1 . In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in the month of November.

Thanksgiving has a very interesting ______. Its origin can be traced back to the 17th century. In 1620, the Pilgrims ______ in the New World from England; they were faced with ______ weather and difficult living conditions. ______, they received huge help from the ______ Americans and were able to have a good harvest the following year. In the autumn of 1621, they held a big ______ to which 90 people, including the Natives, were ______. This dinner is popularly known as “The First Thanksgiving Feast”.

These days in the U.S., Thanksgiving is a time for ______ reunion. And family members usually ______ on Thanksgiving Eve. Thanksgiving emphasizes family and harvests. Usually people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips to visit family and ______.

Since Thanksgiving ______ as a harvest celebration, it’s no wonder that ______ plays an important part. It’s said that more food is eaten ______ Thanksgiving than Christmas. Dinner ______ includes a turkey. Sweet potatoes, pudding, yoghurt, wine and cornbread often go with the meal. Desserts – primarily apple, pumpkin and sweet potato pies – follow the dinner. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give ______ for what they have.

2 . The British love to think of themselves as polite, and everyone knows how fond they are of their “pleases” and “thank you”. Even the simplest business such as buying a train ticket requires _________ seven or eight of these. Another _________ of our good manners is the queue. New-comers to Britain could be _________ for thinking that queuing rather than football was the _________ national sport. Finally, of course, motorists generally stop at crossings. But does all this mean that the British should consider themselves more _________ than their European neighbours? I think not.

Take forms of address(称呼) for example. The average English person -- _________ he happens to work in a hotel or department store--would rather die than call a stranger “Sir” or “Madam”. _________ in some European countries this is the most basic of common address. Our universal “you” _________ everyone may appear more democratic, but it means that we are forced to seek out complicated ways to express _________. I am all for __________ to the use of “thee” and “thou” (Thee and thou are old-fashioned poetic words for “you”); “you” would be reserved for strangers and professional relationships.

And of course, the English find touching and other shows of friendship truly __________. Have you noticed how the British __________ ever touch? Personally, I find the Latin habit of shaking hands or a friendly kiss quite charming. __________ kissing the average English person, and they will either take two steps backwards in horror, or, if their __________ is blocked you will find your lips touching the back of their head. Now what could be __________ than that?

3 . As is customary in many cultures around the world, when a Japanese couple ________ a baby into the world, relatives come to visit the family and ________. However, because of the pandemic and social distancing rules, that hasn’t been ________ lately. Dakigokochi—rice babies ________ in Japan have been around since the early 2000s, but their popularity has ________ once again because of COVID-19. With relatives unable to ________, baby-shaped rice bags have become a much-needed way of ________ the joy of having a baby with ________ ones. Rice babies are bags of rice that weigh ________ as much as the babies they are replacing, and that have photos of the ________printed on them. They are ________ to relatives so they can hug the “new human” while looking at a picture of the baby’s face.

Naruo Ono, the owner of a rice shop, ________ the idea for rice babies 14 years ago when his own son was born and he was thinking about what he could do for relatives who ________ far away and couldn’t come and see him. He decided to make rice bags that were the ________ shape and weight as the baby, and ________ a picture of him on them, so the relatives could see and feel him.

One day, someone saw Naruo’s rice baby in the window of his shop and ________ on how interesting it was. That’s when he ________ that there might be a ________ for his cute rice bags. He started making them for ________and has since been shipping them all over Japan. Since then, several companies have ________ his invention.

4 . Maria and Pablo lived in a tiny village in Mexico. Because Christmas time at their house did not include many gifts, Maria and Pablo _________ to the Christmas festivities at the village _________ with great joy.

To honor the birth of Christ(耶稣), the church _________ a beautiful manger(食槽) that drew crowds of admirers. Villagers walked miles to admire the manger, bringing lovely, _________ gifts for the Baby Jesus. As Maria and Pablo watched the villagers _________ their gifts in the soft hay(干草) around the manger, they felt _________. They had no money to buy _________ for their family and no money to buy one for the Baby Jesus.

On Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo _________ to the church for that evening's services, _________ wishing that they had a gift to bring. __________ then, a soft glowing light shone through the __________, and the shadowy outline of a/an __________ appeared above them.

Maria and Pablo were afraid, but the angel __________ them, telling them to pick some of the short green __________ that were growing by the road. They should __________ the plants to the church, the angel explained, and place them near the __________ as their gift to the Baby Jesus. Then just as __________ as she had appeared, the angel was gone, __________ Maria and Pablo on the road looking up into the dark sky. Confused but __________, the children filled their __________ with large bunches of the green weeds and hurried to the church.

5 . People from different cultures sometimes do things that make each other uncomfortable, without meaning to or sometimes without even realizing it. Most Americans ________ never been out of the country and have very little ________ that with foreigners. But they are usually spontaneously to get children to help, friendly and open, and ________ meeting new people, having guests and ________ people together formally (正式地) or informally.

They tend to use first names in most ________ and speak freely about themselves. ________ if your American hosts do something that makes you ________ , try to let them know how you feel. Most people will ________ your honesty and try not to make you uncomfortable again. And you’ll learn something about another culture!

Many travelers find it ________ to meet people in the U.S. than in other countries. They may just ________ and introduce themselves or even invite you over before they really know you. Sometimes Americans are said to be ________ friendly. Perhaps it seems so, but they are probably just ________ a good time. Just like anywhere else, it takes ________ to become real friends with people in the U.S. If and when you stay with American friends, they will probably enjoy ________ you to their friends and family, and if they seem eager to know you, it is probably ________ they are. Relax and enjoy it!

6 . The make-up has been __________ and the costumes are back in the wardrobe. All of the ghosts, and zombies (僵尸) have disappeared for another year. If you were out On October 31, you probably noticed that there seemed to be many more of the __________ creatures scaring up fun on Shanghai streets this year. Not everyone, however, is __________ about the increasing popularity of Halloween in our city.

In actual fact, Halloween is a holiday that makes __________ people unhappy, even in countries where it is widely popular. It is not surprising that stories of the dead rising and walking among us might offend certain religious and cultural __________ of any country.

__________, costumes are often designed to be scary, disturbing and even disgusting. This particular feature of Halloween is exactly what __________some elderly passengers on the metro a few nights ago. A group of local university students, who were heading for a Halloween party, had dressed up like zombies. Their frightening appearance shocked the elderly passengers, causing them to become nervous.

Micro-bloggers later discussed the __________ online, expressing __________ opinions. On one hand, some see it as an example of young people showing a lack of __________ and respect towards the people around them. On the other hand, others see it as a harmless way to have fun.

__________ one’s judgment of that particular story, we can all agree that this is an obvious case of both cultural and generational __________. China is a country that values respect for dead ancestors. It’s quite likely that some Chinese people see certain Halloween traditions as making fun of the dead. It seems that while China’s younger generation embraces the celebrations of Western countries, the __________ generation can easily feel offended and question the wisdom of adopting foreign holidays.

China is changing rapidly, and many of those changes are due to outside influences. As the country embraces the values and cultural celebrations of foreign countries, what happens to __________ values and celebrations? How do generations, which are becoming so vastly different, continue to respect and understand one another? __________ to think about while you eat your Halloween candy.

7 . On Christmas Day in 2012, when I was fourteen, I didn’t get a single Christmas present. That wasn’t a _________. It was what I had _________. A week before Christmas, I decided that _________ presents, I wanted donations to buy presents for the children in the local orphanage (孤儿院).

When I told my family and friends about my plan, there were a lot of _________ but also support. However, it was only on Christmas Day that the reality hit me. When my baby sisters jumped out of bed, singing carols and opening presents, I lay there feeling _________ and making a list of all the things I really wanted for Christmas that year. I realized I had made a huge mistake.

As I _________ on the door of the orphanage that morning, I felt _________ because I realized how unprepared I was for what was _________. I even had the _________ of dropping the bags of presents outside the orphanage and________. I almost did, but then a kind woman opened the door and smiled when she __________ me in. I was taken to a room full of children, and was __________ angry at how empty it felt. I wanted the room to be filled with __________instead of fear. I wanted to make these children smile but I was __________.

But then something happened. As the workers in the orphanage __________ presents, the __________ in the room changed. I could see the __________ in the eyes of the children and their bodies filled with hope. I __________ feeling so powerless. A little girl, Diana, ran up to me and __________ my legs. I didn’t know I was crying __________ she asked me, “Auntie, why are you crying?” This only made me cry more.

8 . As I hang the first ornament (装饰), I’m singing along with Eartha Kitt. I know they laugh at me because I look like a _________   in my Santa hat, belting out Santa Baby. “But it’s the Sunday before Christmas, _________   day. I’ve chosen the towering Bavarian stick-skier in a red quilted jacket that my dad loved. Not right in front, it’s stupid,” Rachel _________ . She is grown, a working nurse, _________ revisiting the “OMG, Dad!” role of youth.

When I was a kid, my mother had the Christmas-tree bug, and I’ve taken the same _________ joy in the ritual (仪式). I remember her holiday jazz albums _________ from the stand onto the turntable (唱盘) as my two older brothers and I danced, laughed, and dressed the _________ . So I string the lights and build the fire, then let each ornament cause _________ talk and memories. The ugly glass owl? A _________ to Neil’s hunting for owl when he was a kid. The handmade sleeping __________ with a crack across it? My sweet mother-in-law, Ruth, glazed (上釉) that in __________   of our first cat. Only the ornament remains, glued and proud.

Each object fills me with emotions I can’t otherwise always tap. Our dear friends the Nashes __________ the nice mini cowboy boot after they’d moved away. The tiny San Francisco Giants baseball in glass ________ back the incredible day in 2010 when we all finally celebrated, for real. Bent, __________ , or old ornaments join the pretty bulbs up front. We sing along with Luther Vandross --“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”—and I feel all the people and places I’ve been __________ with in life.

9 . In American culture, I am noticing a lack of respect, especially among children. This should be treated _________ since disrespectful children will become disrespectful teenagers, and then disrespectful adults. American culture is _________ the ways of teaching respect, while other cultures have methods that Americans could learn from.

In 1995, I spent a couple of months in Kenya where I lived with a pastor’s family. This pastor was a part of the Maasai tribes that have some unique customs. One of them is the _________ that the children give the adults. When an adult approaches a Maasai child, the child will _________ and tilt their head slightly saying “Suppa”. The adult responses by saying “Ippa” touching the top of their heads. This simple act shows respect for the adult. The children _________ that they are their elder and that the adult deserves respect.

In my early 20’s, I worked at a children’s home in South Carolina where the children from 4 to 19 years old were taught to respect their elders. They _________ me as “Mr. Vince” and every adult worker there with a “Mr, Mrs, or Ms.”. However, as I counsel and talk to teachers and other professionals who work with children now, there seems to be a _________ in such as friendly behavior that children give adults. Fewer students treat teachers with respect: Children frequently talk back to their teachers, parents or seniors, interrupt conversations, and disregard their _________. Children casually speak with other adults like waiters, store clerks, postmen, cashiers, etc. in the way as if they are children’s _________.

Immanuel Kant expressed two __________ attitudes in Europe that are still dominant today. One is that only humans are persons because they have autonomy—they freely choose to act on principles by __________ laws on themselves, and not on desires. It is this mind based on __________ that gives humans special status. Second, to learn to follow principles instead of desires, a human child needs to learn __________ to the laws of adults. They must practice __________ regulation before they are able to practice autonomy. Kant said that “act in the way you want others to act in the situation, taking other people as persons, not __________ you use for your own goals”. Only in this way can you become a real person with intrinsic values.