Traveling can be fun and easy. A vacation trip to another country is especially (21) when the traveling conditions are good. Good traveling conditions (22) a comfortable mode of transportation, knowledge of the (23) language, familiarity (24) the custom and habits of the people in the country, and pleasant traveling (25) . All of us have had nice trips (26) this.
B.
Most of us have also had trips that we would (27) to forget. Many conditions can produce a bad (28) experience. For example, if the four conditions (29) above do not exist, we will probably have a bad experience, (30) at best difficult (31) . Students who travel to a (32) country to study often have a difficult trip. They usually travel (33) . They don’t know the language of the new country (34) . They often arrive in the new country (35) a judge international airport. From the airport, they need to (36) their way to their school. Maybe they need to (37) airplanes, to take a bus, a train, or a taxi. They need to do ail this in a country (38) everything is unfamiliar. Later, after the experience is (39) , they can laugh. But at the (40) , they feel terrible.
Standard usage includes those words and expressions understood, used, and accepted by a majority of the speakers of a language in any situation regardless of the level of formality. As such, these words and expressions are well defined and listed in standard dictionaries. Colloquialisms, on the other hand, are familiar words and idioms that are understood by almost all speakers of a language and used in informal speech or writing, but not considered appropriate for more formal situations. Almost all idiomatic expressions are colloquial language. Slang, however, refers to words and expressions understood by a large number of speakers but not accepted as good, formal usage by the majority. Colloquial expressions and even slang may be found in standard dictionaries but will be so identified. Both colloquial usage and slang are more common in speech than in writing.
B.
Colloquial speech often passes into standard speech. Some slang also passes into standard speech, but other slang expressions enjoy momentary popularity followed by obscurity. In some cases, the majority never accepts certain slang phrases but nevertheless retains them in their collective memories. Every generation seems to require its own set of words to describe familiar objects and events.
C.
It has been pointed out by a number of linguists that three cultural conditions are necessary for the creation of a large body of slang expressions. First, the introduction and acceptance of new objects and situations in the society; second, a diverse population with a large number of subgroups; third, association among the subgroups and the majority population.
D.
Finally, it is worth noticed that the terms "standard" "colloquial" and "slang" exist only as abstract labels for scholars who study language. Only a tiny number of the speakers of any language will be aware that they are using colloquial or slang expressions. Most speakers of English will, during appropriate situations, select and use all three types of expressions.
W: In the paper, it says there’s a man going round pretending he’s from the electricity board. He’s been calling at people’s home, saying he’s come to cheek that all their appliances are safe. Then he gets around them to make him a cup of tea and while they are out of the room, he steals their money, handbag, whatever and makes off with it.
D.
M: But you know Jane, it’s partly their own fault. You should never let anyone like that in unless you are expecting them.
E.
W: It’s all very well to say that, but someone comes to the door and says electricity or gas, and you automatically think they are OK, especially if they flash a card to you.
F.
M: Does this man have an ID then
G.
W: Yes, that’s just it! It seems he used to work tot the electricity board at one time. According to the paper, the police are warning people, especially pensioners not to admit anyone unless they have an appointment. It’s a bit sad. One old lady told them she’d just been to the post office to draw her pension when he called. She said he must have followed her home. He stole the whole lot.
H.
M: But what does he look like Surely they must have a description.
I.
W: Oh, yes, they have. Let’s see. In his thirties, tall, bushy dark hair, slight northern accent, sounds a bit like you actually.
These are tough times for Wal-Mart, America’s biggest retailer. Long accused of (1) small-town America mad condemned for the selfishness of its pay, the company has lately come under (2) for its meanness over employees’ health-care benefits. The charge is arguably (3) : the firm’s health coverage, while (4) less extensive than the average for big companies, is on equal terms (5) other retailers’. But bad publicity, coupled with rising costs, has (6) the Bentonville giant to action. WalMart is making changes that should shift the ground in America’s healthcare debate.
B.
One (7) is to reduce the prices of many generic, or out-of-patent, prescription drugs. Wal-Mart’s critics dismiss the move as a publicity (8) . The list of drugs includes only 143 different medicines and excludes many popular group. True, but short-sighted. Wal-Mart has (9) retailing by using its size to squeeze suppliers and (10) the gains on to consumers. It could (11) the same with drugs. A "Wal-Mart effect" in drugs will not solve America’s health-costs problem: group account for only a small share of drug costs, which in turn make (12) only 10% of overall health spending. But it would (13) .
C.
The firm’s other initiative is more (14) . Wal-Mart is joining the small but fast-growing group of employers (15) are controlling costs by shifting to health insurance with high deductibles.
D.
Early evidence (16) these plans do help firms control the cost of health insurance. But critics say that the savings are (17) . They argue that the plans shift costs to sicker workers, discourage preventative care and will anyway do little to (18) overall health spending, (19) most of the $2 trillion that America (20) health care each year goes to people with multiple chronic diseases.