When I was young, my parents and I {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(move) to New York from China. Although we now live in the US, we follow the customs and {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (tradition) of China. I have learned to speak several languages, English {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (include). I eat all kinds of foods and celebrate different holidays {#blank#}4{#/blank#} have something to do with culture.

    However, there {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(be) many disadvantages of being part of two cultures. Sometimes, speaking a language at home {#blank#}6{#/blank#} speaking another language in school can get confusing. Sometimes, I have trouble {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (express) my thoughts in English because they don't understand me well. Sometimes, my culture does make me feel far away from others because I feel too {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (difference).

    I am closer to the culture of China than that of the US. I don't listen to English music as {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(frequent) as I listen to Chinese music. Therefore, I feel very far away {#blank#}10{#/blank#} my friends when I don't know what song they talking about.

    Old English differs much from the English we use today. Middle English is the name given to the English used from around the 12^th {#blank#}1{#/blank#} the 15^th centuries. Many things played a part in the {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (develop) of this new type of English. The most important contribution was from the Normans, a French-speaking people who  {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (defeat) England and took control of the country in 1066. However, the Norman Conquest did not affect English as much as the Angels and the Saxons'victory about 600 years earlier, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} led to old English replacing Celtic. Even though the Normans spoke French for the entire 250 years they ruled England, French did not replace English as the {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (one) language. On the other hand, the English language did borrow many words from French. This resulted in even {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (many) words with similar meanings, such as answer (from Old English) and reply (from Old French). Modern English appeared during the Renaissance in the 16th century.  {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (pronounce) also went through huge changes during this period. Of course, this was not the end of the changes in the English language. The question of whether English will keep on changing in the future is {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (easily) to answer. {#blank#}9{#/blank#} is certain that this process will continue, and people will keep {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (invent) new words and new ways of saying things.

    Mr. James owns a company. He put an advertisement {#blank#}1{#/blank#}a newspaper for a boy to work in his office. Out of nearly fifty people {#blank#}2{#/blank#}came to apply, the man selected one and dismissed {#blank#}3{#/blank#}others.

    “I would like to know,” said a friend, “the reason you preferred that boy, who brought neither a single letter, {#blank#}4{#/blank#}a single recommendation.”

    “You are wrong,” said the gentlemen. “He had many. He wiped his feet at the door and closed the door behind him, {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(mean) that he was careful. He gave his seat immediately to an old man, showing that he was kind and {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(thought). He took off his cap when he came in and answered my questions quickly, showing that he was a polite gentleman. Everyone else stepped over the book that I {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(put) on the floor purposely. He picked {#blank#}8{#/blank#}up and placed it on the table, and he waited quietly for his turn instead of pushing and crowding. When I talked to him, I {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(notice) his tidy clothing, his neatly brushed hair, and his clean finger mails. Can't you see that these are excellent recommendations? I considered them to be more significant than {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(letter).”

    Hearing the words, the friend nodded in agreement.

    The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, is {#blank#}1{#/blank#} second-largest art museum in the world after the Louvre, France, both of which are visited by millions of people {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (annual). Hermitage holds not only artistic treasures but also a collection of living history {#blank#}3{#/blank#} well.

    The Hermitage was built as part of the royal Russian family's Winter Palace. Empress Elizabeth had cats brought in {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (rid) the several palace buildings of mice. The cats did their job well and {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (give) homes in the basements of the buildings and the title of Hermitage cats.

    The 74 Hermitage cats live at the museum {#blank#}6{#/blank#} they now lead an extremely {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (comfort) life. A press secretary is in charge of the cats, with three full-time caretakers {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (attend) to their every need. There are even kitchens for preparing meals for the cats because every cat has its own {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (prefer). This may all seem over the top, but Russian and foreign {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (visit) alike love seeing the Hermitage cats while admiring some of the world's greatest artistic treasures.