No.10 Stress in Modern Life
As everyone knows, stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. As the pace of modern life continues to increase, we are always feeling on the go from morning till night. And it is hard to slow down. Therefore, stress goes hand in hand with the life in a competitive society.
Different people, however, think of stress quite differently. Some believe that stress is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. They are of the opinion that a certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. Others argue that stress contributes to one's mental decline and hence endangers his health. According to them, relaxation, the opposite of stress, is essential for a healthy mind and body.
Personally, I'm in favor of the former view. I think it is impossible to avoid stress when one is entirely devoted to the career he pursues. In my opinion, it is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
No.11 Sharp Increase in World Population
According to the figures given in the bar charts. it took from the beginning of human life to the year 1830 for the population of the earth to reach one billion. That represents a time span of at least two million years. Then the world population increased rapidly, adding up to two billion in 1930. The next billion was added by 1960, only thirty years. From then on the global population was on the rise, amounting to 4 billion in 1975,which is another billion people in only 15 years.
There are at least two reasons, I think, for the sharp increase in world population. In the first place, the birth rate is continuously climbing in many countries, especially in developing countries. Generally speaking, people there hold the opinion that children don't cost much and when they get old enough to work they will bring in money and that when parents are old, they will take care of them. Secondly, the death rate in most developed countries declines steadily because people's standards of living are raised and health care improves.
In my opinion, the chief reason for the population growth is not so much a rise in birth rates as a fall in death rates as a result of improvements in medical care.
No.12 Wealth and Happiness
Wealth has always been what some people long for. It is true that most of them try to acquire wealth by means of honest labor. Their efforts contribute to the welfare of the society and at the same time to the accumulation of their wealth,and hence to their happiness.
There is no doubt that wealth brings happiness, especially in the modern society. Various kinds of up-to-date household appliances, latest fashions and recreations make their appearance with each passing day. All this makes our life more comfortable and colorful. Therefore, without money we cannot turn admiration into reality.
But there are exceptions when wealth does not go band in hand with happiness. Wealth may tempt weak-willed persons to be addicted to harmful habits, such as drug-taking and gambling, and result in their own ruin. Also, a person may lose his reason and go astray if he is entirely devoted to seeking wealth.
