2 . When we moved from California to Colorado, 1, 200 miles away from our parents, my husband and I decided that we did not want to travel a long way with our four ______ for Christmas. However, one late October day, I had a phone conversation with my mother-in-law.

“When are you coming?”she asked.

I did not know how to ______ , and changed the subject. When she asked again later in the ______-“When are you coming?”-I knew that we would change our plan and not stay in our own home for Christmas. The thought of not being in our own home caused me to be ______. What would Christmas away from home look like? Would we be ______ the magic of Christmas by not being in our own home? It would be the first time our children would spend ______ away from our own home. “How would you like to give grandparents the best Christmas present ever? We can do that ______ giving them the gift of our presence,” we told our kids. They all agreed we should go and so the trip to California was ______

My husband's large family always kept Christmas very ______. They only attached great importance to the special meal together. My in-laws' faces ______ with joy when our family arrived. Christmas Eve was filled with ______, as we played games and sang our favorite songs.

Sadly, my mother-in-law’s dementia(老年痴呆)became worse. I was ______ that we had made an exception and ______ that Christmas together. I didn't know it at that time, ______ it was the last Christmas with my mother-in-law.

The gift of being ______ with her that year was the best gift I have ever given and received.

3 . Wang Dewen, known as “Grandpa Amu” online, is a 63-year-old man. He has skills beyond the _______ of ordinary people and creates woodwork with nothing _______ a single piece of wood. He has brilliant traditional carpentry (木工) skills, _______ first-time viewers online with his woodwork.

The Chinese carpenter has been _______ Lu Ban in modern times. His most _______ video — making a wooden arch bridge, has spread quickly on overseas social platforms, _______ more than 42 million views! Grandpa Amu _______ ancient Chinese mortise and tenon (榫卯) structures in his work, a technique _______ used in traditional Chinese architecture and furniture. The entire _______ of building the arch bridge involves no nails or glue. A man ________ under the video, “A block of wood is ________ into a great work of art. You’re not a carpenter; you’re an ________.”

He has become a real ________ on overseas social platforms — so far attracting millions of fans overseas.____________, Grandpa Amu insists that he is not an Internet celebrity but just an ________ farmer. He has used his extraordinary skills mostly to ________ his young grandson, making all kinds of toys. He is also trying to________ unique Chinese techniques to the world. “We ________ the idea of making the videos because we are ________ to bring our priceless culture to others and make these ancient Chinese technique come to people’s ________,” said Grandpa Amu’s daughter-in-law.

4 . Many western cultures measure their days with the solar calendar. Therefore, they _______ the coming of the New Year on January 1. Cultures in Asia and the Middle East use other calendars and celebrate the New Year at other times. Events and rituals _______ from country to country. But in each place, New Year celebrations are a big _______ .

Most world cultures have been celebrating the New Year for centuries. The earliest New Year celebrations took place during spring or _______ time. With _______weather ahead, or plenty of food to eat in winter, people _______ felt like having a party! As the days became longer and as nature renewed itself, people also felt like they could have a new start. The New Year could bring better fortune, more opportunities and new challenges. Such_______ themes remain the same today.

Some cultures have _______ New Year traditions. Italians throw old things out of their windows at midnight, symbolizing the _______ of the old. Mexicans fire guns into the air to ward off ________. Danes jump off chairs exactly as the clock ________midnight, so they can “jump” into the New Year. Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplace on New Year’s Day. They hope “Santa Claus” will come and fill the shoes with ________. In Vancouver, Canada, some people celebrate the New Year by jumping into the ocean. The weather is freezing cold! As you might expect, most people come to watch the swimmers ________ swim themselves.

London hosts an annual New Year’s Day parade that ________ nearly a million spectators. The largest parade in Europe, it features bands, floats and enormous balloons. These balloons are so huge that they ________ over nearby buildings!

5 . What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word “culture”？ Do you think of different groups of people across the world with various ____and clothing? What about animals?

Sam Williams,executive director of the Macaw(金刚鹦鹉）Recovery Network in Costa Rica, helps to ___the impact of the decline of macaw populations by taking birds that were born____and releasing them into the wild. But this process is very___

＂In a cage,you can't____them to know where,when and how to find that food, or about trees with good nest sites," Williams told ecologist and writer Carl Safina for the Guardian. In the wild, the parents would be the ones to teach them this important __

This type of knowledge is known as cultural knowledge. Cultural knowledge can be___ from the older generation to the newer one. For many species,cultural knowledge is necessary for ___

Culture helps animals to____different habitats.For example,some crows(乌鸦）have learned to put nuts in the middle of the road for cars to drive over. And in other areas, they have learned to do this at intersections so they can____get the food when the cars stop at red lights.

Other important parts of cultural knowledge include things like group identity, using different tools,taking different____routes and using different socializing methods.

These traditions can especially be seen in chimpanzee communities. Cat Hobaiter,who studies chimpanzees in Uganda,said:"It's not just the____of populations of chimps that worries me.I find____the possibility of losing each population's unique culture. That's permanent.”

Culture isn't just for____.Culture is also an important part of life in the wild from using tools to____.

6 . The Double Seventh Festival, also known as the Qixi Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival. Here is a beautiful story _______ it.

Long，long ago, there was a young man named Niulang(Cowherd), One day, he_______a   beautiful girl- Zhinu( Weaver girl)， the Goddess s seventh daughter. She had just run away from the_______ heaven(天国) to look for fun on Earth. Zhini soon_______Niulang, and they got married without telling the Goddess. Niulang worked in the field and Zhinu wove(织布) at home. They_______a happy life and gave birth to a boy and a girl. Unluckily, the Goddess soon found out the fact and_______ Zhinii to return to heaven. After Zhini left， Niulang was _______upset. With the help of his magic cow,Niulang flew to heaven with his children to look for his wife. The Goddess discovered this and was very_______Taking out her hairpin(发簪), the Goddess created a wide river in the sky to separate(分开) the two_______. From then on, Niulang and Zhini had to live________ on the two sides of the river. However,their true love________ all the magpies(喜鹊) in the world, ________once a year tens of thousands of   magpies would fly up to heaven to make a bridge- the bridge of magpies for the couple to meet each other. At last, the Goddess allowed ________ to meet each   other on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month. That's________the Double Seventh Festival started. Today,   it is a great________for Chinese young people to express their love.

7 . 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 _________.

8 . I have learnt a lot about Chinese life and culture and found them very interesting.

First, family life is quite _______ in China from that in the USA. In the USA, many young people _______ home after they finish their education and start working. However, in China, it is _______ for people to live with their parents until they get married. Also, many of my Chinese friends told me that their _______ lived with them and helped take care of them when they were children. It seems that Americans think independence is more important _______ the Chinese think family relationships are more important.

Bargaining is another _______ that I have tried to learn. In the USA, prices are _______ and you can’t ask for a lower price. However in some small Chinese stores and tourist places, you are _______ to bargain. My Chinese friends taught me to ask for 40 percent or 50 percent _______ the original price. If the salesperson doesn’t agree to my price, I should ________ to leave and he might let me come back and sell me the item. It is a skill that you have to ________ if you live in China.

Tipping hasn’t been easier to adjust to. In the USA, many people in the service industry want to get ________ money for serving customers. Tipping is not a part of Chinese culture. Once I tried to tip a taxi driver. He looked a little ________ and refused to take the money. In dinners, perhaps what surprises an American visitor the most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their ________. Actually, this is a sign of true friendship and politeness. My Chinese friend told me if I didn’t want to eat it, I should just ________ the food in the plate.

9 . I have learnt a lot about Chinese life and culture while teaching in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province and found them very interesting.

First, family life quite __________ in China from that in the USA. In the USA, many young people ___________ home after they finish their education and start working. However, in China, it is _________ for people to live with their parents until they get married. _________, many of my Chinese friends told me that their _________ lived with them and helped take care of them when they were children. It seems that Americans think independence is more important __________ the Chinese think family relationships are more important.

Bargaining(讨价还价）is another __________ that I have tried to learn. In the USA, prices are __________ and you can’t ask for a lower price. However. in some small Chinese stores and tourist places, you are ____________ to bargain. My Chinese friends taught me to ask for 40 percent or 50 percent ____________ the original(原来的）price. If the salesperson doesn’t agree to my price, I should ___________ to leave and he might let me come back and sell me the item. It is a skill that you have to ____________ if you live in China.

Tipping hasn’t been easier to _________. In the USA, many people in the service _________want to get ___________ money for serving customers. Tipping is not a part of Chinese culture. __________ I tried to tip a taxi driver. He looked a little ___________ and refused to take the money. In dinners, perhaps what surprises an American visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their ____________. Actually, this is a ____________ of true friendship and politeness. My Chinese friend told me if I didn’t want to eat it, I should just _____________ the food in the plate.

10 . 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.