1 . I grew up in Kazakhstan. Before I moved to America, I never expected that I would experience a culture shock.

The first thing that ________ me was how Americans tend to be very ________. They will start a ________ with passengers on the bus and say hello to strangers on the street. Americans become friends first and build up ________ later. However, for Kazakhs, they have to ________ that someone is good and honest before having a harmonious ________. That’s why at first we may appear ________ because we have to know someone in order to ________ them, but once we do, we are very warm people.

Another aspect of American culture that I found different from my culture was a sense of ________ and personal space. Americans feel ________ when others stand too close. In America when friends greet, they shake hands or give a short hug and immediately step aside to have some ________ for conversation. Also, Americans do not ________ to be asked their age, weight, or personal matters. In Kazakhstan we greet each other with a hug and a kiss and personal space is not a ________. Kazakhs would rather speak sitting or walking quite close to each other. Moreover, it is ________ to ask about someone’s age or weight.

Part of the excitement of living in a new culture is knowing how it differs from your own culture. By learning to ________ the culture of another country, we become more open-minded.

2 . Nguyen Thi Thu is one of the few remaining artists practicing and constantly enhancing the traditional Vietnamese art of sculpting realistic-looking flowers out of papaya (番木瓜树) fruits.

Thu became ________ in carving various flowers from papaya fruits at the age of 15, when she ________ a class on the art of sculpting fruit. She was fascinated by the ________ art form, but then she had to ________ to Russia and stayed there for 15 years. Thu couldn’t ________ her favorite art form because she was too busy working and had no ________ to green papayas. She ________ it with all sorts of other fruits and vegetables, but nothing was quite like the papaya she ________. When she returned to Hanoi in 2009, she ________ got back into papaya sculpting, and she has been practicing the art ever since.

Over the years, Thu has ________ herself to carve various types of flowers, but her favourite by far is also one of the most ________, the chrysanthemum (菊花). Creating a single flower takes between 45 minutes and over an hour,________ the complexity of the design. “I often fall asleep thinking of how to ________ a certain flower, and then I get out of bed to practice,” Thu said.

Apart from ________ her art form during various public events and creating delicate papaya flowers, Thu also holds classes in Hanoi, as a way of ________ the traditional art form.

3 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Throughout history, Chinese sword (剑) culture continuously enriched with time. The sword is known as     1     “ancestor of short weapons”

Chinese swords took shape in the Shang Dynasty. Until China’s Spring and Autumn Period, the sword remained the mainstream weapon on the battlefield.     2     (use) by ancient kings and nobles, the sword was a symbol of power and dignity. They often presented swords as a form of friendship. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Ji Zha, ambassador (使节) of State Wu, passed State Xu on his way to Jin and Lu. The king of State Xu fell in love with Ji Zha’s sword. However, it was hard to ask for it. Ji Zha decided     3     (gift) the sword to him, but when he returned, the king had been     4     (die). To keep his promise, Ji Zha     5     (hang) his sword on the tree in front of the king’s tomb. Ji Zha’s story later represented a gentleman’s trustworthiness.

In the Han Dynasty, sword culture among the literate     6     (gradual) rose. They wore and danced with swords,    7     this showed their proficiency in literature and martial arts. In modern times, sword culture, as a part of traditional Chinese martial arts,     8     (face) the challenge of weak inheritance (遗传).

In recent years, sword culture has developed again     9     the rise of traditional Chinese culture. As one of the Chinese     10     (nation) traditional “brands”, sword culture plays a role in strengthening physical fitness and promoting virtue.

4 . Welcome to Dragon Boat Festival Celebration! In a short visit, you will be able to participate in a range of activities, from Language Corner to the Chinese Tea ceremony. This celebration is also an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Confucius Institute, meet the institute teachers, learn some Chinese culture and enjoy several cultural activities.

For this event, we also invited Hello Art to run a clay-making dragon boat workshop. The clay-making workshop will run from 11:00-12:30 and 1:00-2:30 pm and on a first come and first serve basis. A maximum capacity has been set per workshop to optimize the experience. The spaces are very limited!

6 . There are festivals going on somewhere in the world every day of the year. These range from very large events to local celebrations in tiny villages. We have selected a few of the more unusual, colourful festivals from around the world.

Mighty Mud (泥; 泥浆) Mania: Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

Children’s dreams really do come true in the City of Scottsdale. Children aged 1 to 13, get to join in the mud race Mighty Mudway features water and mud games. There are also water slides, sandcastle buildings and fun for all ages. Moms and dads, remember to send your kids out with old clothes and shoes.

Songkran Festival, Thailand

What better way to celebrate the “start of the return of rains” than with a country-wide water fight? Thais celebrate their festival officially from April 13th until April 15th. These three days represent the last day of the old year, the day of transition, and the first day of the New Year. Water battles fought out for days in the streets of every town and city over the country.

The La Tomatina Festival, Spain

On the last Wednesday of every August thousands of Spaniards take part in the La Tomatina Festival in Bunol. Truckloads of tomatoes are pulled in each year and dumped in the city centre. The people throw tomatoes at each other for the whole day, but the only rule is that the tomato must be flattened in the hand first, before being thrown. Even elderly grandmothers have been known to take part.

Canberra Sled Dog Classic: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Dog sledding is one of the fastest growing sports on the east coast of Australia. As there’s no snow (the trail is earth and sand and is smooth and wide with a few hills and turns) , the sleds have wheels instead of runners, but the excitement is the same.

Porcelain, a fine and delicate ceramic, has long been prized for its beauty and elegance. Each piece, whether ancient or modern,     1     (reflect) the unique traditions, aesthetics (审美), and skills of its makers. The fact     2     the country and the material share the same name in English — “China”, is a testament to the Europeans’ long     3     (aware) of the significance of porcelain in Chinese civilization.

Porcelain found     4     (it) way to Europe in the 15th century, occupying an important position in the exchanges between China and other countries. The Keise l Randy Museum in Germany, for instance, houses a blue-and-white bowl     5     (date) back to the Ming dynasty, representative of the conciseness and elegance that Chinese porcelain symbolizes.

Throughout history, China, along with other Asian countries, maintained a busy and vast trade in porcelain     6     Europe. From 1602 to 1682, the Dutch East India Company transported over 16 million porcelain     7     (article) to Europe, further establishing China’s reputation for producing delicate ceramics.

Porcelain played     8     important role in the European idealization of China during the 17th and 18th centuries. The rococo style, popular in Europe during that period,     9     (influence) by the “Chinese vogue,” evident in the styles of porcelain and gardens inspired by China.

In conclusion, porcelain remains an eternal material,     10     beauty and diversity continue to appeal to people, making it a timeless treasure.

Chinese acrobatic (杂技) dates back to the Neolithic, when ancient people developed it from daily life for enjoyment and celebration. The use of daily items such as tables, chairs, bowls and plates     1     (be) common in their performances. By the time of the Han Dynasty, the art of acrobatics     2     (achieve) great progress in both content and variety. There were wonderful acrobatic performances     3     background music on the stage. During the Tang Dynasty, the number of acrobats greatly increased and their skills improved a great deal.

    4     (regard) as part of the national heritage, Chinese acrobatics features the ability     5     (maintain) balance in performance movements. For example,     6     experienced acrobat can walk on 3-meter-high poles while juggling 7 bowls. Acrobats can act like fish swimming     7     (smooth) in the water, birds flying through trees and butterflies dancing among flowers, showcasing wonderful skills     8     require years of hard training. And the performances reflect humans’spirit of braving hardships and dangers while seeking     9     (perfect).

Modern Chinese acrobatics has set up a designing and directing system. It is aimed at creating beautiful stage images and     10     (harmony) effects of music, clothing, props, and lighting to bring about a fully developed stage art.