Humans are social animals. They live in groups all over the world. As these groups of people live apart from other groups, over the years and centuries they develop their own habits and ideas, which are different from other cultures. One important particular side of every culture is how its people deal with time.

Time is not very important in nonindustrial societies. The Nuer people of East Africa, for example, do not even have a word TIME that is in agreement with the abstract thing we call time. The daily lives of the people of such nonindustrial societies are likely to be patterned around their physical needs and natural events rather than around a time schedule（时间表）based on the clock. They cook and eat when they are hungry and sleep when the sun goes down. They plant crops during the growing seasons and harvest them when the crops are ripe. They measure time not by a clock or calendar（日历）,but by saying that an event takes place before or after some other event Frequently such a society measures days in terms of “sleeps” or longer periods in terms of “moons.”Some cultures, such as the Eskimos of Greenland measure seasons according to the migration of certain animals.

Some cultures which do not have a written language or keep written records have developed interesting ways of “telling time”. For example, when several Australian aborigines want to plan an event for a future time, one of them places a stone on a cliff or in a tree. Each day the angle of the sun changes slightly. In a few days, the rays of the sun strike the stone in a certain way. When this happens, the people see that the agreed-upon time has arrived and the event can take place.

In contrast(成对比), exactly correct measurement of time is very important in modern, industrialized societies. This is because industrialized societies require the helpful efforts of many people in order to work. For a factory to work efficiently(well, quickly and without waste), for example, all of the workers must work at the same time. Therefore, they must know what time to start work in the morning and what time they may go home in the afternoon. Passengers must know the exact time that an airplane will arrive or depart. Students and teachers need to know when a class starts and ends. Stores must open on time in order to serve their customers. Complicated（复杂的）societies need clocks and calendars. Thus, we can see that if each person worked according to his or her own schedule, a complicated society could hardly work at all.

Just before Italy’s second lockdown in November 2020, the banks of Milan’s Grand Canal were busy with people. Bargain hunters picked their way through market stalls. 【小题1】 The clear water of the canal reflected the dazzling autumn sunshine.

This is a familiar scene in Milan’s Navigli district on the last Sunday of every month. Located in the city’s south-west corner, the Navigli district remains one of the last true connections the Milanese have with water. The Grand Canal (Naviglio Grande) itself dates back to 1177.

Although not widely known, Milan’s centre was once traced with waterways, like those of Venice. 【小题2】 London has the Thames. Paris, the Seine. Berlin was built around the banks of the Spree. Yet, Milan, one of the wealthiest cities in Europe, has none. The city had to make one for itself. Between the 12th and 17th centuries, a network of canals was developed in order to grow the city’s wealth and influence.

Most of the last traces of this network can be seen in Navigli. The rest fell victim to modernisation during the mid-20th century. As automobiles and trains replaced boats, the Inner Ring was buried under concrete (混凝土). For the most part, the canals are still there, covered over by new roads and buildings.

【小题3】 The Darsena sits at the meeting point of two of Milan’s last canals, Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese. Once one of Italy’s busiest ports, the harbourside area has lain largely unused since the 1960s. In 2015, it was completely renovated for the Milan Expo.

Today, the Darsena provides a vital lung to one of Europe’s most polluted cities. Every day, people walk along its banks or sit with a takeaway drink from the many bars which are located nearby. Old men teach their grandkids the patient art of fishing, while runners trace loops around the boardwalk. 【小题4】

Currently, designs are being drafted for an underground tunnel to allow the water to pass through the city’s centre. It is hoped that the project will be completed by 2026 when Milan is set to co-host the Winter Olympics.

A nickname is a shortened form of a person’s name. A nickname can also be a descriptive name for a person, place or thing. Many American cities have nicknames. These can help establish an identity, spread pride among citizens and build unity. Nicknames can also be funny.

Los Angeles, California is the second largest city in population, after New York City. Los Angeles has several nicknames. One is simply the city’s initials, L.A. It is also called the City of Angels because Los Angeles means “the angels” in Spanish.

Los Angeles often has warm, sunny weather. So another nickname is City of Flowers and Sunshine. New York is called The Big Apple. So Los Angeles is sometimes called The Big Orange because of the fruit that grows in that city’s warm climate.

The American motion picture and television industries are based in Los Angeles. So it is not surprising that it is called The Entertainment Capital of the World. Many films are made in the area of Los Angeles called Hollywood. Millions of people visit the area. No trip to Los Angeles is complete without seeing the word “Hollywood” spelled out in huge letters on a hillside.

Many movie stars live in Los Angeles. The city is sometimes called Tinseltown. This nickname comes from the shiny, bright and often unreal nature of Hollywood and the movie industry.

Another nickname for Los Angeles is La-La Land, using the first letters of Los and Angeles. This means a place that is fun and not serious, and maybe even out of touch with reality.

The city of Los Angeles is part of Los Angeles County. There are many smaller cities in the county. Beverly Hills, with its rich people, is one of them. So is Pasadena, with its Rose Parade each New Year’s Day. So are the coastal cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, where people like to ride surfboards on the Pacific Ocean waves.

A good place for watching unusual-looking people is Venice, an area on the west side of Los Angeles. A system of waterways designed after the Italian city of Venice has been built there.

Many people love Los Angeles for its warm sunny weather, beautiful mountains and beaches, and movie stars. That includes Randy Newman, who sings about his hometown.