Many people say that they are working too many hours. They don’t have enough time to relax or to stay with heir family. Work hours are different from one country to another. In France, people spend about 1,646 hours a year on work. In Japan, however, people work about 2,159 hours a year. That means a Japanese worker works 513 more hours a year than a French worker.

Why do people work so many hours? Some people work more hours because they want to make more money. However, many companies don’t pay overtime. Their workers don’t get more pay for more work. Some people think it’s their duty to work more hours. Some are afraid of losing their jobs if they don’t work more hours.

Many people say that their vacations are too short. In France, people get five weeks of paid vacation a year. In Germany, they get four to six weeks, and in the United States, two weeks.

One study shows that fewer than half of the workers used all their vacation days. In Britain, there is a saying,“All work and no play makes Jack a dull (迟钝的) boy.”

If that is true, there must be a lot of dull people in the world.

Wu Yifang is a 21-year-old girl from Shantou, China. Now she studies in Britain. One day, when she was taking a train from London to Oxford, she heard loud noises on the train.

Before, the train had been very quiet. Some people were resting while others were reading books or listening to music. Suddenly, a group of Chinese people laughed loudly as they played a game of cards.

“I would usually be very happy to meet people from my own country. But at that moment, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow ( 吞没 ) me.” Zhang said.

As it becomes easier for Chinese people to get visas( 签证) to foreign countries, more and more of them are traveling abroad. However, their bad manners have given them a bad reputation.

A recent U.S. survey of 5,600 people five countries showed that Chinese people are the second worst tourists. The worst are American tourists.

Chinese always talk loudly in places like cafes and museums. They also spit (吐痰 ) and litter whenever they want and jump queues. Some Chinese tourists also like to write or draw pictures on famous buildings. In Singapore, Chinese tourists are fined( 罚款) because they were smoking in Non-smoking areas.

Some people may say that they can do everything that they want because they spend money in the country. In fact, this is not true. Besides enjoying ourselves, we should respect local customs and take care of the environment.

Information Card

When we hear about “the homeless”, most of us think of the developing world. But the fact is that we can see homeless people【小题1】 . For example, how many of us would expect   【小题2】   people living on the streets of a developed country like Germany?

Kurt Muller and his wife (妻子) Rita had spent years making meals for the homeless of Berlin, Germany. They often stayed at home, made sandwiches, set a table in the street and gave food to the homeless. “I got such a strong【小题3】   when I saw thankful and happy smiles (微笑) on their faces.” said Kurt.

The Mullers soon found that food and clothing weren’t enough. “What these people also need is warmth and caring.” said Rita. The Mullers   【小题4】   to give their phone number to the street people and told them to phone anytime. Rita made sure there was somebody at home to answer the phone and their home was always   【小题5】     to the homeless.

They were soon running out of all their time and money, so Kurt had to visit food and clothing factories to ask for help. Many factories were moved (感动) by their 【小题6】     and spirit, they gave them enough food and clothing.   

Kurt and Rita get nothing for their hard work. “We feel like parents,” says Rita, “and parents shouldn’t expect money for 【小题7】     their children. The love we get on the streets is the best thing for   【小题8】   .” Though Rita and Kurt meet many 【小题9】   and often get tired, they say they will go on with the work because they like the   【小题10】 of having made a difference in the world.