crowded   convention   suitable
1. Voters ____ him as a clear and strong international leader.
2. The handshake is a social ____.
3. It was two weeks before Christmas and the mall was ____ with shoppers.
4. She gently rocked the baby ____ and forwards.
5. The programme is perfectly ____ for children of all ages.
6. When I answered the telephone, no one was there, which made me ____.

rituals  response

With globalization, the world is beginning to look like a (1) ____ village. To understand each other across cultures, it is essential for us to develop a(n) (2) ____ communication ability. We need to understand that what is important in one culture may be perceived as (3) ____ in another, and what is suitable in one culture may appear to be weird or even (4) ____ in another.

Learning about such (5) ____, including how to greet friends, how far away to stand from other people when talking to them, what (6) ____ to give when people say "thank you," and when it is appropriate to (7) ____ a party, can help us better communicate with people from other cultures. However, it is impossible to know all the conventions and (8) ____ in other cultures and therefore it is also important to develop tolerance when things go (9) ____ our expectations. Cultural understanding is not (10) ____ in one day, and it is surely worth all our efforts.