One year ago, I traveled 15,000 kilometers from Australia to the US. I am from a beachside town in the  ____   of Sydney, and thought there would be almost no   ____  differences between my home country and my  ____. I was surprised at how wrong I was, and at  ____   different the two countries could be.
The United States is   ____   in almost every aspect. The buildings are gigantic (巨大的) and so are the people who  ____   and work in them. At mealtimes, the portions (份额) often   ____   to me to be big enough for three or four people. I once   ____   a baked potato which turned out to be bigger than my head! This was a big  ____  for me.
The longer I spent in the US, the more I started to  ____   smaller differences like the culture of  ____   in restaurants. In Australia we don't tend to give a tip   ____  the service has been really excellent. In the US you tip for  ___   everything, even at the hairdresser. Waiters and shop assistants   ____   to be given 15 percent of the bill, although in places   ____  New York or Washington DC, a tip can be as much as 20 percent.
___， I also became more wary (谨慎的) of believing the stereotypes (成见) I had heard at home as I traveled. Not all Americans are ignorant of geography, for example.Despite this, certain stereotypes about places did seem to   ____   true for me. There is an immense (强烈的) sense of speed in New York. Everyone   ___   to and fro, and very seldom takes time to   ____   the moment. This is very different from the Australian lifestyle. Australians are laid back. Even in a major city like Sydney, we “Aussies” take time to “stop and smell the roses”—very different from our American counterparts.
Navigating (驾驭) the culture divide between Australia and the US was challenging at times. But I took up that   ____  and learned a lot from it. It was an adventure.

A．heart B．city C．center D．suburbs

A．cultural B．commercial C．economic D．scientific

A．home town B．departure C．location D．destination

A．how B．why C．however D．where

A．big B．modern C．small D．fashionable

A．travel B．survive C．live D．serve

A．happened B．seemed C．proved D．managed

A．brought B．ordered C．designed D．fetched

A．laughter B．pleasure C．shock D．embarrassment

A．prefer B．notice C．tell D．appreciate

A．serving B．tipping C．donating D．toasting

A．unless B．if C．when D．since

A．rarely B．mostly C．almost D．hardly

A．try B．wait C．think D．expect

A．like B．along C．for D．in

A．So B．Therefore C．However D．But

A．come B．become C．turn D．get

A．walks B．drives C．wanders D．rushes

A．depend on B．reflect on C．spy on D．watch on

A．experience B．job C．challenge D．business