In many Asian, African and Latin American cultures,     1     (extend) eye contact is impolite and it is thought of     2     an offensive or a challenge of authority. It is considered politer to have brief eye contact, especially between people of different social status (like a student and a teacher, or a child and his elder relatives). For example, if a Japanese woman avoids looking someone in the eye, she is not showing a lack of interest nor is     3     (she) showing a lack of confidence. Instead, she     4     (be) polite, respectful and appropriate according to her culture. So in many of these cultures, you should take care of     5     kind of eye contact you initiate with those who are your     6     (superior) or in authority over you, so that you are not thought to be     7     (respect) or rude. As you can see, it is vital for you to know what eye contact communicates before you visit a new culture.

Before you travel, you can either look up relevant information in your local public library     8     check out a book about the culture of the country you plan to visit in a bookstore. Learn how to make use of eye contact and other body language     9     (flexible) so that you     10     (perceive) to be polite, and so that you can better connect with people who are foreign to you!

Do you want to learn a foreign language? Choose one of the most     1     (use) languages suggested below to learn.

In most countries all over the world, English is     2     most widely used second language. Whether a person is traveling to a foreign country or communicating     3     people from other     4     (country) for business purposes, English is one language which will come in handy at every step.

Spanish is the language of business in about twenty countries. There are many jobs in the United States as well as in many other countries, which specially ask for people     5     know how to speak and write Spanish.

The Chinese economy is booming! In the future, China     6     (become) the economic world leader, which makes     7     important to learn Mandarin Chinese, a language     8     (speak) by millions of people.

French is recognised as one of the top languages to learn,     9     (simple) because it is a chief language in northern and western Africa. Anyone trying to understand European history can benefit a lot from     10     (learn) this language.

In order to know a foreign language thoroughly, four things are necessary. Firstly, we must understand the language when we hear it spoken. Secondly, we must be able to speak it ourselves correctly with     1       (confident) and without hesitation.     2     , we must be able to read the language, and fourthly, we must be able to write it. We must be able to make sentences that are grammatically correct.

There is no easy way to success     3     language learning. A good memory is     4       (help), but it is not enough only to memorize rules from a grammar book. It is not much use learning by heart long lists of words and     5     meanings, studying the dictionary and so on. We must learn by using the language. If we are       6     (satisfy) with only a few rules we     7     (memorise) before, we are not really learning the language. “Learn through use” is a good piece of    8     (advise) for those     9     are studying a new language. Practice is important. We must practise speaking and     10     (write) the language whenever we can.

Today, American English is     1     common international use. It is different from British English in several ways,     2     (large) in spelling and vocabulary. Some American spellings     3     (create) by Noah Webster,     4     made one of America’s first dictionaries. He changed “-re” spellings to “-er”, which is why theatre is spelt theater in American English.

The Americans and the British also use different words for everyday things. For example, Americans talk about     5     (put) gas in cars and driving along the highway, whereas in the UK, people put petrol in     6     (they) cars and drive along the motorway. Americans take the elevator to the top floor of a building, but the British choose     7     (use) the lift. In the US, they take the subway, but in the UK, people travel on the underground. Americans live in     8     apartment, while the British live in a flat.

It’s not as     9     (confuse) as it seems: usually people from the two countries can understand each other from the context. But that doesn’t stop them having a friendly     10     (argue) about which word is the “right” one!

You probably have ever been warned against using certain hand gestures when     1    (travel) abroad. The meanings of hand gestures differ so     2    (great) in different countries. But do you know the relationship between body language     3     groups?

Mark Mofftt, author of The Human Suarm, describes our need to belong to a certain group. We are     4    (safe) in a group than in one person. We trust them, they protect us, and they share     5     same values and beliefs as us. We will even go to war     6    (fight) for our group.

Humans gravitate (吸引) to those people who are     7    (member) of their own group. This is because we like to be able to predict the actions of others and belonging to a group enables this.

Outsiders to our group     8     (be) foreign and unknown. Therefore, they could be     9     (danger), unpredictable or threatening. So it is important to recognize these outsiders to our group.

There are many things help us identify these strangers or outsiders-the clothes they wear and the way they speak. Now, experts know that their body language is also an indicator. In our ancestors’ times, knowing     10     someone is a friend or foe (对手) could mean the difference between total annihilation (灭绝) of their family or the survival of their genes.

The phrase bai lan gains popularity as severe     1    (compete) and social expectations leave many young people disappointed.

On China’s Internet, some young people say their ambitions can’t     2    (achieve) and many of them have given up on trying. Frustrated by     3    mounting uncertainties and lack of economic opportunities, they are resorting to a new buzzword — bai lan (lei it rot in English) — to capture their attitude     4    life.

The phrase bai lan,     5    has its origin in NBA games, means a voluntary retreat (后退) from pursuing certain goals because one realises they are simply too difficult to achieve. In American basketball, it often refers to a     6    (player) deliberate loss of a game in order to get a better draft pick.

On Weibo, the bai lan-related topics     7    (generate) hundreds of millions of reads and discussions since March. Netizens also created different variations of the bai lan attitude. “Properties in Shanghai too expensive? Fine, I’ll just rent all my life, since I can’t afford it if I only earn a     8    (month) salary anyway,” one grumbled.

State media have taken note of this trend. “Why do modern young Chinese like to ‘bai lan’?” one recent article in official media outlet asked. “In fact, this is as a result of negative auto suggestion, repeatedly     9    (tell) oneself I cannot make it. And this kind of mentality often     10    (lead) people to adopt the ‘bai lan’ attitude.”