We know the kiss as a form. of expressing. But long before it became【C1】______, it was the

custom in many parts of the world to use the kiss as a(n)【C2】______of respect.

In many African tribes the natives【C3】______the ground over which a chief has walked. Kissing the hand and foot has been a mark of respect from the【C4】______times.

The early Romans kissed the mouth or eyes【C5】______a form. of dignified greeting. One Roman emperor allowed his important nobles to kiss his lips, but the【C6】______important ones had to kiss his hands, and the【C7】______. important ones were【C8】______allowed to kiss his feet! It is quite probable that kiss as a form. of affection can be traced back to primitive times when a mother【C9】______fondle(爱抚)her child, just as a mother【C10】______today. It only remained for society to【C11】______this as a custom for expressing affection between adults.

We have evidence that this was already the【C12】______by the time of the sixth century, but we can only assume it was【C13】______long before that. The first【C14】______where the kiss became accepted in courtship and love was in France. When dancing became' popular, almost every dance figure ended【C15】______a kiss.

From France the kiss spread rapidly all over Europe. Russia, which loved to【C16】______the customs of France, adopted the kiss and it spread there through all the upper【C17】______A kiss from the Tsar became【C18】______of the highest forms of recognition from the Crown.

In time, the kiss became a part of courtship.【C19】______marriage customs developed, the kiss became a part of the wedding ceremony. Today, of course, we regard the kiss as an expression of love and tenderness. But there are still many places in the world where the kiss is【C20】______of formal ceremonies and is intended to convey respect.

【C1】

A．it

B．one

C．this

D．itself