be successful.’ Mystic meditation helped ______ a business slide his companies experienced in the mid-1980. Operating with normal business ______, he lost more than $ 3 millions in that year alone. Meditation brought back his peace of mind. Putting the right persons in the right jobs and gaining confidence in his business decisions were the keys to a turning around that has brought ______ and profitability. The mysticism in Handspike’s boardroom is part of a growing movement in Indonesia called Kebatinan – the ‘search for the inner self.’

One of his managers, Yusuf Soemado, who studied business administration at Harvard University, compared the idea of mystic management to western system of positive thinking. “Willpower and ______ mind are recognized as important factors in business. Such ______ as psycho-cybernetics, Carnegie’s think and growth rates, or the power of positive thinking are western attempts to tap the same higher intelligence that we contact through meditation,” he said.

3 . When my wife, Jane, and I were 16, we were in the same class. About a week before Thanksgiving Day, we found out that our teacher Edward was having some ___challenges. We wanted to do something to help, so as a class we ___to gather food, clothing and gifts to ___his family had a good Thanksgiving Day.

When Jane told her family about our plan, her mother was ___. Together they searched their house for things they could ___. Her mother went to the kitchen, ___ a big turkey and saying, “Thanksgiving Day won’t be ___without a turkey dinner.” To this day, Jane remembers how moved she was by her mother’s ___.

Before making our ____, we said a prayer of appreciation for the wonderful ___ to help others. I will never forget the surprised ___ of our teacher and his wife when they ____ the door; their four children gathered around them as we handed out the gifts. It was a cold night; we all felt warm inside, ___.

Last month while I was in a meeting, my secretary informed me, “Your high school teacher Mr. Edward is wondering if you could ___ him a few minutes. He’s sitting in your office right now!”

I left my meeting and went to my office ___. My teacher and I hugged and began to ___ the last 42 years. He told me he ___ remembered that cold winter night when we brought the ___of Thanksgiving Day to his family. The food and gifts were certainly appreciated, ___what warmed his heart that night was to see a group of teenagers who understood the ___of Thanksgiving Day.

4 . When we saw a programme on TV about a Christmas trip to Lapland, we knew our four children would love it. ____ them on any holiday is costly, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime ____ for our family.

In October, we got the children to write Christmas ____ to Santa. They thought it was a bit soon but were ____ just how many letters Santa receives, so getting in early would make sure that he would read them.

Our departure day arrived in mid-December. There was an explosion of excitement as we parked and ____ our suitcases onto a trolley (手推车) and the children realized we were _going on a plane. The excitement built as we ____.

It was all worth it. The look on their faces as we ____ in Rovaniemi, Finland, was ____. Four days of total magic followed. We took sleigh rides, ____ snow mobiles (雪地摩托) and patted reindeer. On our fourth day we finally ‘found’ Santa, who had a genuine, thick white ____. His home was ____ from floor to ceiling with Christmas parcels, which was every child’s dream.

If that wasn’t ____, he held four hand-written letters that our children immediately ____. Santa said, “So, you must be Thomas, Lucy, Alice and Philip and you’ve come all the way from England just to see me!” He turned to one of the towers of wrapped presents, ____ up and carefully withdrew four parcels. Each of them received a personally addressed ____ signed ‘With love from Father Christmas’ and inside was ____ what they’d asked for in their letters.

Those four days in Lapland will ____ forever the most memorable of our lives. Our four children, now aged between 32 and 38, still talk about that ____ as the most wonderful Christmas ever where childhood magic came to ____.

5 . From Selling Books to Selling Life

Charing Cross Street is the most famous bookstore street in London. From the largest female bookstore in Europe to the first detective novel store in Europe, from independent bookstores to large chain ones, _____________, it is a scenic spot worth visiting over and over again. The 84 Charing Cross Street, ___________ as the Love Bible, tells the story of the New York woman writer Helene Hanff and the London bookseller Frank Percy Doel. It has been ___________ into dozens of languages. Broadcasting, stage plays, and movies continue to interpret this friendship based on books. Charing Cross Street has thus become a ____________ landmark in London, attracting many literary enthusiasts and tourists with its unique literary charm.

However, today’s situation is no longer the same. With the closing of a number of chain bookstores, some independent bookstores have begun to think about how to ____________ the British literary tradition with dignity. Recently, British book agents, writers, bookshop operators and other groups gathered here to explore the ___________ model of the future bookstore.

Judging from the current business model, those who can survive are completing the ____________ from selling books to selling life. Perhaps the literary lifestyle of the British, which is deep into the bone, should be considered as the most ___________ secrets. As the largest independent bookstore in the United Kingdom, Waterstone is currently undergoing design changes by LDS, a British architectural firm. Architect Alex said they __________ improving customer experience and planned to build multiple space. “We will have some small rooms full of books, like private study rooms, in which one can discuss his works with the author.” The focus of the future physical bookstore is on creating an atmosphere. __________, bars and cafes are an essential part of the bookstore. Booksellers and authors generally believe that bookstores must develop in the direction of a cultural ___________ so that people come here for a lot of money, attending concerts, watching movies, or participating in discussions.

Some writers say that physical bookstores can ___________ their business beyond selling books and provide cultural services to customers. Other writers believe that bookstores can __________ a membership system. ___________ discounts, members are given the opportunity to attend lectures, literary gatherings and meetings with authors, and corresponding membership activities are __________ for children and students, and visiting bookstores has become part of the daily lives of more people as a cultural leisure method.

6 . Why do people give gifts in the first place? Throughout the world, many culture _______ special holiday with gifts and food. Holiday _______ bring people together and allow us to feel a part of the family and community. The gifts and food that we share are about _______ a sense of gratitude and joy.

The gifts of a few generations ago were _______ more useful and homemade. Even the people who could _______ wonderful presents probably didn’t do as much buying and spending as we do today. Our culture has grown more _______, and gift giving has become a booming industry. Sometimes the _______ meaning behind the tradition gets lost, and the gift giving _______ a life of its own.

Not only is the pressure on spending money on the right _______, but many people also find that when gifts become the central point of a holiday, they put too much ________ on receiving, too. It’s all too ________ to have high expectations of what’s in that beautifully wrapped box — but that can set anyone up for ________.

When the materialistic aspects of the holiday overshadow (使显得较不重要) its ________, it can leave people feeling empty and ________ for something more. It’s no wonder that we often hear about people having the “holiday blues” — feeling sad or empty instead of feeling ________ and fulfilled (满足的).

Not all people think the holidays are too materialistic, of course. Most ________ the traditional aspects of the holidays, like getting together and ________ with friends and family. And some love shopping and are ________ fine with all the giving and receiving.

But if you’re feeling a little ________ about the holidays, what can you do? One way to take back the holiday ________ is to focus on traditions and service — putting real meaning into your giving.

7 . I have happy memories of trips to Europe, but my trip to Romania was unique. My husband was born there and he _______ to go to Canada but was rejected. _______ he became a US citizen when we married. Seven years later, with a US passport, and two children, he wanted to _______ Romania. He hadn’t seen his mother, two sisters, and two brothers _______ he was 16.

When we reached Bucharest, his family was waiting outside his sister’s house to _______ us. After hugging, kissing, and crying, his family also embraced me, the _______ wife with two young children.

They had great interest in me. _______ Americans visited Romania at that time, and most Romanians had little _______ to travel.

I had brought an English-Romanian dictionary with me and _______ to communicate. My Romanian improved, but mostly I spoke in ________ Roman.

Romania didn’t have many dry cleaners. Most homes had ________ washing machines but no dryers, and it was a hot summer. The relatives had a surprising and simple ________: the women dined in their bras and slippers. The men were shirtless. Disrobing (脱衣服) for dinner was inconvenient. I, of course, having just met them, ________ fully clothed. I washed my clothes by hand and hung them outdoors to ________.

On the last night of our ________, we had a large family dinner. I was tired of washing my clothes. So I ________ my dress over my head and placed it on the chair behind me. The ________ broke out in applause. Even with my poor Romanian, I ________ that they were saying, “She’s part of our family now.”

My children were 4 and 5 at the time, but they still have memories of that ________. But most of all, I remember the ________ dinner we had together. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

8 . Heritage(遗产) Education

China’s “Cultural Heritage Day” falls on the second Saturday of June every year.Many celebrations are held and all cultural relic protection sites are ______ to open for free to the public on the day.There is no ______ that different kinds of celebrating ______ across the country will arouse(唤醒) public ______ of the importance of cultural heritage protection and ______ the young people to love the fine ______ culture of the motherland.

China faces a heavy task to protect and rescue its cultural ______.We need to consider seriously the ______ of the lack of awareness about cultural heritage protection.______，Heritage Education is one of our main approaches(方法)．People cannot ______ value cultural heritage if they do not know ______ it is important or how to protect it.Over the past seven years，CHP has ______ over a hundred educational seminars(研究会) to different groups，______ as schools，government offices，______ the general public.Many people have attended CHP seminars.Typically，each seminar lasts two to three hours and ______ of an informative presentation，______ by a longer question­and­answer session and discussion.Each attender ______ limited knowledge of cultural heritage ______ it to be just the Forbidden City(紫禁城) and the Great Wall.People often think that the duty only ______ to the government.So “Cultural Heritage Day” will be a welcome ______ to educate a wide public on world heritage protection.