2 . I still remember my father’s sheepish(窘迫的)expression at breakfast the morning after he’d been invited to have dinner at a colleague’s house. ________ arriving in Brazil, back in the dark ages of computing, he’d ________ his hosts by making a hand gesture(手势)which he had always understood to mean “OK”, but in Brazil, it meant something quite different.

Even worse, he’d raised his fingers to his lips and made a kissing sound, which again, he meant as a way of ________ that something——in this case the meal he’d just been asked to ________——was delicious.

The faux pas(失礼)was ________ forgotten. My father’s colleague and his wife understood he probably wasn’t yet ________ of the local meaning of the gesture. I was ________ of this moment myself a few months into my stay in China. After ________ a colleague’s WeChat message with a Van Gogh sticker that I thought meant “keep fighting”, a second colleague appeared. “The Chinese version is a bit different,” she said, “See these characters?” They mean “I will hit you.”

Life is full of ________ meanings. We generally understand that even if it stings, a mistake is only an insult(冒犯)when it is ________. Intention, much like possession, is nine-tenths of this law. ________ as we look around, much friction(争执)originates from misunderstanding, and history is full of the ________ results of crossed communication.

My father’s faux pas was ________ because of context—he had just arrived, he could not know, and it didn’t make sense that he’d be offensive(无礼的)by design. But when context is ________ or differently understood—perhaps it is time we all think twice before typing or talking, especially when the consequences can be much ________ than the misuse of a WeChat sticker.

3 . A back injury drove Briton Rose Oliver to tai chi, which led her to her husband and then took both of them to China. Twenty years ago, Oliver’s back injury ________ her childhood dream of becoming a ballet dancer. But the injury did ________ her to tai chi, a martial art typically practiced in slow motion. Her original hope was to improve her ________ ; however, it turned out to bring her more. She later married her ________, Rey Nelson, who taught her how to play tai chi, and founded a school with him, teaching the martial art to more than 10,000 students over eight years.

In 2000, the couple moved to Shanghai. They taught ________ in universities and happily learnt tai chi under various masters to enhance their skills in playing. After years of practice, Oliver found her occasional ________ had disappeared amazingly. But her greatest pain ________ when her husband died in 2003, leaving her alone to follow their ________ passion for tai chi. She thought of ________. But she finally determined to carry on to honor her husband.

With the ________ of her tai chi “family” — the masters and students, Oliver spent her time outside tai chi teaching English as she did before and ________ cultural-exchange events. She founded the Double Dragon Alliance, which enables kung fu masters to teach martial arts to westerners and organizes seminars and events for them to ________ Chinese massage, acupuncture, traditional medicine, and calligraphy.

Because of her ________ to cultural exchange, Oliver was given the Shanghai Magnolia Award, an award given to foreigners who have made ________ contributions to the city. And she has been officially ________ as a member of the Order of the British Empire by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth — one of the highest honors to a citizen.

4 . “There are two kinds of people in the world—people who love Peking Opera and people who don’t know they love Peking Opera yet,” said Wang Peiyu in the opening section of her latest 12-episode(集) online _________ “My job is to let the _________ know about Peking Opera and then fall in love with it.”

The weekly talk show sees Wang, who is one of the _________ Peking Opera artists in China, explain the traditional art form and _________ its appeal.

With a(n) _________ of various art forms, including singing, dancing, and martial arts(武术), Peking Opera has a long history _________ back to the 19th century. In 2010, UNESCO _________ it an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity(非物质文化遗产).

Like many traditional art forms, it is challenged by popular entertainment and is losing its audience, especially among the younger generation.

Wang is trying to change the _________. She has about 1.6 million followers on micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo and has built up a large fan base among young people with her _________ techniques and charm.

Each episode, about 30 minutes long, ____________Wang introduce her unique knowledge about Peking Opera with a particular ____________ such as the making of a Peking Opera star, the ____________ of preparing for a performance, and amusing stories about the age-old art. She uses____________, direct and humorous language to____________ the audience.

One fan commented: “All I knew about Peking Opera was the painted ____________, but thanks to Wang’s show, I now know more about the art form and I look forward to watching a live performance in the theatre.”

7 . Many cultures follow different calendars and celebrate the New Year at different times. The Lunar New Year is one example. No matter_________you celebrate, there are many traditions around the world for_________in the New Year. Here is a look at a few of them:

Chasing away bad luck

Many cultures have traditions meant to scare off demons (恶魔) and bad luck. This often involves using fire or loud noises — or both — often in the_________of fireworks! But there are other ways people do it, too. In Scotland, for example, people hold bonfire celebrations. And men from villages walk through the streets swinging giant blazing (炽热的) fireballs over their heads. These fireballs_________the sun and they are supposed to clean the_________year.

Of course, some traditions meant to avoid bad luck do not_________fire at all. For example, just before the New Year, people in Denmark find the highest surface they can and jump from it as the New Year starts. This ritual symbolizes that they_________the bad spirits and bad luck of the previous and enter a New Year full of_________and new beginnings.

Food for good luck

Many_________have certain foods that are said to bring good luck.

In the southern part of the United States, people often eat black-eyed peas and pork for good luck in the New Year. In other parts of the US, people eat sauerkraut with pork sausage on New Year’s Day.

In Spain and some other countries, as the clock__________midnight, people eat 12 grapes. These 12 grapes__________the 12 months of the year. And eating them all in the first 12 seconds of the New Year__________that the year will be filled with good luck.

In the Philippines, many people eat and display 12 round fruits to bring them a__________year.

And in Japan, people eat soba noodles on New Year’s Eve. While they eat they try not to__________the long noodles — which represent__________.

8 . When we visit museums, we see cultural artifacts—from everyday household items to precious carvings and statues, which give us glimpses into the diverse cultures and communities from around the world. _______ , controversy surrounds these artifacts and whether or not countries should return these pieces of culture if they were stolen or forcefully taken during colonization.

On Wednesday, October 7, 2020, the Dutch advisory committee officially released a national report _______ to the return of cultural artifacts that were stolen from its previous colonies such as Indonesia, Suriname, and islands on the Caribbean. Through these actions, the Dutch government acknowledges the unfair treatment the colonies had previously experienced and _______ respect for the culture of these countries.

Let’s look at the issue and the two sides of the _______ .

Stolen Artifacts

By the 18th and 19th centuries, European countries had colonized many African and Asian countries. During their _______ , they either seized artifacts or took them as spoils of wars, and brought them to their own countries where they are now displayed in museums.

In 2017, the Government of Benin in West Africa negotiated with the British Museum in London to return their renowned Benin Bronzes, a collection of thousands of metal sculptures and plaques, which were _______ hung in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin.

The debate regarding this issue _______ in 2018 when under President Emmanuel Macron, a report was released that directed that all heritage objects brought to French museums (without the permission of their original countries) be restored. With the official release of this report, museums all across Europe began to _______ their previous policies on colonial treasures.

In France, twenty-seven artifacts had been identified for restoration, but only one—a traditional sword belonging to Senegal, has been _______ . Then, on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, France’s National Assembly officially passed a bill __________ the return of these heritage artifacts, twenty-six of which alone belonged to Benin, but didn’t arrange a certain date.

The Debate

Those who propose returning these objects to their original homes __________ that with technology enabling virtual museum tours, returning these artifacts to their homeland does not take away the opportunity to learn about them. __________ , the country of origin will receive a significant part of their heritage back, and these artifacts will be given a chance to be truly appreciated under proper historical context.

Those against the restoration claim that culture is a __________ treasure and the artifacts are in fact “cultural ambassadors” that promote tolerance and understanding. They believe that while stealing them was __________ , history is full of “good” and “bad” actors. Moreover, they feel that keeping the cultural objects in the current museums have kept millions of artifacts __________ disfiguration and damage.

10 . If Confucius (孔子) were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of ________. He’d need a fan or a ________ to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, ________ people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even ________ the birthdays of their own ________.

But this doesn’t ________ that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a ________ that foreigners must cross if they want to ________ a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have ________ huge popularity in Western universities. ________, the Chinese government has ________ Confucius Institutes in more than 80 ________. These schools teach both Chinese ________ and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually ________ Chinese art, history and philosophy (哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the ________ of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to ________ Chinese. So they will be ________ for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about ________ to understand their Chinese customers. So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive.

Today China ________ the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

As for the old thinker, he will not be forgotten by people in the West, even if his ________ is.