There is no doubt that the United States has entered a brand new age, because Donald Trump, the country’s 45^th president, is very different from any president before him.

Unlike Hillary Clinton, his opponent, and most former US presidents, who entered the election after years of being politicians, Trump, 70, was a New York real estate businessman.

And he was not a presidential candidate who worked hard to keep a perfect public image of a man who was always caring, fair and wise.

Instead, Trump is famous for being bad-tempered, arrogant(傲慢的) and hateful toward those who disagree with him. He also hates immigrants, both from Latin America and the Middle East, for many problems in the US. This has caused a dangerous division in the country—a country made up of many various races.

But to his supporters, the fact that Trump is not a typical politician is actually one of his advantages. His habit of never hiding his opinions is also considered by many to be a sign that he is not a hypocrite like many politicians are.

 “We have seen our country take a downturn in the eyes of the world. We need to go in a different direction, ” Binyomin Weisswasser, 39, a man from Chicago, told the Chicago Tribune. “Trump’s not a politician... I like that he is not always politically correct and speaks his mind. It gives me the feeling that what you see is what you get. You may not like it, but you know what it is.”

But interestingly, many who elected Trump actually followed the “lesser of two evils” principle—one that people use when faced with picking from two unpleasant options—simply because they didn’t think Clinton was a better choice.

“He’s the candidate I disagree less with, ” Jack Stucky, 20, a student at Norwestern University, told the Chicago Tribune. “I don’t think I’d say Donald Trump is going to be the best president ever, but I did think he’d be better than Hillary Clinton.”

It’s true that the US is entering a new age. It’s just not clear yet what kind of age it’s going to be.

    The sharing economy, represented by companies like Airbnb or Uber, is the latest fashion craze. But many supporters have overlooked the reality that this new business model is largely based on escaping regulations（规则）and breaking the law.

    Airbnb is an Internet-based service that allows people to rent out spare rooms to strangers for short stays. Uber is an Internet taxi service that allows thousands of people to answer ride requests with their own cars. There are hundreds of other such services.

    The good thing about the sharing economy is that it promotes the use of underused resources. Millions of people have houses or apartments with empty rooms, and Airbnb allows them to profit from these rooms while allowing guests a place to stay at prices that are often far less than those charged by hotels. Uber offers prices that are competitive with standard taxi prices and their drivers are often much quicker and more trustworthy（值得信任的）.

    But the downside of the sharing economy has gotten much less attention. Most cities and states both tax and regulate hotels, and the tourists who stay in hotels are usually an important source of tax income. But many of Airbnb’s customers are not paying the taxes required under the law.

    Airbnb can also raise issues of safety for its customers and trouble for hosts’ neighbors. Hotels are regularly inspected（检查）to ensure that they are not fire traps and that they don’t form other risks for visitors. Airbnb hosts face no such inspections.

    Since Airbnb is allowing people to escape taxes and regulations, the company is simply promoting（引起）theft. Others in the economy will lose by bearing an additional tax burden or being forced to live next to an apartment unit with a never-ending series of noisy visitors.

    The same story may apply with Uber. Uber is currently arguing over whether its cars meet the safety and insurance requirements which are accepted by standard taxis. Also, if Uber and related services flood the market, they could harm all taxi drivers’ ability to earn a minimum wage.

    This downside of the sharing needs to be taken seriously, but that doesn’t mean the current tax and regulatory structure is perfect.

Traditionally, it has been the worker's role to work and management's role to manage. Managers have planned and directed the firm's operations with little thought of consulting the labor force. Managers have rarely felt forced to obtain the worker's opinions or to explain their decisions to their employees. At most, companies have provided “suggestion boxes” in which workers could place ideas for improving procedures. In recent years, however, many management specialists have been arguing that workers are more than sellers of labor—they have a vital stake (利害关系) in the company and may be able to make significant contributions to its management. Furthermore, major company decisions affect workers and their dependants. This is particularly true of plant closings, which may put thousands on the unemployment lines. Should workers, then, play a stronger role in management?

   Workers should have a role in management. At the very least, the labor force should be informed of major policy decisions. A common complaint among ordinary workers is the lack of information about company policies and actions. Between 1980 and 1985 about five million workers were the victims of plant closings and permanent layoffs (失业), often with no warning. At least 90 days' notice ought to be given in such circumstances so that workers have time to adjust. Management should consult workers before closing a plant, because the workers might be able to suggest ways of improving productivity and reducing costs and might be willing to make concessions (妥协) that will help keep the plant operating.

   It should become a general practice to include workers in some managerial decision making. There ought to be representatives of the workers on the firm's board of directors or other major policy-making groups. If ordinary workers are given a voice in the planning and management of the work flow, they will help to make improvements, their spirits will rise, and their productivity will increase. As a further incentive (激励), they must be given a share in the company's profits. This can be done through employee stock ownership plans (员工持股计划), bonuses, or rewards for efficiency and productivity. Finally, when a plant can no longer operate at a profit, the workers should be given the opportunity to purchase the plant and run it themselves.

How do you sell things in a time when the economy is down and people just don’t want to buy ? Please try the 99 cent way.

Steve Jobs, former boss of Apple Inc. tried it and probably saved the music industry. He chose a standard price of 99 cents for each song that he wanted to sell on iTunes and built a successful music download company. Before iTunes started in 2003, hardly did anyone think about paying for music when they could steal it from the Internet.

In the 1960s, Dave Gold and his wife owned a store that sold alcoholic（含酒精的） drinks in southern California. They sold wine at three prices: $0.79, $0.99 and $1.49. When he saw that the 99 cent wine did best, he started selling the other two at the same price and the sales went up.

In 1982 the couple started several 99 cent stores across the US. Today the company is worth almost 500 million dollars and has 280 shops. Although Gold wasn’t the first to come up with the idea, he may have been the most successful. In 1880, the first 99 cent advertisement appeared in a newspaper.

Why does a 99 cent price tag（标牌） have so much success ? Maybe a price ending with a 9 means that you get, at least, a little money back. Researchers have found out that prices ending with 99 mean a lower price in the eyes of consumers.

When a store lowered the price of cream from $1.89 to $1.71, the sales went up by 65%, but when the same cream was further reduced to $1.69, the sales rose by an unbelievable 222%. So when shopkeepers put price tags on their products with numbers ending in a 99 cent, the reason is simple: It looks less and you can get a little something back.

Buckingham Palace is where the Queen lives. It is the Queen’s official and main royal London home.

Buckingham Palace was originally a splendid house built by the Duke of Buckingham for his wife. George IV began changing it into a palace in I826. It has been the official London home of Britain’s royal family since 1837. Buckingham Palace is also an office and used for the administrative work of the royal family.

When the Queen is at home you can see her royal flag (the Royal Standard) flying from the flag pole on top of Buckingham Palace. The flag is divided into four equal parts. The first and fourth parts represent England and contain three gold lions walking on a red field; the second part represents Scotland and contains a red lion standing on a gold field; the third part represents Ireland and contains the gold coat of arms of Ireland on a blue field.

In flag protocol (礼仪), the Royal Standard which must only be flown from buildings where the Queen is present as supreme. It flies above the British Union Flag (the Union Jack) and other British flags. It never flies at half mast.

The guards of the Palace wear red jackets and tall, furry hats. When the first guards come on duty, there is a ceremony called the Changing of the Guard. A familiar sight at Buckingham Palace is the Changing of the Guard ceremony that takes place in the open spot in front of it each morning.

The Palace has around 750 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, 92 offices, a cinema and a swimming pool. It also has its own post office and police station. About 400 people work at the Palace, including servants, chefs, footmen, cleaners, gardeners, electricians, and so on. More than 50,000 people come to the Palace each year as guests to dinners, receptions and Royal Garden Parties.