Americans always attach great weight to the business of the country. President Coolidge's statement, “the business of America is business.” Still points to an important truth today—that business institutions have more prestige(威望) in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions possess this great prestige?

    One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the ideal of competition than other institutions in society. Since competition is seen as the major source of progress and prosperity by most Americans, competitive business institutions are respected. Competition is not only good in itself, it is the means by which other basic American values such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.

    Competition protects the freedom of the individual by ensuring that there is no monopoly (垄断、垄断者) of power. In contrast to one, all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for profits. Theoretically, if one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Where many businesses compete for the customers' dollar, they cannot afford to treat them like inferiors(下属) or slaves.

    A contrast is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly. Because is competitive, many Americans believe that it is more supportive of freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people and business leaders are not. Many Americans believes, then, that competition is as important, or even more important, than democracy in preserving freedom.

    Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the ideal of equality of opportunity. Competition is seen as an open and fair where success goes to the swiftest person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American alternation to social rank based on family background. Business is therefore world as an expression of the idea of equality of opportunity in America rather than the aristocratic(贵族的) idea of inherited privilege in many other countries

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Drug problems

    If you're worried about your own or someone else's drug taking or misuse, it's good to know the facts.

Why take drugs?

    Drug users don't start using drugs with the intention of becoming addicted. But many drugs contain addictive substances(物质) and even people who use them occasionally can become dependent and need to use them regularly.

    Reasons why people start using drugs can include: to escape problems they may be having in other parts of their life, peer pressure and fitting in with another group of people, being curious about the effects of drugs.

    If you start to use drugs on a regular basis, or if you become dependent on them, it can affect your family and friends as well as having a serious impact on your own physical and mental well-being.

    Drug overdoses can be fatal. You can die instantly from misusing substances and drugs that you can buy over the counters.

Signs of drug abuse and misuse

    There is not a common list of symptoms that you can use to tell if you or someone you know is misusing drugs. That's because drug use affects different people in different ways, depending on the type of drugs they're using.

    Although anxiety, tiredness and a change in sleeping habits can be signs of drug use, they can also be caused by changes in your body, stress or other problems.

_____________________

    Drugs are categorised into three classes based on their overall level of harm. Class A drugs are the most dangerous, however, all the drugs in all three classes are harmful and addictive.

    Remember that all drugs are illegal, even Class C drugs like cannabis(大麻烟). If you're caught selling them to other people, or carrying a small amount in your pocket, it's likely that the police will get involved.

    If you're found guilty of any of these offences, you may face a fine or time in custody(拘留), with Class A drugs carrying the most severe sentences.

Worried about a friend?

    If you think that one of your friends or relatives is misusing drugs, you may want to approach them and talk about it. It's not your responsibility to make them stop, but you can tell them about how their behaviour is affecting your relationship.

    If they ask for help with their problem, then it's important to listen and help them find the right information and treatment.

National Drugs Helpline

    If you're worried about drug abuse and addiction you can call the National Drugs Helpline on 0800 776 600 for confidential advice—lines are open seven days a week. Calls are free and they won't show up on your phone bill, but you may be charged if you use a mobile.

More useful links

Information about addictions from need to know

Information about drugs, the law and human rights

    His Excellency

    Kim Jong Un

    Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Dear Mr. Chairman,

    We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit (峰会) long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore.

    We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant (不重要的). I was very much looking forward to being there with you.

    Sadly, based on the unacceptable and unfriendly statement, I feel it is not proper, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.

    Therefore, please let this letter to serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.

    You talk about your nuclear capabilities (能力), but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.

    I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you.

    In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages (人质) who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.

    If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.

Sincerely yours,

Donald J. Trump

    President of the United States of America

    All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy, happy and help them to live longer.

    Sports change with the season. People play different games in winter and summer.

    Games and sports often grow out of people's work and everyday activities. The Arabs use horses or camels in much of their everyday life; they use them in their sports, too.

    Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers.

    Some sports or games go back to thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese boxing, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time.

    People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person's character(性格). One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace(体面).

    Violette Childe, 67, is a dining companion who helps serve patients lunches. The role was introduced ten years ago by a dietitian concerning that some patients were not eating their meals.

    "Many of our patients are elderly and can be confused by the noisy, busy environment of the hospital and so won't focus on eating." explains Yvonne Donglas-Morris, head of volunteering, who oversees the activities of all 528 of the trusty volunteers. "Staff are busy with the clinical side of things, so the dining companions were introduced. They will assist the patients and encourage them to eat."

    Violette, a retired library manager, has been helping out for six years. "It makes me feel a bit more complete," she says simply. "Helping with the meals frees up the nurses to get on with other things. I believe in being a part of the community and this hospital is part of my community."

    Another key role is played by the discharge volunteers, who offer support to the elderly, especially those aged 70 and over-leaving hospital to return to an empty home. The team has a budget of ￡10 per person and will pop to the shops and buy milk, bread and a meal to tide them over for the first few hours. They then call the patients regularly, for as long as they need, to check how they are getting on and if they need extra support.

    The volunteers in Kingston work from a dedicated office-a small room in one of the buildings on the hospital grounds, where a Christmas tree decorated with baubles (小饰物) bearing the faces of volunteers sits in the corner. "All the volunteers come and gather here, it gets very busy at times," smiles Nicola Hutin, 67, a discharge support volunteer. A mother of two, and grandmother of four, she was a membership coordinator (协调员) for a trade association until she retired, and has since volunteered at the hospital one morning a week for 18 months.

    So you're thinking about breaking up with me. But before doing that, make sure you have examined its short-term and long-term environmental effects.

    Let's start simple: consider the great number of gallons of clean, drinkable water that would be wasted by my crying in the shower. Scientists don't have a precise estimate of how much water might be lost, but, considering the length of my listening to the recent two sad albums during the shower, the amount is sure to be catastrophic.

    Make no mistake: running from my sweet hug leaves a set of carbon footprints. Your leaving me will start a swift chain of events that results in me at a bar, drunkenly cursing at you with my friends.

    At the end of the night, I will be forced to take a taxi home instead of the subway. Those extra carbon dioxide releases are a breakup by-product, as are the single-use plastic bottles of Glacier Freeze-flavor Gatorade I'll surely buy the next morning.

    Some effects are more hidden. Should you kick me to the roadside, you must anticipate that I am going to sit there eating ice cream. I will eat ice cream a lot every day, because I have seen sad women do this in movies. This, of course, causes ecological disaster. Not only do dairy cows produce greenhouse gas, but industrial dairy farming can cause the destruction of prairies (北美草原) forests, and other ecosystems. You might meet other interesting women in your life, but good luck is replacing North America's wetlands!

    Breaking up with me is a very personal choice, and no one can make it for you. I only hope that you have gained a helpful new way of thinking, one broad enough to deal with the world that waits for you in your single-hood. There might be "other fish in the sea," but will there be actual fish in the real sea? It doesn't look good. Alternatively, we could stay together and preserve this beautiful blue sea for our grandchildren. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and I eagerly wait for your decision.