When I lived in Boston, I taught English as a second language to adult students from around the world. On the last day, they threw a nice party. I was amazed they had learned enough English     1     (organize) such an event altogether. At the end of the party, they proudly handed me a gift box. After the box     2     (open), I gently lifted a beautiful coat from it. “We went shopping for a new coat!” they all shouted     3     wonderfully perfect English.

While China celebrates the year of the rabbit, many Vietnamese are buying new cat-themed decorations. How the cat substituted for the rabbit     1     (remain) debatable. Some suppose the custom has to do with language. In old Chinese, the word tied to the rabbit year is pronounced “mao (卯)”    2     pronunciation is similar to mèo, the Vietnamese word for cat. Some think it relates to landscape. Originally the Chinese preferred a lifestyle close to wilderness, choosing rabbit as an animal living in the wild fields. In contrast, the Vietnamese chose the cat because they treated cats     3     friends living in their houses.