读趣百科

Every city has its architectural character, but the similarities between cities are more obvious these days than in the past. In my opinion, one reason for this is the high price of land.

In most large cities, land is scarce and consequently it is very valuable. This has led to the construction of tall buildings which occupy only a small area of land while providing lots of floor space where people can live or work. Buildings of this type are made of concrete and steel and can be built comparatively quickly using prefabricated materials. They do not use local materials, such as stone, timber or brick. In consequence, many cities now look very much the same and you might not know whether you were inBrisbane,BangkokorBerlinwhen you are on the street.

While I realize that we cannot stand in the way of progress, I believe that cities should try to keep some individuality. For example, inParisit is prohibited to build very tall buildings in the center of the city, as this would spoil the overall appearance of the skyline.

Other cities have chosen to design unique buildings to ensure they look different. The twin towers inKuala Lumpuror the Opera House inSydneyare examples of this approach, and I agree with this kind of initiative.

All in all, although it is regrettable that modern cities look similar, I tend to feel that this is unavoidable. However, it can be argued that, even if the buildings are similar, cities will maintain their own character as a result of cultural diversity, the terrain and the climate, which ultimately determine how people live.

The rapid advancement of computerized technologies and the deepened division of labor have made it possible for increasing number of individuals to accomplish their daily routine at home. Yet whether this development could be a blessing for not only employees but also for employers and the whole society has evolved into a case that bothers businesses and governments worldwide. From my own perspective, I agree that telecommuting would collectively bring more benefits than harm to the general public.

To start with, citizens’ time, particularly of those who live in a distant location from downtown area, can be saved and the depressing traffic congestion will be eased to a large extent, provided that most workers could perform their regular work at home (mostly online). Moreover, employees would feel more relaxed and clear-minded in a familiar surrounding, which might improve the quality and efficiency all together. By contrast, workers who are reluctant to stay in the office merely try all sorts of maneuvers to kill time until 5pm. On top of that, for certain companies like Google and Microsoft, granting employees the priority to work at home is a highly advisable approach to decline the expenditure on rent and furniture, which could eventually constitute a large proportion of their overall budget.

Admittedly, a series of resulting drawbacks would also be brought with the widespread of telecommuters. The primary one, undoubtedly, should be the absence of teamwork, which is the key to success of majority of projects. In current society, not only businesses but also individual workers have been increasingly integrated with one another, and therefore separated employees can hardly communicate and coordinate with their colleagues in person. Aside from that, supervision would be confronted with various obstacles, and it is both immoral and illegal to install a surveillance camera up the roof of employees’ home.

In a nutshell, even though permitting staff to work at home will inevitably face the challenges from supervision and teamwork, I am still convinced that teleworking, from an enlightened standpoint, should be encouraged publicly.

Sports are flourishing in china now. More and more people are willing to take part in sports of different kinds, such as table-tennis, football,volleyball, and so on. Every year there are many matches played on the city, provincial or national level. Sports are no longer limited to a few professional players.Early in the morning people may be seen doing exercise. Martial arts (like Chinese boxing or swordplay) which formerly were cultivated for self-defense, now have become a form of physical exercise and are practiced in parks, streets, gardens, or on campuses. In addition young and old people are also often seen running in order to build up their bodies. China promotes sports to enhance the physical condition of its people;she is formulating policies to provide encouragement of this activity. She awards prizes to the excellent players for the best records both in china and the world. In the world the Chinese have become a strong people instead of―the weaklings of East Asia

Some recent developments in the computer industry make scientists predict that the gap between human beings and machines will be closed about the year 20000.To understand the significance of this prediction let us compare the human brain with existing computers. The brain consumes electrical energy at the rate of 25 watts and occupies a volume of one tenth of a cubic foot. The brain houses between 10 billion and 100 billion items of information. Every brain cell is directly connected to many other cells. As a result, the cells in which information is stored can communicate with thousands of other cells.However, the computer consumes 1000,000 watts of electrical power and occupies hundreds of cubic feet of space. Its million items of immediately accessible information. In contrast, the computer memory is like a cell of n pigeonholes, with no thinking capacity and no connections elsewhere.In a word, the electronic brains are hopelessly inadequate in comparison with the human brains.

Chinese history leads us to the conclusion that socialism, not capitalism is best for China. But how a socialist China should look at capitalism and more importantly, make use of the better side of capitalism for its own advantage is of vital(至关) importance to the country.As far as our country's economic construction is concerned, taking advantage of the part of capitalism that is useful to us means we need to develop foreign trade, introduce advanced technology and better management, and make use of foreign funds. It also means we can absorb some of the economic theories, and make use of those economic policies,methods and measures that comply with( 遵循) the law of mass production and a commodity economy. By opening our windows wider to the outside world, people can learn more about other peoples and learn to make sensible judgments.Absorbing the better part of the cultures of other people to enrich ourselves is the best way to safeguard our socialist culture. So taking advantage of capitalism and stepping up economic reforms is the only way to make China strong. Closing the county to international exchanges will only keep it weak.