As a child, I was told that a wise person is the one who learns from everyone. It is a great way to live by this 1 — One begins to look at people very 2 and he no longer puts others 3 in order to feel good about himself.
Living in China 4 me with many wonderful opportunities to put this principle into practice. China is quite5 and as a Westerner, it's easy for me to consider many of the local habits as “strange” and even “rude”. However, slowly I began to 6 a lot about the culture and about where many of their 7 came from. I decided to make an effort to meet people and 8from them.
I am living in Harbin now, a city in the Northern part of China, near Russia. Yesterday I 9to get money from the ATM and have a good cup of coffee after lunch. But I can't speak Chinese yet and there are no signs in English 10 the nearest supermarket or coffee shop. There are signs in Russian. 11 “espaciba” which means thanks, I don't know much else. 12 I decided to smile at my every attempt to13and ask for information that would 14 me to an ATM and a coffee shop. It turned out that my efforts and my 15 were met with more smiles. I learned that16is to be found everywhere even 17I cannot communicate, and that people will 18depending on what I give.
Look around you for opportunities to learn from the most19 people. You will be surprised at what they can 20you!
Turning on the TV, a wonderful scene comes to your eyes — a group of men, tall, strong and handsome, and women, young, beautiful and attractive, too. Together they eat in the finest restaurants, traveling everywhere around the world by luxurious planes and pleasure ships. They are models.
Do you envy them？What sort of life are models leading？Is it a wonderful life for a young lady or a young man?
A few models are well-known actors or actresses who can make a lot of money only by showing themselves off in commercials. But the majority of them are just curious to see what it is like. They'd like to be models just because they are attracted by what they imagine — models earn a lot of money and lead a glorious life. This is true for those who are very successful. However, most models find it difficult to get work. Very few can earn enough to live on, and for all models their expenses are high. Their agents claim about 20% of the earnings, and no model will get very far without a clever agent. Besides, they have to buy good clothing. They also have to pay to travel to interviews and reach the places where the work is to be done.
Interviews for a model job are known as cattle markets in the modeling world, and not without a good reason. A top model can choose his or her work, demand and receive high fees and has his or her expenses paid. But for most models, the situation is quite different. An agent or employer inspects each model much as a farmer inspects cattle at a market. Intelligence, qualifications and personal characteristics count for little against good looks and tight figures. For all except the very few lucky ones, the life of a model is a continual search for work, trying to sell him or her in the face of fierce competition and, sometimes, not particularly moral standards on the part of some employers.
Immigration officials at the airport look suspiciously at a girl whose passport shows her occupation as “Model”, and these are men and women of considerable experience of the world. It comes no surprise to find that some models prefer to put “Secretary” or “Businessman” as their jobs in their passports.
Driving in Canada is similar to driving in many parts of the United States. Distances and speeds, however, are posted in kilometers per hour and some signs, particularly in Quebec, may only be in French.
Unless otherwise posted, the maximum (最大限度的) speed limit in Canada is 50km/hr in cities and 80km/hr on highways. On rural highways, the posted speed limit may be 100km/hr. It is illegal to take automobile radar detectors (汽车雷达检测器) into Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and the Yukon. Seat belt use is required by law for all passengers, and child car seats must be used by children under 40 pounds. Some provinces require drivers to keep their vehicles' headlights on during the day and some have banned (禁止) driving while using a hand-held cell phone. Motorcycles cannot share a lane (车道), and safety helmets for motorcycle riders and passengers are necessary. Running a red light is a serious crime throughout Canada and drivers are advised to stop before starting when a light turns green.
Winter travel can be dangerous due to heavy snowfalls and icy conditions. Some roads and bridges are often closed in winter. Snow tires are required in some provinces. Travelers should also be careful about animals while driving at night in rural areas.
Highway 401, from Detroit to Montreal, is one of the busiest highways in North America. It has been the scene of many deadly traffic accidents due to sudden and severe weather changes, high rates of speed, and heavy truck traffic. Thus drivers should be alert while travelling here.
Please refer to our Road Safety page for more information. Also, we suggest that you visit the website of Canada's national authority responsible for road safety.
