If you live in a big city, there are many things to drive youcrazy on your daily route, and it's not just overcrowded subway trains.

Vicky Zhao is a mainlander working in Hong Kong. For her, onething she can't put up with is people standing on the wrong side of theescalator（自动扶梯）in subwaystations. “Escalators help us move faster and save time. It isn't a place torest,” the 24-year-old says. “I often see tourists block the way with theirsuitcases or chatting on the escalators during rush hours. It annoys meto no end.”

Admitting she is not the patient type, Zhao says things are muchbetter in Hong Kong than in cities on the mainland where “stand right, walkleft” signs are often ignored.

The logic behind the “stand right, walk left” escalatoretiquette（礼仪）seems obvious.Even though you may want to catch your breath while you're transported up ordown, you should still consider others and leave enough space for people in ahurry, so that they can run and catch the train.

Many cities' escalators, including London's and Beijing's, usethe “stand right, walk left” system to speed up the flow of people.（Australia isan exception and you should stand on the left side instead.）But somecities discourage people from moving on escalators out of safety reasons. InHong Kong's subway stations there are regular announcements asking people to“stand still” on escalators. Even so, most people in this fast-paced cityobserve the “stand right, walk left” etiquette.

But the people who stand on escalators defend themselves bytelling the walkers not to be so impatient. The BBC quotes one stander assaying：“If the person is in such a rush, why not just take the stairs?Even when the escalator is packed and there's nowhere to move, I see these samepeople complaining about not being able to pass.

Whatever the escalator etiquette is in the place you live orvisit, do what most people are doing and always be mindful of others: leaveenough space between each other, don't stay at the end of the escalator, and ifsomeone is blocking your way, a simple “excuse me” is enough.

    I remember my mother as a strong woman. She came to America when she was 12—old enough to remember her language, she achieved scores and grades high enough to be admitted to Duke University. With a degree in computer science, she finally became the manager of a company in New York. My mother could give fluent speeches, say “wolves” correctly.

    It was my mother who always stressed the importance of language. From the time I was born, I was read to. I would fall asleep to the sounds of my parents' voices, whether it was my dad's softly accented, or my mother's clear English. The flow of language was unbroken, and whether in Chinese or English, the stream of communication flowed through our house.

    One October morning in sixth grade, after my mother had left to catch the train to the city, I left the house for the bus stop. I was surprised when I saw our car, the door hanging open. As I drew closer, I saw my mother lying on the ground.

    In the hospital, it was hard to believe that the lady who lay before me was my mom. My mother could not remember my name. As the leaves changed colors, it became clear that the stroke had created a wall between my mothers mind and mouth: her mind was not any less dear, but the words she spoke were not what she meant.

    The battle my mother faced taught me the importance of language. Without it, identity does not exist; relationships cannot be formed; stories cannot be told; directions cannot be given, and knowing anything about anyone is impossible. Without language, communication cannot take place. Without language, one cannot express the beauty of a sunset or the kindness of a stranger. The world would pass us by in silence.

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案，并将选定答案的字母标号填在题前括号内。

    Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger , but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave ，the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.

    Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages(短缺). Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.

    Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too In the United States , a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there's a lot we can do to lower the number.

    You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher (洗碗机)only when it is full 。Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.

    Cosmo Books Ltd.,                         14, Woodman Road,

    Hertford Estate,                            Two Bridges,

    Rickmansworth,                            West Sussex.

    Middx.                                  25^th February

Dear Sir,

    Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare. Your company, Cosmo books Ltd., offered this set (eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at what was claimed to be a 'remarkable' price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare's plays and poems for some time, and these books, in red imitation leather, looked particularly attractive; so I sent for them.

    Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of the complete works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered. So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare. Two more weeks passed. Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French. Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all. However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you at the end of August of last year, instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice.

    You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds, and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German. Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have. The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside.

    I have no room for any more books, and even if I read from now until the Last Judgment, I should not finish reading all the books that you have sent me.

    Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment. Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid.

Yours faithfully,

SIMON WALKER

    There's a new frontier in 3D printing that's beginning to come into focus: food. Recent development has made possible machines that print, cook, and serve foods on a mass scale. And the industry isn't stopping there.

    Food production

With a 3D printer, a cook can print complicated chocolate sculptures and beautiful pieces for decoration on a wedding cake. Not everybody can do that—it takes years of experience, but a printer makes it easy. A restaurant in Spain uses a Foodini to" re-create forms and pieces" of food that are" exactly the same,” freeing cooks to complete other tasks. In another restaurant, all of the dishes and desserts it serves are 3D-printed, rather than farm to table.

    Sustainability(可持续性)

    The global population is expected to grow to 9.6 billion by 2050, and some analysts estimate that food production will need to be raised by 50 percent to maintain current levels. Sustainability is becoming a necessity. 3D food printing could probably contribute to the solution. Some experts believe printers could use hydrocolloids( 水解胶体)from plentiful renewables like algae(藻类) and grass to replace the familiar ingredients(烹饪原 料). 3D printing can reduce fuel use and emissions. Grocery stores of the future might stock "food" that lasts years on end, freeing up shelf space and reducing transportation and storage requirements.

    Nutrition

    Future 3D food printers could make processed food healthier. Hod Lipson, a professor at Columbia University, said, "Food printing could allow consumers to print food with customized nutritional content, like vitamins. So instead of eating a piece of yesterday's bread from the supermarket, you'd eat something baked just for you on demand."

    Challenges

    Despite recent advancements in 3D food printing，the industry has many challenges to overcome. Currently, most ingredients must be changed to a paste( 糊状物)before a printer can use them, and the printing process is quite time-consuming, because ingredients interact with each other in very complex ways. On top of that, most of the 3D food printers now are restricted to dry ingredients, because meat and milk products may easily go bad. Some experts are doubtful about food printers, believing they are better suited for fast food restaurants than homes and high-end restaurants.