2 . A taboo (禁忌) is a social action that is not allowed. Every culture in the world has ______(it) own taboos. The breaking of a taboo sometimes makes people feel __________ (comfortable).   I learned this through my own experience.

Last weekend, Wang Lin and I showed two___________ (foreign) around our city. Mr. Singh was from India and Mr. White from the USA. When I   ___________ (hold) out my left hand to shake hands with Mr. Singh, he seemed to be unhappy. Mr. White, ___________, was quite casual. He said hello to me with a big smile and a wave of his hand.

In the evening, we stopped at a restaurant for dinner. I noticed that Mr. Singh didn’t touch the beef and Mr. White seemed not   __________ (like) chickens’ claws (鸡爪). During the meal, Wang Lin said sorry to Mr. Singh and continued __________ (explain) that we didn’t know it was a taboo in India to shake one’s left hand. Mr. Singh explained that ____________ oxen are sacred (神圣的) in India, people don’t eat beef there. Mr. White joined in and said that ___________ was not usual in the USA for people to eat chickens’ claws. He went on to say that   Americans don’t usually get into each other’s_________ （person）space. Isn’t it a good lesson that needs remembering?

3 . For Western designers, China and its rich culture have long been an inspiration for Western creative.

"It's no secret that China has always been a source(来源)of inspiration for designers," says Amanda Hill, chief creative officer at A+E Networks, a global media company and home to some of the biggest fashion(时尚)shows.

Earlier this year, the China Through A Looking Glass exhibition in New York exhibited 140 pieces of China-inspired fashionable clothing alongside Chinese works of art, with the aim of exploring the influence of Chinese aesthetics(美学)on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries. The exhibition had record attendance, showing that there is huge interest in Chinese influences.

"China is impossible to overlook," says Hill. "Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns that sell dreams to women all over the world, which means Chinese women are not just consumers of fashion — they are central to its movement. "Of course, only are today's top Western designers being influenced by China — some of the best designers of contemporary fashion are themselves Chinese." Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu are taking on Galiano, Albaz, Marc Jacobs-and beating them hands down in design and sales," adds Hill.

For Hill, it is impossible not to talk about China as the leading player when discussing fashion. "The most famous designers are Chinese, so are the models, and so are the consumers," she says. "China is no longer just another market; in many senses it has become the market. If you talk about fashion today, you are talking about China —its influences, its direction, its breathtaking clothes, and how young designers and models are finally acknowledging that in many ways."