Electric cars are dirty. In fact, not only are they dirty, they might even be more dirty than their gasoline­powered cousins.

        People in California love to talk about “zero­emissions (排放) vehicles”， but people in California seem to be_clueless about where electricity comes from. Power plants mostly use fire to make it. Aside from the few folks who have their roofs covered with solar ceils, we get our electricity from generators (发电机). Generators are fueled by something—usually coal, oil, and also by heat generated in nuclear power plants. There are a few wind farms and geothermal (地热的) plants as well, but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something.

        In other words, those “zero­emissions” cars are likely coal­burning cars. It's just because the coal is burned somewhere else, so it looks clean. It is not. It's as if the California greens are covering their eyes—“If I can't see it, it's not happening.” Gasoline is an unbelievably efficient way to power a vehicle; a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it. But when you take that gas [or another fuel] and first use it to make electricity, you waste a nice part of that energy, mostly in the form of wasted heat—at the generator, through the transmission lines, etc.

        A gallon of gas may propel your car 25 miles. But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas won't get you nearly as far—so electric cars burn more fuel than gas­powered ones. If our electricity came mostly from geothermal, or hydro, or solar, or wind, then an electric car truly would be clean. But for political, technical, and economic reasons, we don't use much of those energy sources.

        In addition, electric cars' batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill (垃圾) and finally, when cars are the polluters, the pollution is spread across all the roads. When it's a power plant, though, all the junk is in one place. Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are not too concentrated, but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot.

        Maybe you have heard the expression—When in Rome，doas the Romans do. So when you want to do business in France，you have to get to know French culture，to make marketing plans，and to run your business by local laws.

The French take great pride in their language，soanyone who does not speak it may run the risk of being disrespected by his French colleagues or business partners.Also，another reason why learning French is important is that it is a great way to show every possible French business partner that you care and respect their country's culture and language.

       The first thing that you should do when meeting someone  new is to shake his hand firmly and always look the person in the eye.In social meetings with friends，kissing is common.

 The French will sometimes introduce themselves using their surname first，followed by their first name.

Dresswell.  Your business clothing is a reflection of your success andsocial status.Always try to be tasteful and stylish.Women are advised to dress simply but elegantly. Wearing make­up is practised widely by businesswomen.

        The French  are  passionate about  food，so lunches  are common in doingbusiness in France，whichusually consist of an appetizer，amain meal with wine，cheese，dessert and coffee，and normally take up to two hours. 

Do not begin eating until the host says “bon appetit”．Pass dishes to the left，keep wrists above the table and try toeat everything on the plate. This may suggest that you find the food tasteless.If eating in a restaurant，the person who invites always pays.

A．The French draw information aboutpeople based on their appearance.

B．This is a time for relationshipbuilding.

C．Remember to be as polite as possible.

D．Language should be the focus of anyoneplanning to do business in France.

E．Be careful with adding salt，pepper or sauces to your food.

F．Use Monsieur or Madame before thesurname.

G．Make an appointment with your businesspartner in advance.

     George selected his food in Value Mart carefully. He estimated he had180cents today.He was pleased he had got good2for his money again.

      At the exit，the freezing wind3him of his gloves.He was sure he was wearing them whenentering the4.He made a search of his pockets.Then he thought theymust have been5somewhere in the store.George had bought the blackgloves for $35 ten years ago.They were leather，softand durable.Until then，hehad worn cheaper man­made material that never lasted long.His6to buythe gloves turned out to be good，whicheven7his position on the bus，aspoorer passengers stared at him8.

      George re­entered the store.He followed the same9he had walked before，10at the bread counter，to the dairy section，to the shelf where salt and sugar wereplaced.It did not take long to be11that the gloves were notthere.His12grew heavier.“People have changed，” he13.“Years ago，if somebody14something lost，they would give it back.”

Ye the did not give up.This time he focused on the gloves on other shoppers' 15.Suddenly he16a ladynearby wearing a black pair of gloves.He said，“Hi！” But when the surprised lady returnedhis17 ， hiseyes dropped to the floor，forthe fingers of her gloves were too small for him.

Without gloves，hehad to18his hands into his sleeves.Back home，George was19.He could notdo without gloves.George decided to buy another leather pair.But before that，he stepped into Value Mart again tosee if by any20his gloves had been returned to the lost and foundoffice.The girl looked into her drawer and took out a pair of men's leathergloves.“Are they？”

“Yes! Mine ！”George shouted with joy.