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A small town in southwest Britain is banning plastic bags in an attempt to help the environment and cut waste—a step that environmentalists believe is a first for Europe.

Shopkeepers in Modbury agreed to stop handing out disposable plastic bags to customers on Saturday.They said paper sacks and cloth carrier bags would be offered instead.

Last month, San Francisco became the first US city to ban plastic grocery bags.Internationally, laws to discourage the use of plastic bags have been passed in parts of South Africa and Ireland, where governments either tax shoppers who use them or fine companies that hand them out.Bangladesh already bans them, and so do at least 30 remote Alaskan villages.

Modbury, about 225 miles southwest of London, has also declared a bag amnesty (宽限期), allowing local people to hand in plastic bags that have piled up at home.They will be sent for a recycling.

The Modbury ban was the idea of Rebecca Hosking, who saw the effect of bags on marine life while working in the Pacific as a wildlife camerawoman.She said response in the town so far had been “really positive”．

“Modbury is quite an old­fashioned town and a lot of people have wicker baskets to go out shopping anyway，” Hosking told Sky News Television.

The Worldwatch Institute, an environmental research agency, states that 100 billion plastic bags are thrown away each year in the United States alone.More than 500 billion are used yearly around the world.

Spring is coming, and it is time for those about to graduate to look for jobs. Competition is tough, so job seekers must carefully consider their personal choices. Whatever we are wearing, our family and friends may accept us, but the workplace may not.

A high school newspaper editor said it is unfair for companies to discourage visible tattoos (纹身), nose rings, or certain dress styles. It is true you can’t judge a book by its cover, yet people do “cover” themselves in order to convey(传递)certain messages. What we wear, including tattoos and nose rings, is an expression of who we are. Just as people convey messages about themselves with their appearances, so do companies. Dress standards exist in the business world for a number of reasons, but the main concern is often about what customers accept.

Others may say how to dress is a matter of personal freedom, but for businesses it is more about whether to make or lose money. Most employers do care about the personal appearances of their employees, because those people represent the companies to their customers.

As a hiring manager, I am paid to choose the people who would make the best impression on our customers. There are plenty of well-qualified candidates(应试者), so it is not wrong to reject someone who might disappoint my customers. Even though I am open-minded, I can’t expect all our customers are.

There is nobody to blame but yourself if your set of choices does not match that of your preferred employer. No company should have to change to satisfy a candidate simply because he or she is unwilling to respect its standards, as long as its standards are legal.

Bangkok(曼谷) has become the worldˈs top tourist destination, with 15.98 million visitors projected to visit Thailandˈs capital city this year, according to the third annual Global Destination Cities Index released by MasterCard on Monday. Based on data MasterCard collected from governments, central banks, related public agencies and airlines so far this year, the projection (预测) for the entire year says Bangkok is surpassing（超过）London, the previous holder of the top place, by a very narrow margin.

Mondayˈs report marked the first time an Asian city has been projected to be the top-ranked tourist destination. London came in second, with 15.96 million visitors expected in 2013, and Paris, third, with 13.92 million visitors. MasterCard looked at 132 cities.

Other Asian cities that made it to the Top-20 Global Destination Cities in 2013 include Singapore at number four, with 11.75 million visitors; Kuala Lumpur at number eight, with 9.2 million visitors; Hong Kong at number nine, with 8.72 million visitors; Seoul at number 11, with 8.19 million visitors; Shanghai at number 14, with 6.5 million visitors, Tokyo at number 16, with5.8 million visitors, and Taipei, with 5.19 million visitors.

The study found that Bangkok is experiencing a large increase in its number of tourists in 2013, up 9.8% from 2009. That compares to New Yorkˈs increase at 5.0% and Londonˈs at 3.8%. Paris, meanwhile, saw a small dip in its number of tourists (negative 0.7%).

Caroline Lledo, who was visiting Bangkok from France, said Thailand has many offerings. “We like culture and the people are so nice. We also love shopping here,” Ms. Lledo said. MasterCard Worldwideˈs global economic adviser Yuwa Hedrick-Wong ci ted（引用）overall value for money spent for why Bangkok is attractive. That is true for Thailand overall as well.

A food additive (添加剂) is any substance that is added to food. Many people are put off by the idea of “chemicals in food.” The truth is that all food is made up of chemicals. Natural substances like milk, as well as man-made ones like drinks on sale in the market, can be described by chemical formulas. Some chemical substances are indeed harmful, but a person who refused to consume any chemicals would find nothing to eat.

The things we eat can be divided into natural and man-made substances. Some people feel that only natural foods are healthy and that all man-made ingredients are to be avoided. But many natural chemicals, found in plants and animals, are harmful when eaten, and some laboratory-made substances increase the nutritional value of food. Other chemicals have natural and man-made forms that are exactly alike: vitamin C is vitamin C, whether it comes from a test tube or from an orange. Like “chemical”, “man-made” doesn’t necessarily mean “not fit to eat”.

Food additives are used for many reasons. We add sugar and salt and other things to foods we prepare at home to make them taste better. Food producers have developed a range of additives that stabilize, thicken, harden, keep wet, keep firm, or improve the appearance of their products. Additives can make food more convenient or nutritious, give it a longer shelf life, and make it more attractive to the consumer, thus increasing the sales and profits of the producers.

Food additives are presently the centre of a storm of serious argument. Food producers have been known to use additives that have not been proved safe; some substances in common use have been proved unsafe and have been taken off the market. Many people feel there’s a risk of eating food to which anything has been added. But food additives are now regulated by the FDA of the federal government, and new additives will go through strict testing before they can be placed on the market. For most people, the chances of developing serious side effects (副作用) from the long-term use of presently approved (批准) food additives are very small.

Usually two weeks before Christmas, buying presents is the most important for a lot of people in the UK. However, last year not so many people were leaving their homes to browse in the shops.

    These days lots of people can do their shopping in the comfort of their own home with the help of the Internet.

    Online shopping is becoming more and more popular for a number of reasons: Goods are often cheaper online, and you don’t have to queue up in busy shops and you can buy almost any product imaginable with just a few clicks of your mouse.

    Computer trends are often male-dominated but last year women did more shopping on the Internet than men. It seemed women were more attracted to the convenience of online shopping than they used to be. Average spending online last Christmas by women rose to ￡240 compared to the slightly lower average of ￡233 for men, while the average expense per person on the high street was on ly ￡197. Seventy percent of Internet users, male and female, are now buying their Christmas gifts online.

    In the past a lot of people were unwilling to shop online. Many were worried about the security of entering their card details on the Internet and the reliability of the Internet, but as shopping online has become more widespread, these worries have begun to disappear. 45% of Internet users still do have security worries but it hasn’t slowed down the ever-increasing numbers of online shoppers.

    There are lots of special offers in the high street shops during Christmas because of the influence of the online shopping. They are concerned that not enough shoppers are coming through their doors. Most shops traditionally have sales after Christmas, but last year the bargains had come early in an attempt to attract consumers to spend.

What would be the best title for the passage?

C

    When asked to point out one or two things that are most important to themselves, many put friends ahead of homes, jobs, clothes and cars.

     A true friendship carries a long history of experience that determines who we are and keeps us connected. It is a treasure we should prove it. Unfortunately, the better friends you are, the more probably you’ll have disagreements. And the result can be what you don’t want an end to the relationship.

      The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended. First, don’t let your pride get in your way. Most of us can forgive each other when differences are brought out in the open. Second, apologize when you’re wrong — even if you’ve been wronged. Over the course of friendship, even the best people make mistakes. Sometimes, it may be best if the wronged person takes wrong. Third, see things from your friend’s point of view. And finally, accept that friendships changes as our needs and lifestyles change. Making friends can sometimes seem easy. The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the nature ups and downs that have an effect on all relationships. My suggestion: Consider friendship an honor and a gift, and worth the effort to treasure and nurture(培养).

C

It is well known that the Japanese people’s love of fish is almost as a bee’s interest in honey. As fish populations were decreasing, fishing companies were forced to fish further and further away from the shore. Then they had a big challenge(挑战)－how to keep the fish fresh for longer. So they decided to keep the fish stored in freezers on the boats. But the public did not like f rozen fish. So again the fishing companies had a new bigger challenge. What they decided to do was to have fish tanks on their boats. After catching fishes, they would put them in the tanks and keep them living there until they got back to shore. But in this protected environment, lacking predators (掠食者)，the fish stopped moving around. The Japanese public felt these dull fish did not taste fresh, which had an unpleasant effect upon sales. Once again the fishing companies had an even bigger challenge.

Stop for a minute! Before we go any further, I would like to ask “What are your challenges? How do you handle an unexpected challenge?” May I think it this way that you should try to attack your challenges? Conquer（战胜）them with a Swiss Army knife. Take the most proper and simple tool that you can adopt to deal with your situation.

Now back to our story. How did the Japanese finally figure out the fresh fish problem？Sharks! You might think the same. Sharks were caught and put into the tanks with other fishes. Don’t sharks eat fish? Well, they do eat a few fish, but they did also keep more fish active and alert (警觉的). The fish stay fresh because they are challenged.

Now, try to keep yourself fresh by finding your own sharkto offer yourself a challenge in your own business and career.

    A

Now we usually send Christmas cards to other family members or our friends before Christmas. It is a good way to show our greetings. The number of Christmas cards is increasing every year. And this year the number will be over 750 million. However, when the first Christmas card appeared in London in 1843, it was not popular as it is right now. There were 1,000 Christmas cards printed, but only a handful of cards were sold on that Christmas. One reason why they became dead stock(滞销商品） was that one card cost one shilling（先令，英国1971年前的货币单位）. And it was too expensive for a card at that time. Moreover, there was no tradition to send cards on holidays in 1843.

Maybe the 1,000 Christmas cards were not popular at that time, but they are precious（宝贵的） in 2012. Three cards that were made 169 years ago are going to be auctioned (拍卖) in New York in recent days. And each one is expected to be worth as much as £10,000. One card showed a happy family. They were enjoying a happy family feast. Everyone seemed happy and joyful. The words “A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to You” were printed in the center of the card. This card was hand-colored.

Though I think this card is very pretty, it is too expensive for me. But I can still buy some colorful cards and send them to my friends. I can write some greeting words in my own handwriting, which, I believe, is a good way to show my love. Now these cards have various patterns, so I have many choices. This year I will choose an exquisite card for my younger sister who studies in Paris. She will not come back to enjoy Christmas with us, but I wish she would enjoy this festival as well.                     

D

Almost 900,000 international students are studying in American c olleges and universities today. Nearly half of this record number of foreign students are from Asia, mainly China.

They are among people from other countries who now make up about 4 percent of all university students in the U.S. America has more of the world’s 4.5 million international students than any other country.

The report made by The Institute of International Education and the State Department shows that since 2000, the number of international students in the U.S. has grown by 72 percent. Students from China in undergraduate(本科生) programs are mainly responsible for this growth.

Eric Xu, a Chinese student at Columbia University, says studying in the U.S. is a valuable experience. “In the U.S. they encourage class discussions, and put stress on your opinion, you can actually discuss with others and with your professor or teacher, and that is an atmosphere (氛围) I want to experience.”

While the number of the international students from China rose by almost 17 percent over the past year, other countries also saw a major increase. Kuwait's college student population rose by 42 percent and that of Brazil, by 22 percent. Other countries with more international students than earlier are Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela.

The report says the Middle East and North African area was the fastest growing in international student population. It showed an increase of 20 percent in students studying at colleges and universities. In Latin America and the Caribbean, there was an 8 percent increase.

About 290,000 U.S. students went to study abroad in 2012-2013 for educational credit. Europe, especially Britain, remains the number-one nation for study by Americans. But the latest report shows an increase in the number of students who now choose to go to China and other nations.

Thailand’s Phuket Island is an internationally famous beach destination .Beautiful sandy shores, separated by rocky headlands, give beauty to the entire west coast of the island, the largest in Thailand .The surrounding Andaman Sea is warm, clear and inviting, one of Phuket’s main attractions.

   Onshore Phuket is a welcoming place that can quickly begin to feel like home. More than 100,000 foreign residents have chosen to make a life here .Foreigners from across the globe have joined into the local community, transforming Phuket into a multicultural, international retirement destination.

    One of the biggest appeals is the cost of living. Rent, especially, is a global bargain. You can find a comfortable rental for as little as $350 to $400 per month, and most rentals come fully furnished. All things considered, including groceries, entertainment and your own motorbike for transportation. A retired couple could live here on a monthly budget of as little as $1,000.

    Phuket Island’s large foreign population is scattered throughout several towns and villages. Patong is the largest town on the west coast; it’s the one famous for its nightlife. To the north and south of Patong are the peaceful coastal towns of Surin, Kamala, Kata, Karon and many smaller villages.

    Another reason Phuket is so appealing as a retirement destination is that everything you need is available on the island, including top medical care and Thailand’s second busiest international airport. Locals like to point out that they never have to go to Bangkok ever.

    Phuket has something for nearly every budget .Again , if your retirement budget is limited , you could live inland , in Phuket Town  or in one of the smaller villages on the north or south ends of the island , and enjoy a very comfortable and full life on as little as $1,000 per month . If your nest egg is more generous, you could live an elegant and affordable lifestyle in Patong or another upscale coastal village such as Surin and Karon.