Chinese people think a lot about food. 1 a matter of fact, I think that they’re sometimes obsessed(痴迷)with it. My first practice of this aspect of Chinese culture came at a banquet(宴会)during a trip to Beijing in 1998. I had eaten Chinese food often, but I could not have 2 how fabulous (丰盛的) a real Chinese banquet could be. The first six or seven dishes seemed to 3_ the table, with plates 4 _balanced　 one on top of another. I thought this vast 　 5_ of food was the total number of dishes to be served, and I started eating 　 6 . Everyone else just 7_a bit of each dish and then put their chopsticks down, continuing to 　8_. “They can’t have very big appetites,” I thought.

To my 　9_, more dishes arrived , plus soups, side dishes, and desserts. There was enough to feed a whole army. No 10 my fellow guests had had only a few bites of each dish; they knew 11_was still to come. But I was already so 12 that I could only wait as the banquet 　13__.

Another aspect of “food culture” is that the Chinese seem to eat almost every part of every animal—much to the horror of many westerners. Stomach, ears, tongue, tail, hoof and lungs are all 14 to end up on the dinner table in front of you. The first time I saw a three-year-old kid 15_ chewing a chicken’s head, I had bad dreams for weeks.

These days I enjoy that sort of food myself. 16_ , there are other kinds of foods that have taken longer for me to 17__ . The infamous (臭名昭著的) choudoufu is a(n) 18 _ Just when I got used to it, I found another 19 _on a trip to Hunan: deep-fried choudoufu, a terrible black thing that looked and 　20　 like a burnt tennis shoe. Maybe I will get used to it, too—someday.

1. A. To　　　　　　 B. With　　　　　 C. As 　　 　　　　D. Toward

2. A. directed　 　　　 B. introduced　　 　 C. explained　　　　 D. imagined　

3. A. equip　　　　 B. furnish　　　　　 C. fill　　　　　 D. complete

4. A. dangerously　 B. beautifully　　　 　 C. highly　　 　　 　 D. closely

5. A. mixture　　　 B. wave　　　　　 C. quantity　　　　 D. preparation　

6. A. hurriedly　　 B. anxiously　　　　 C. greedily　　　　　 D. happily

7. A. smelt　　　　 B. tasted　　　　　 C. examined　　　 　 D. checked

8. A. look 　　　 B. chat　　　　　 　 C. drink　　　　 　 D.wait

9. A. joy　　 　　　 B. disappointment　 C. surprise　　　　 D. excitement

10. A. need　　　 　 B. wonder　　　　 C. doubt　　　　 　 D. use

11. A. that　　　 　 B. what　　　　　 　 C. which　　　　 　 D. whether

12. A. angry　　 　 B. full　　　　　 　 C. hungry　　　　 D. bored

13. A. ended　　 　 B. stopped　 　 C. finished　　　　 D. continued

14. A. possible　　 　 B. likely　　 　　　 C. probable　　　　 D.sure

15. A.cheerfully 　 B. regretfully　　　　　 C.generally　　　 　 D. helplessly

16. A.Besides　　　　 B. However　　　 C. Anyhow　　　　 D. Therefore

17. A.receive　　 　 B. cook　　　　　 　 C. accept　　　　　 D. adapt　

18. A. reason　　　　 B. sample　　　　 　 C. example　　　 D. cause

19. A. interest　　　　 B. variety　　　　　 C. hobby　　　　 　 D. diet

20. A. smelled　　　 　 B.tasted　　 　　　 C. chewed　　 　 D. fried　

While traveling in Ssesse Island, Uganda, I came across a basket weaver. Weaving basket designs is a complex craft that ____1____ much skill and cleverness. To see an expert at work is so ____2____ that I had watched this particular lady for hours. What was astonishing, ____3____, was that a young African man had also become ____4____ as the basket weaver performed her craft.

____5____ whether the young man was more interested in the basket weaving or the weaver, I ____6____ the unexpected couple. On being asked about his ____7____ in weaving, the wise young man looked at me with complete puzzle and ____8____ that he didn’t know how to weave so he was watching because people can always ____9____ something from one another.

Of all the lessons I’ve learned during my travels, one of the finest is that ____10____ has nothing to do with wealth and little to do with ____11____ education! Wisdom can be ____12____ in every village, every town, every city, country, and continent in every ____13____ of the earth. Moreover, the wisest are often not those who are the most outspoken but, ____14____, those who are quiet and modest.

The young man on Ssesse Island is a perfect ____15____. His high status in the village was such that he was not ____16____ to study the lowly task of basket weaving; yet, there he was. And to top it off, this modest young man threw out a pearl of wisdom so ____17____.

As I watch what is ____18____ in our world today, I find myself wishing that more people had the wisdom of my young African friend. Much time has ____19____ since I met the young man but I have carried his wisdom in my heart ____20____. And I believe that it doesn’t matter who we are, we can always learn something from one another.

1．A．asks                  B．takes                      C．costs               D．deserves

2．A．encouraging       B．moving                   C．fascinating       D．touching

3．A．however            B．otherwise                C．anyhow           D．therefore

4．A．inspired             B．excited                    C．delighted          D．engaged

5．A．Thinking            B．Finding                   C．Wondering       D．Accepting

6．A．walked              B．approached             C．reached           D．met

7．A．hobby            B．doubt                      C．advantage        D．interest

8．A．replied            B．told                        C．spoken            D．remarked

9．A．borrow              B．learn                       C．understand       D．think

10．A．thought            B．knowledge              C．wisdom           D．opinion

11．A．private             B．special                    C．usual               D．formal

12．A．found              B．invented                  C．discovered              D．created

13．A．side                 B．space                      C．corner             D．district

14．A．though             B．instead                    C．however          D．therefore

15．A．example           B．figure                     C．model              D．symbol

16．A．meant              B．predicated               C．planned            D．expected

17．A．certainly          B．naturally                  C．surely              D．definitely

18．A．appearing         B．turning                    C．happening        D．showing

19．A．passed             B．disappeared             C．lost                 D．missed

20．A．ever after         B．before long              C．long since        D．ever since

I was successful at my job. I worked very hard, but it 36  me and my family a fabulous (极好的) lifestyle. I’d worked for the same company for twenty years and had worked my way up to department director.  37 , one afternoon last May, I was called to the office, and it was  38  explained to me that they were letting me go. I just sat there  39  they talked on and all I could think was, “I’ve  40 .”  I’d been so well respected, but  41  I was of no value.

For six weeks, I was in a very  42  place. I wandered around my house like a zombie (僵尸). I could 43 things needed doing, but would not do anything. My beliefs in looking forward and seeing the positive (积极的) in everything  44  me.

Then, in late June, my youngest son’s football team made the city cup final. The year before, he’d been very sad when I  45  the same final, so he was  46  when I told him I’d go. Not only did they win, but the look on his face as he saw me  47  him on was unbelievable, From then on, I spent the summer enjoying my some and their passions (激情). I attended match after match and performances of my elder son’s band — I  48  went to another city to watch him play. These moments were so  49 . My life had been so much devoted to  50  for so long, and I felt  51  that my sons were happy to welcome me into their world.

 52 , being unemployed gave me back a sense of purpose --- I was someone’s mum! I felt a sense of being  53  Again. Now I feel more positive about my professional  54  and I’m getting on better with my family than I ever have. Losing my job made me realize just how  55  it is to achieve real balance in life.