提示词：be surrounded 被困；out of danger 脱险；the direction of wind 风向

    A British company has made a new product to help us save money. The product is a wristband that gives us an electric shock if we spend too much money. The wristband is called Pavlok. It is linked to our bank account. It knows how much money we have in the bank. If we go shopping and there is not enough money in our bank account, the wristband makes an electric shock on our wrists. This warns us not to overspend. The company is called Intelligent Environments. It wants to work with banks to help customers with their money. So far, no banks in Britain have said they would ask their customers to wear Pavlok. They could start doing this in the future.

    The Pavlok wristband is part of the Internet of Things. This is the idea that everything in our life will be connected to the Internet. The CEO of Intelligent Environments, David Webber, said people liked the idea of the Pavlok. Shoppers would rather get a small electric shock in the store from the wristband than get a big shock later when they see their bank account. Mr. Webber said the Pavlok would be great for people who cannot stop spending because they have no power or their power is weak. He added that many young people have the "ostrich effect". This is when people put their heads in the sand and buy things rather than look at how much money they have in their bank accounts.

    The label（标签）, Made in China, is one that is becoming increasing common in shopping centers all over the world.

    In the United States, shoppers at Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer（零售商）, have a wide selection of products mostly produced in China. The large amount of Chinese imports have created a large selection of goods in other countries as people begin to buy more and more products made in China. These goods are even widely available in other Asian nations, where Chinese-made goods are quite popular. Chinese brand names are also becoming more well-known outside China.

    When Chinese Americans visit family and friends in their homeland, gifts from the US are a must. But TVs and fashionable clothes aren't rare any more, and anything "Made in China" shouldn't be considered in any case.

    "When I decide to visit my family members in China, I will have a big headache. What should I buy for them? They may not all speak English, but everyone in China knows those three words, "a Chinese American said. "When they see the label 'Made in China', they will think, 'Why do you send me this? '"

    The development of China has surprised the world with its growth. As a result, the other countries are beginning to try to reduce Chinese goods with the use of taxes（税） and import restrictions. However, the development on the Chinese economy still affects the world in many ways.

    Nowadays, the food that you buy comes from many different countries. Have a look in your fridge, cupboard and fruit bowl and check the origins（来源） of the food.

    Perhaps there are apples from California, lamb from New Zealand, or potatoes from Egypt. You will probably be surprised how far food travels to get to your plate. This journey, from "field to plate", is called "food miles". A food mile is the distance that food travels from the farmer's field to the person who buys the food.

    Nowadays, food often travels thousands of miles to get to the consumer（消费者）. Why is this, and what are the effects（影响） of these long distances?

    Traditionally, farmers sold their food in the local market, so the food didn't have to travel very far. The consumers also did not travel very far because they went to their local market to buy the food. This was a good system for farmers and consumers. However, there were some disadvantages. For example, consumers could only buy food that farmers produced locally. In addition, they could only get food that was in season. Now, because of modern technology, food comes from all over the world. We do not have to wait for spring or summer to buy strawberries or tomatoes. They are available in winter if we want.

    Some countries have to import（进口） most of their food. This is because they have difficult climates. The United Arab Emirates（UAE）, for example, gets 85%of its food from other countries. Even food made in the UAE often uses imported materials.

    What's wrong with "food miles"? Is this not a good way of increasing international trade? I believe these miles are worrying for a number of reasons. First of all, because food travels such long distances, we need more planes, lorries, and ships to move the food. This means we use more oil or petrol, so there is more pollution and more global（全球的） warming. In addition, food that travels a long way is not fresh and usually not very tasty.

    Tomatoes, for example, are picked early and stored for their long journeys. For this reason, they are usually tasteless when they get to the consumer. Local food has a better taste, and it also reduces the amount of global pollution. We need to buy more local food.