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Most of us may have such experiences: when you go to place far away from the city you live in and think you know nod there , you are surprised to find that you should run into one of classmates on the street! Perhaps both of you would cry out, "What a small world!"

Why is the world getting smaller and smaller? For one modern technology has made various means of transportation me and more advanced. Buses, trains, planes, taxis, ships a available in most cities of the world. They carry goods a passengers to and from every corner of the world. For another thing, with the development of modern society, people a contacting one another more frequently. Every day we must do with a lot of people known or unknown to us before. The mo advanced a society, the more contact with other we make.

So we draw to the conclusion that as long as technology make progress, the world will be getting smaller and smaller.

The pipe under your kitchen sink springs a leak and you call a plumage-A few days later you get a bill for $ 40. At the bottom is a note saying that if you don't pay within 30days, there will be a 10 percent service charge of $ 4. You feel trapped, with no desirable alternative. You pay $ 40 now or $ 44 later. Now make two small changes in the script. The plumber sends you a bill for $ 44, but the note says that if you pay within 30 days you' II get a special $ 4 discount. Now you feel pretty good. You have two alternatives, one of which will save you $ 4.

In fact, your choices are the same in both cases — pay $ 40 now or $ 44 later — but your feelings about them are different. This illustrates a subject we've been studying for several years: What makes people feel free and why does feeling free make them happy? One factor we' ve studied is that individuals feel freer when they can choose between positive alternatives (delaying payment or saving $ 4) rather than between negative ones (paying immediately or paying $ 4 more). Choosing between negativas. ake the case of a woman trying to de¬cide whether to stay married to her inconsiderable, incompetent husband, or get a divorce. She doesn' t want to stay with him, but she feels divorce is a sign of failure and will stigmatize her socially. Or think of the decision faced by many young men four decades ago, when they were forced to choose between leaving their country and family or being sent to Vietnam. When we face decisions involving only alternatives we see as negatives, we feel so little freedom that we twist and turn searching for another choice with some positive characteristics. Freedom is a popular word. Individuals talk about how they feel free with one person and not with an¬other, or how their bosses encourage or discourage freedom on their job. We hear about civil wars and revolutions being fought for greater freedom, with both sides righteously making the claim. The feeling of freedom is so important that people say they' re ready to die for it, and supposedly have. Still, most people have trouble coming up with a precise definition of freedom. They give answers de¬scribing specific situations—" FjEedonungans_doirig what I want to do, not what the Government wants me to do," or "Freedom means not having my mother tell me when to come home from a party" — rather than a general definition covering many situations. The idea they seem to be express¬ing is that freedom is associated with making decisions, and that other people sometimes limits the number of alternatives from which they can select.

The sun Is shining when I get on the No. 151 Bus. Chicago's landscape1 is at its dingiest—leafless trees, piles of slush, cars splattered with salt.

The bus goes through Lincoln Park for a few miles, but no one looks out of the windows. We passengers sit silently jammed together in heavy clothes.

No one speaks. That's one of the unwritten rules of Chicago commuting. Although we see the same faces every day, we prefer to hide behind our newspapers. The sight is striking; people who sit so close together are using those thin sheets of newspapers to keep their distance.

As the bus approaches the Magnificent Mile, a row of sky-scrapers along Michigan Avenue, a voice suddenly rings out, "Attention! Attention! Attention!"

Papers rattle. Necks crane.

"This is your driver speaking. "

Stillness. We look at the back of the driver's head. His voice carries authority.

"Put your papers down. An inch at a time. " The driver waits. The papers are folded and placed on our laps.

"Now, turn and face the person next to you. Go ahead. "

Amazingly- we all do it. Still, no one smiles. Just mindless obedience.

I face an old woman, her head wrapped tightly in a red scarf. I see her nearly every day. Our eyes meet. We wait, unblinking, for the next order from the driver.

"Now, repeat after me. . . " It is a command, delivered in t\ tones of a drill officer. "Good morning, neighbor!"

Our voices are weak, timid. For many of us, these are the first words we have spoken today. But we say them together, lit schoolchildren, to the stranger beside us.

We smile to each other. We cannot help it. There is the feeling of relief, that we are not being kidnapped or robbed. But more there is the faint sense of unleashing a common civility Ion repressed. We have said it; the barrier has been broken. Good morning, neighbor. It was not so hard after all. Some of us repeat it. Others shake hands. Many laugh.

The bus driver says nothing more. He doesn't need to. Not single newspaper goes back up. The bus hums with conversation, We start by shaking our heads over this crazy driver, which lead to other commuting stories.

The bus driver, a warm, bubbly sound I have never heard be fore on bus No. 151.

When we reach my stop, I say good-bye to my seatmate, they jump from the doorstep. Four other buses have pulled up at the same stop, and some passengers get off. - The riders still seated look like statues-unmoving and silent, except for those on my bus. As No. 151 drives away, I smile as I watch the happy faces of the passengers. This day is starting off better than most.

I look back at the driver. He is studying his mirror, searching for an opening in the traffic. 3 He gives no sign of being aware that he's just pulled off a Monday morning miracle.

The term "Hollywood" stands symbolically for American movies.

Hollywood is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California, the United States. Movies were first made in Hollywood before World War I. Since 1911, it has been the centre of the U.S. movie industry. The constant sunshine and mild climate of southern California made it an ideal site for shooting motion pictures. Hollywood's fame and fortune reached its peak in the 1930s and 1940s, the golden days of the black and white movies.

Hollywood has been the home to many legendary film studios such as 20th Century-Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer(MGM), Paramount, United Artists, Disney, Columbia, and Warner Brothers. Most of the famous motion pictures corporations of the 1930s and 1940s, like MGM, Columbia and Warner Brothers are still very much in business. Great Hollywood stars like Greta Garbo, Marlen Dietrich, Charles Chaplin, Gary Cooper, and many others, have become immortal.

Hollywood is no longer the heart of the world's movie industry. Most movies today are filmed on location, that is to say, in the cities, in the countryside, and in any part of the world that the script demands. The Hollywood studios are still standing, but most of them have been leased to television networks. About 80% of all American TV entertainment comes from Hollywood.

Yet Hollywood has not lost all its glamour. Many movie stars own homes there, or in the neighbouring Beverly Hills and many other communities near Hollywood.

Above all, Hollywood has the glamour of the past. It is a name which will always be associated with motion picture- making. And for many years to come the old Hollywood movies will be shown again and again in movies houses and on television screens all over the world.

The Yangtze River boasts of the fascinating Three Gorges created by Mother Nature in all her glory. The Three Gorges consist of grandiose Qutang Gorge, meandering Wu Gorge and heavily-shoaled Xiling Gorge, all saturated in splendid colors. Tucked away among these are three little gorges. All of them form a veritable wonderland of clear water with plunging waterfalls and velvety hillsides, often rising to fantastic peaks —beckoning travelers from afar.

Today, as part of China's national development, the massive Three-Gorge-Hydroelectric Project is set to become a reality. The advertisement of the "Farewell to the Three Gorges" touches the hearts of numerous travelers who know them, both in China and abroad. Excursionists in increasing num¬bers are visiting them to participate in this farewell. Raising the water level by building the dam is not expected to decrease the essence of the Gorges' beauty. On the contrary, upon completion of the project, this scenic area will almost be preserved in its entity.

Nevertheless, visitors' fond memories dwell upon past recollections of the traditional gorges. With these thoughts in mind, Mr Yang Heyue, an artist, cruised through the Three Gorges four times in succession. As he looked eastward with the current of the water, Mr Yang exclaimed enthusiastically, "Keep this fabulous scenery as it is!" Then he donned the tools of his trade—

parchment, brush and ink. With earnest emotion, the artist captured today's Three Gorges on paper.

Yang Heyue was born at the foot of beautiful Yandang Mountain. From his childhood, nature was his inspiration. During the 60s, he completed his studies at the China University of Art (formerly the Zhejiang College of Art), giving him the rudiments of his artistic skills. In his early years after graduation, he took up wood carving, only to abandon it in later years for a relentless pursuit of depicting mountain and water landscapes. Part of his studies was comparative art illustration, which enabled him to fuse classical and contemporary techniques into his own distinct and elegant style. At many exhibitions, his works received wide acclaim and distinguished awards from art collectors and lovers both at home and abroad.

The Three Gorges have always been a popular subject matter for painters, most of whom portrayed only a section or passage. Mr Yang, however, united the panorama of all three gorges contiguously from Baidi Township in the west to Gezhou Dam in the east, onto one scroll. This is rare and representative of his momentous spirit.

As a creature, I eat', as a man, I read. Although one action is to meet the primary need of my body and the other is to satisfy the intellectual need of my mind, they are in a way quite similar.

To keep ourselves alive, we need all kinds of nutrition. Eating is the most important way by which we can get starch, protein, vitamin, sugar, fat, and some trace elements. On the other hand, we eat not only because we have to do so but also because we enjoy doing so. Having satisfied our hunger, eating can then be a kind of enjoyment. The color, the smell, and the taste of the food are considered as important as its nutritive value. Very often

we eat some food not because it is nourishing but simply because we like it. This partiality for certain food will not affect our health, so long as we do not indulge heavily in it. There are many people, however, who do not eat the food they dislike and consequently suffer from malnutrition. So, for the sake of health, we have to eat some food even though we may not like it.

Similarly, to enrich our minds, we need information and knowledge, which can be obtained through reading. Reading is one of the most important ways of learning. Without reading our minds will become empty like that of an animal. Sometimes, we take reading as a pastime, and we relax and learn at the same time. Since recreation is involved, we will naturally have a partiality for some particular kinds of books, just as we do for certain kind of food. It is all right if we read more books on history than books on literature. But suppose we focus on one subject only and pay no attention to anything else, we will face the problem of imbalance. Nutrition for our minds should be as comprehensive as the nutition for our bodies. An educated person is a person who knows a lot of things about something and something about a lot of things. One's mind needs all kinds of nourishment, whether they are to one's liking or hot.

Besides, there are other similarities between eating and reading. We should not eat too much without digesting and assimilating, nor should we read too much without understanding and remembering. While we are eating, we should leave out the rotten part of the food which will do harm to our health; and while we are reading, we should be able to reject the poisonous content in a book, if any, for it will poison our minds.

So, eat sensibly and read sensibly to give yourself a strong body and a healthy mind.

The modern technologies have brought a great amount of luxuries and conveniences to our life. For example , we can go anywhere by cars instead of on foot. We can wash our clothes with a washing machine instead of by our hands. We can call our friends through phone or e-mail instead of going there by ourselves to say hello to them. We can do shopping at home because of the electronic commerce through Internet. All these may greatly reduce people's physical movement and make people be more dependant on the modern appliances. However it will not prevent from people becoming truly strong and independent individuals. Whether people become more strong and independent or less than before is a relative question. To the whole society, one is becoming less in-dependent. While to another person, one is becoming more independent.

In modern society people are much more linked with each other, which is the result of modem communication. Geographically, one can travel all around the world quickly and comfortably by train and plane. Economically, one can purchase products from other countries. The companies try their best to sell their product all over the world. That is the globalization of economy. Modern man knows much more than their ancestors, because there are more sources of information such as TV, radio, Internet. On one hand, one can know what is happening in the world just by staying at home. On the other had, one has to know the most up-dated information because he can only make a right decision on the base of that. Internet is the most welcomed, for it is just like a big library for information sharing. With the more fine social division of labor, specialists appear and are needed. One good example is about food. Nowadays people can taste all kinds of food from other countries without having to make by themselves but just go to a restaurant, because there have specialists of one kind of food.

From the perspective of individual, people are growing into more strong and independent individuals. One can do everything of by himself because everyone is a generalist of living skills and can solve almost all common problems for himself with all modern appliances. He can buy foods in a supermarket or to eat at a restaurant. He can washing for himself with a machine. He can find almost all what he want know on the Internet. Even if he gets a cold he can go to the chemical shop and by the medicine for himself. He can entertain himself just at home, with TV, radio and Internet. Also one can do sports at home with those electronic appliances. The most important thing is that one can easily consult the Internet for what he wants to know. Moreover, man's intelligence and creativity are endless. What seem as luxuries and convenience may one day not satisfy modern people, then new things will be created. Such a process is everlasting.

Actually, in modern society, the luxuries and convenience make people more strong and independent in the perspective as contrasting to another person. But at the same time people are becoming more dependants on others and modem appliances in the whole society.

Charles Sirois is a Canadian telecom entrepreneur whom a Canadian magazine article once labeled "the next master of the universe." His company, TIW, led by Bruno Ducharme, is a global mobile communications company with investments in Romania, the Czech Republic, India, and Western Europe. In 1995 Sirois had invested in telecommunications in Brazil in partnership with Daniel Dantas, a brilliant financier in Brazil who ran an investment banking company called Banco Opportunity SA.

In 1998 the Brazilian government began to sell off its telecommunications companies to private owners. TIW and Opportunity, led by Dantas, joined with a third party, a group of Brazilian pension funds, to form a consortium called Telpart. In turn, it bought two cellular phone companies formerly owned by the government, with a total of nearly 2 million customers.

But while the negotiations were optimistic and the Canadians went public about the trust everyone showed, and all three parties concurred in a nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding, the three never wrote a formal shareholder agreement. On the basis of trust TIW had put about U. S. $ 266 million into the Telpart consortium, acquiring 49 percent of it.

Two weeks after the consortium was formed, Dantas began to change the ownership balance. He persuaded the third party, the pension funds, to join with Opportunity and create another company (Newtel) that would own 51 percent of Telpart. TIW was subsequently a minority, not majority, partner. TIW agreed to the new structure on the condition a formal agreement would be written to assure that TIW shared control of Teleport.

After 18 months of negotiation no agreement was produced. Meanwhile, Dantas had begun appointing directors and dictating policy for Telpart and controlling what Telpart did and did not do. TIW took Dantas and Newtel to court. In fact, about 20 lawsuits ensued, and nasty public allegations flew on both sides before Sirois finally pulled TIW out of Brazil in 2003, selling assets that had cost U. S. $266 million five years earlier for less than U.S. $50 million.27 The agreement made on trust and handshakes was unenforceable when one player changed the rules. Without a written agreement, TIW could not win in court.

In places where information travels freely through open channels, organizations can sift, verify, and select information for business goals. Where information is restricted and access is not open, organizations rely more heavily on informal sources. Where in-formation is withheld from workers and only made available in limited supply, workers rely on the organizational grapevine — the informal network. The grapevine flourishes where formal, official information is limited. The secretary to the president, someone in the mail room, a good friend of a relative of the chairperson, a confidant of the director — these are the kinds of sources with the greatest credibility in an informal net-work. Informal Internet sources also have greater credibility when they are known per-sons or entities.

People from open-information cultures who are used to formal sources that offer reliable and accurate information tend not to place much value on factual information that comes from informal sources. For example, a German-Swiss firm may disregard sources' opinions about the prospects of success for a proposal to raise the price of a service in Japan. But informal sources of information may be much better at reading the context than foreigners are, and informal information may be more accurate than the official version. Internet sources and informal personal e-mail contacts have made in-formal information much more important than it was only a decade ago. Within some companies instant messenger (IM) services such as AOL Messenger, MSN Messenger, and ICQ provide fast electronic connections to facilitate informal interoffice communications.

In some cultural environments unofficial spokespersons, unsigned newspaper articles, and references in an organization's internal documents can be reliable sources. They not only provide data but also interpret the data, and interpretation means putting the in-formation in context.

Although Americans groan about high taxes, most accept the idea that it would be un-ethical not to pay the taxes one owes. After all taxes are needed to run the government and carry out programs that help society as a whole. The Chinese have a somewhat different opinion about those kinds of societal obligations, and many feel that they can do more good by helping their families directly than by paying taxes whose results they cannot observe directly.

The way people from different cultures handle obligations also sheds light on attitudes toward ethics. In places where the building of relationships is crucial to doing business, obligations typically are seen as ongoing. By not repaying a debt immediately the partner signifies that he or she is interested in a continuation of the relationship. In Japan, for example, the willingness to accept an obligation is a positive sign. In fact, the concept of anuie refers lo both the willingness to take care of someone and the willingness to be dependent on someone. In this view the individual is clearly tied into a relationship. Repaying the debt would end the relationship because it would signal that the person no longer was willing to accept the obligation. This attitude stands in great contrast to the American ideal of self-reliance, where the goal is not to be a burden on anyone. It is expected that one will repay one's debts promptly (also see Chapter '!).

As we will discuss in greater detail in Chapter 10. HR issues, including rules on hiring, promotion, and safety, are tied to specific laws, but there is also an ethical element involved. Most industrialized countries have outlawed child labor, and condoning any type of child labor would be seen as a violation of ethical norms. Not all cultures share this viewpoint. In industrialized countries childhood has been extended to an age group that a century ago would have been considered young adults. In developing countries children grow up faster and are considered adults at an earlier age, frequently around age ; therefore, it is acceptable and expected that they contribute to the family income. (We are not talking about young children working in sweatshops many hours every day. ) The idea that young adults should be allowed to play when they could contribute to the well-being of the family would be considered irresponsible.

In group-oriented societies seniority plays a major role in establishing ranking and order. It gives belonging and clarifies one's status in the group. With industrialization merit and individualism tend to gain in importance.1' As a result- the basis for promotions may change from seniority to merit, and with that change, what is considered ethical may change as well.

As businesspeople engage in relationships with partners from other cultures, they need to be aware of the cultural foundation of what is considered ethical behavior. One of the most crucial steps is to examine why a culture has certain ethical standards and what they mean in that particular context. As the following story illustrates, different views of what is ethical can lead to problems for everyone involved.