Topic 17: Culture

The phenomenon that gave rise to this belief involved the spade foot toad, which remains dormant beneath the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, (2)_________ the heat and drought for as long as eight or nine months

With the onset of summer thunderstorms, however, the toads respond to the vibrations of drumming raindrops and emerge, as if fallen from the sky with the rain, (3)__________their brief and frantic mating season.

From that point it’s a race against the elements for the young, (4)_________ must hatch and mature with remarkable speed before the pool evaporates beneath the searing desert sun

After (5)______ themselves on insects, the young toads like their parents, burrow underground, where they will lie dormant awaiting the next summer’s storms.

The most common one is related to black cats, (1) ____ are the source of hundreds of unlucky superstitions.

This superstition dates (2) ____ to the Middle Ages when they became associated with witches and evil spirits.

A more (3) ____ explanation can be traced back to ancient Egypt.

In addition, in Roman times, people (4) ____ the habit of looking at themselves in pools of water.

This superstition lives (5)_________the fear of bad luck from breaking a mirror.

All relationships go through difficult times. In the past, when married couples had problems they usually didn’t (1) _____.

Getting divorced wasn’t an (2)_____ for most people due to economic and social reasons.

They say that relationships require hard work and (3) ______.

These days young people give up (4)_______ there’s the slightest argument.” Experts agree that communication is key.

How many times have you heard yourself say to somebody, “If only you’d listen!” or “I wish you wouldn’t do that!” The truth is, the (5) ______ couples talk, the better their relationship can be.

When people marry, they’re usually in love and happy to be tying the (1) ____.

(2) __________ average, couples’ satisfaction with their marriage declines during the first years of marriage and, if the decline is particularly steep, divorce may follow. The course of true love runs downhill.

For around 30 years, researchers have studied how having children affects a marriage, and the results are (3) ______: the relationship between spouses suffers once kids come alon

Comparing couples with and (4) ______ children, researchers found that the rate of the decline in relationship satisfaction is nearly twice as steep for couples who have children than for childless couples.

In the (5) ______ that a pregnancy is unplanned, the parents experience even greater negative impacts on their relationship.

(1) ________, for others, the celebration is deeply controversial – as Thanksgiving has a contentious history that goes far beyond when the first feast was held.

In addition to depictions of turkeys, the Mayflower and the Pilgrims, many children decorate Native American headdresses – (2) _________ frequently bare no resemblance to the headdresses, clothes and feathers worn by the Wampanoag Indians.

These inaccurate (3) __________ references are perpetrated each year, making the battle for equality and accurate representation an ongoing one for Native Americans in America.

The Pilgrims and their Native American neighbours had signed a mutual protection treaty the spring before and the feast was in (4) _________ of a successful first harvest.

But from the Pilgrims’ point of view, the first Thanksgiving – meant to be a day set (5) _______ for prayer and worship – took place in July 1623

There are many strange superstitions in the world. The most common one is related to black cats, (1) ____ are the source of hundreds of unlucky superstitions

It’s a sign of bad luck (2) ____ they walk in front of you or you step on their tails

This superstition dates (3) ____ to the Middle Ages when they became associated with witches and evil spirits

A more (4) ____ explanation can be traced back to ancient Egypt.

The (5) ____ Egyptians believed that the shape of the Pyramids had a special power.

In addition, in Roman times, people (6) ____ the habit of looking at themselves in pools of water.

In the mainstream American culture, the ideal (1) ____ of communication includes being direct rather than indirect (“ideal” here means that the culture values this style, although not everyone speaks directly).

There are several expressions in English (2) ____ emphasize the importance of being direct: “Get to the point! Don’t beat around the bush! Let’s get down to business!”

These sayings all indicate the importance of dealing directly with issues rather than (3) ____ them.

Similarly, in Japan, it would be (4) ____ rude to say directly “I disagree with you” or “You’re wrong”.

It is not a (5) ____, then, to find out that cultural groups misjudge each other based on different beliefs about directness and honesty in communication.

In the US the word junior or senior, or a number, is added after the name and surname to make (1) ____ clear which persons is being referred to.

For example, the son of William Jones Sr (Senior) (2) ____ be called William Jones Jr (Junior), and his son would be called William Jones III (“William Jones the third”).

Many popular names come from the Bible, e.g. Jacob, Joshua, Matthew, Mary, Rebecca and Sarah, (3) ____

this does not imply that the people who choose them are (4) ____.

In the US Chelsea was not a common name for a girl (5) _____President Bill Clinton’s daughter Chelsea came to public attention.

What is the topic of the passage?

The word “mainstream” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.

The word “mainstream” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.

According to paragraph 2, what isn’t Kinect product able to perform?

The word “it” in paragraph 2 refers to _______.

According to paragraph 3, how precise is the technology from the Leap motion?

When did the tradition of gift-giving become popular all over the world?

Which of the following is NOT true about gift-giving customs?

The phrase “associated with” is closest in meaning to ____.

The word “it" in paragraph 3 refer to ____.

Which of the following is the main idea of paragraph 3?