阅读理解

    The kindly “Chinese Fortune Grandpa” wearing Han Chinese clothing and holding a fortune bag debuted(亮相) at the Imperial Ancestral Shrine in Beijing on the day after Christmas. The final image of the Chinese gift-giver was selected through a global design competition that cost millions of yuan. Its debut seems to be a sign of competition against “Santa Claus”, according to a report by Guangming Daily.

    Many Chinese cities have been filled with Christmas neon lights, Christmas songs, Christmas trees, and the images of “Santa Claus” in recent days. As a matter of fact, foreign festivals are becoming more popular than certain traditional Chinese festivals among the Chinese people, particularly the youth. “Certain traditional festivals have died out because people have forgotten their spiritual meanings,” said noted writer Feng Jicai. More and more Chinese people are beginning to exchange gifts on Valentine's Day and Christmas. However, many of them know nothing about Chinese New Year pictures or sugarcoated figurines(小糖人), and have never heard suona music. Certain folk customs on the Dragon Boat Festival, Tomb Sweeping Day, and other traditional festivals have gradually disappeared. Under such circumstances, even the “Chinese Fortune Grandpa” is unlikely to defeat “Santa Claus”.

    However, it is not a bad thing to some extent. It constantly reminds people to restore the “true face” of traditional festivals. China has listed traditional Tomb Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival as legal holidays, which brings more paid leaves to the public, and helps to awaken the public awareness of traditional festivals.

    In modern society, festival is a carrier of culture and its meaning largely depends on their understandings and usages by people. Compared with foreign festivals, traditional Chinese festivals are not inferior(次于) in cultural meanings, but lack of fashion sought by modern people. If people do not appreciate the historical culture contained by traditional festivals, and only take pleasure-seeking as the most important, the significance of traditional festivals will fade away and the inheritance(继承) of fine traditional culture will be cut off.

    Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice．Gifts are easy—they're given after all．Choice can be hard．

    I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago．I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2300 percent per year．I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast，and the idea of building all online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old，and I'd been married for a year．I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn't work since most start-ups don't and I wasn't sure what to expect．MacKenzie told me I should go for it．As a young boy，I'd been a garage inventor．I'd always wanted to be all inventor，and she wanted me to follow my passion．

    I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired．I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet．He took me on a long walk in Central Park，listened carefully to me，and finally said，“That sounds like a really good idea，but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn't already have a good job．”That 1ogic made some sense to me，and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision．Seen in that light,it really was a difficult choice，but finally，I decided I had to give it a shot．I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing．And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.

    After much consideration ，I took the less safe path to follow my passion ，and I'm proud of that choice．For all of us，in the end，we are our choice．

    Submitting Assignment Online

    In order to upload an assignment to the system properly, you must save the assignment using one of the following applications: Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, or Microsoft Excel.

    After you complete an assignment, it is important to save your work. This ensures that assignment being uploaded to the system is the most updated version. Your word processing program may attempt to save the assignment to a default folder on your computer. We recommend creating a new folder, named after your course, in a location that is easy to remember, such as “My Documents.”

    File Name Requirements

Select a file name for the assignment that is easy to remember. The file name must NOT contain spaces. Any spaces used in the file name will prevent the file from uploading to the system. File names using the extensions .rtf, .html, .zip, .jpg, or .exe are NOT allowed.

    Assignment Upload Procedure

    Make sure you save the assignment using one of the applications previously identified and ensure that it meets the file name requirements described above. When the file is ready to upload, follow these steps:

    1). Sign in the system

    2). Enter your address information and click the CONTINUE button. You will be routed to the “Directions” screen.

    3). Review the directions and click the CONTINUE button. You will be routed to the “Special Assignment Upload” screen.

    4). Click the BROWSE button. The “Choose File” window pops up.

    5). Find the location on your computer where you saved your assignment, and select the file.

    After you have selected the file, click the UPLOAD button to upload your assignment to the system.

    Assignment Submission Dates

    Assignments must be submitted by midnight on the specified due date. Submit your assignment on time so that it reaches the system on or before the due date. No late assignment will be accepted or marked. Assignments delivered after the due date will not be assessed and will be failed. Please manage your time carefully as family and work demands will not be accepted as excuses for late or non-submissions. Tutors and administrator do not have the authority to grant extensions.

    Pet Emergency? Call us right away at(403)342-5200!

    If you live in Red Deer or the surrounding area and need a trusted veterinarian(兽医) to care for your pets—look no further. Dr. Pat Higgins is a licensed Alberta veterinarian, treating all types of pets. Your pets' health and happiness are very important to us, and we take every possible measure to give your animals the care they deserve.

    Deer Park Pet Hospital is a full service animal hospital and welcomes both emergency treatment cases as well as pet patients in need of routine medical, surgical, and dental(牙科) care. Dr. Pat Higgins has years of experience treating serious conditions and offering regular pet health care. Beyond first rate pet care, we make our clinic comfortable, kid-friendly, and calm, so your pet can relax in the waiting room and look forward to meeting our Red Deer veterinarian.

    We are happy to offer a number of resources that enable you to learn about how to take better care of your pets. Please feel free to browse our site, particularly the informational articles. The best veterinary care for animals is ongoing nutrition and problem prevention, so becoming knowledgeable about preventative pet care is vital to the ongoing success of your animal's health. If you have any questions, call(403)342-5200 or email us and we'll immediately get back to you. Our Red Deer veterinarian office is very easy to get to—and you can find directions on our Contact Us page! We also welcome you to subscribe to our newsletter, which is created especially for Red Deer pet owners.

    At Deer Park Pet Hospital, we treat your pets like the valued family members.

    Dr. Pat Higgins

    Red Deer Veterinarian│Deer Park Pet Hospital│(403)342-5200

    420 Allan Street#4

    Red Deer, Alberta T4R 2K7

    It's a common belief that the roles actors play might somehow reflect their true personalities. It's usually not true, but British actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, 34, is an exception.

    Just like Fleabag, the character she played in the comedy-drama series of the same name, Waller-Bridge feels that her life is a mess. "It's just really wonderful to know that a dirty and messed up woman can make it to the Emmys," she said. She may be "messed up", but Variety magazine calls her an "all-around icon".

    Last month, Waller-Bridge took home three Emmy awards for her work on Fleabag — best writing in a comedy series, best lead actress, and best comedy series.

    Her success is partly because of her family. Waller-Bridge was brought up in a free environment. Her mother always told her, "You can be whatever you want if you imagine it." So Waller-Bridge broke all the rules about what a "good" girl should do. "Our laws and moral codes don't apply — she lives without fear of consequence," The Sun noted.

    That fearlessness extends to being authentic (真实的) in her writing and acting. Unlike the can-do heroines and strong, successful women in many TV dramas, Waller-Bridge shows a flawed but real character. The character Fleabag was a screw-up who always found a way to say or do the wrong thing. "It resonated with the lives of stressed-out women everywhere in reality — doing their best to find balance in their lives," a viewer wrote on US movie website.

    Villanelle in Killing Eve, another hit TV series developed by Waller-Bridge, was a little bit violent but showed no interest for the rules others created, which make many people see themselves in her.

    "People have been scared to write characters like these. But I think, now, women are so relieved to have this new template (样板). And, aren't we all a bit of everything?" Waller-Bridge said in an interview with Indian Express.

    With such courage and sincerity, Waller-Bridge is, without a doubt, a "golden girl" in Hollywood, Australian news website The New Daily commented.

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