Time:2017-01-24     From:kekenet.com        Editor: clover

    The head of China's largest online seller Alibaba does not think China and the United States will have a trade war despite comments from the Trump administration.

    Jack Ma is the chairman of the Alibaba Group. At the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, he said, "China and (the) U.S. will never have a trade war. Give Trump some time. He's open-minded, he's listening."

    The Chinese billionaire said he would do all he could to prevent trade relations between the countries from getting worse.

    Last week, Ma met with Trump at the Trump Tower in New York City. The Chinese billionaire is said to have discussed a plan to permit one million small U.S. businesses to sell goods on Alibaba's online shopping platform.

    During the campaign and after winning the presidential election, Trump strongly criticized the Chinese government's support for its businesses. He blamed unfair trade policies for taking away U.S. jobs. And he said that China unfairly controls the exchange value of its currency, the yuan.

    Trump also has threatened to place import taxes on goods from China and other countries in response to their trade policies.

    According to the South China Morning Post, Ma said, "American international companies made millions and millions of dollars from globalization." He added that the U.S. should not blame the loss of jobs and companies on globalization.

    However, a new study by an American business group says many U.S. businesses feel unwelcome in China. The companies say the cost of doing business in China is increasing. They add that rules and regulations are unclear or not enforced in a consistent way.

    The American Chamber of Commerce in China led the study, which looked at responses from 462 companies.

    William Zarit is chairman of the chamber. He says trade policies in China make it difficult for American companies. He says, "we feel that over the last few years that we've been taken advantage of to some extent, with our open market and the lack of open areas in the Chinese market."

    Another major concern for U.S. companies in China is fake products. Fake products are copies of the originals that cost businesses with the legal right to sell them millions of dollars each year.

    Ma defended Alibaba's efforts to fight fake products on its shopping platform. He said his company is doing all it can to fight the problem.

    "Fighting against fake products is a war against human greediness," Ma said.

    I'm Mario Ritter.

The Best and Worst Things to Buy in March

Frozen food

    Grocery store ads aren't the only places to find deals on freezer-section treats. To take advantage of the deepest discounts, combine coupons (优惠券) from sponsoring brands, such as Dole, Green Giant and Tyson Foods, with grocery store sales. Plus, look for printable savings on Coupons.com and EasyHomeMeals.com. Brands participating in National Frozen Food Month will offer more than 180,000 coupons that make frozen food among the best things to buy in March.

Boxed chocolates

    If you desire to give a gift to a friend in March, consider chocolate. Two minor holidays in March provide the perfect excuse: National Chocolate Caramel Day on March 19 and National Chocolate-Covered Raisin Day on March 24. You can discover chocolate deals online as well as in stores. Head to sites like RetailMeNot.com to find discount coupons for boxed chocolate savings of 10 percent or more.

New cars

    With the latest car models filling dealers' lots, you'll have a hard time finding discounted models from the year before. Car dealerships are less motivated to offer steep discounts from March through May. Instead, plan to buy your car during the fall or winter. You should also research the auto you want at TrueCar before heading for the dealership. The site offers information on what people in your area paid for vehicles equipped with the options you want.

Spring clothing

    When warm weather makes you want to head outdoors, resist the urge to do so wearing the latest fashions. You won't find March deals on swimsuits, Easter dresses or other spring items. To find discounts on clothes of this spring, hold off until Memorial Day weekend. You can also look for online and in- store savings at Amazon, Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue and other retailers.

    A good teacher is many things to many people. In my own experience, the people I respect the most and think about the most are the teachers who demanded the most discipline (纪律) from their students.

    I miss one teacher in particular that I had in high school. I think she was a good teacher because she was a very strict person. I remember very clearly a sign on her classroom door. It was a simple sign that said,    "Laboratory: in this room the first five letters of the word was stressed not the last seven." In other words, labor for her was more important than oratory, which means making speeches.

    She prepared her work very carefully and told us to do the same. We got lots of homework from her. Once she had broken her arm, and everybody in the class thought that maybe the homework load would be reduced, but it continued just the same. She checked our work by stamping her name at the bottom of the papers to show that she had read them.

    I think sometimes teachers who demand the most are liked the least. But as time goes by, this discipline really seems to benefit the students.

    In today's world of smart phones and laptops, most people have at least one time-telling thing with them. Since these digital products are so common, is time running out for the 500-year-old watch? According to some consumers, the answer is yes. New Jersey teenager Charlie Wollman says a watch is “an extra piece of equipment with no necessary function.” Many young adults think so and use their smart phones to tell time. It is said that fewer young people wear watches today than ten years ago. As a result, some people say that the watch industry is at a crossroads.

    However, watchmakers optimistically say that watches redeem（挽回）popularity when consumers reach their 20s and 30s. By then, they are willing to spend money on a quality watch that doesn't just keep good time. Fifty years ago, watchmakers took pride in their products' accuracy（精确性）. But in recent years, the watch industry has changed itself into an accessory(配饰) business. And today, the image a watch conveys has become more important than the time it tells.

    "Complications" features that go beyond simple timekeeping — are an important part of a watch's image. Today's watches offer lots of features that meet almost any personality. These features include compasses, USB drivers, and even other functions that measure the effectiveness of golf swings!

    Creativity also plays a key role in designing today's watches. For example, Japanese watchmaker Tokyoflash makes watches that don't even look like watches. The company's popular Shinshoku model uses different color lights to tell time. It looks more like a fashionable bracelet than a watch.

    Whether a watch conveys fashion sense, creative talent or a love of sports, consumers want their watches to stand out. Nowadays, everyone has the same kind of gadget（小玩意） in their bags, so people want to make a statement with what's on their wrists. Will this interest in wrist fashion last? Only time will tell!

    Michelle Kwan was born on July 7, 1980, in Torrance, California. The daughter of Hong Kong immigrants (移民), Kwan watched her older brother play ice hockey as a kid. She began skating when she was five, and entered and won her first figure skating competition at seven. She won the world title in the 1994 World Championships at the age of 13, and earned a spot as an alternate (候补者) for the 1994 Olympic Games. Kwan went on to capture the world title in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003.

    At the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998, Kwan was believed to win gold, but ended up with a disappointing silver medal when fellow US skater Tara Lipinski surprisingly took first place. Shortly before the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002, Kwan, who was then the reigning world champ, surprisingly fired both her choreographer (编舞者), Lori Nichol, and longtime coach, Frank Carroll. Once again, she failed to get the gold medal when she finished third behind Irina Slutskaya of Russia and US skater Sarah Hughes, who took first.

    As a student at the University of California at Los Angeles, Kwan has continued to compete since her defeat (战败) in Salt Lake City. In February 2006, she was unable to take part in the Olympic Games in Torino, Italy because of a serious injury. Though Michelle Kwan did not compete during the 2006－2007 figure skating season, she has turned down an offer to work for NBC Sports and says she is not retiring.

My phone rang. It was a text from an unfamiliar number, showing a photo of a smiling man in his 30s. "What a strange picture to receive!" I thought to myself. 

For the past three years, I have been getting texts meant for this man, Jared. When the second text came, I was a playful sixth grader. 

"My Mom just told me that the Football Club will host a free barbeque dinner on Saturday! Hope you all will enjoy it, " it said. 

"YUMMMY!" I carefully responded. 

The story of Jared became deeper. I learned that he was part of the" Bowery Mission, " which sounded like a gaming group. Looking it up, I realized it was an organization that helped poor families. This was around the same time I stopped volunteering in my community. I spent more time taking art classes and trying different sports. I then joined the group texts. When a message came about donating food, I texted back, "Count me in!"

However, I started to feel bad about this lie. A man sent a long message, talking about the hopeless moments in his life. As I imagined what a good friend Jared could be, I felt ashamed that I was unable to provide the support this man needed and realized that I was not even a good listener to my own friends. 

Throughout this time, I noticed how much Jared's life has changed and I have also been discovering who I am. Learning from Jared, I have grown out of the naughty self, made more efforts tor my community, and become a more understanding friend. Last month, I received another text. Yet, I replied:" Hey, sorry, this is-not Jared, but I hope he is doing well. "