More and more people around the world are joining in dangerous sports. Some people climbed the highest mountains; some traveled into unknown parts of the world; some sailed small boats across the largest sea. Now some people begin to look for new excitement.

Bungee jumping (蹦极) and motorcycle racing (摩托车赛) are quite dangerous sports. Bungee jumping only lasts for a few minutes or even seconds. You jump from a high place, about 200 meters above the ground, and there is a rubber band (橡胶带子) tied to your legs. When you jump down, the rubber band pulls you up. About 2,000,000 people around the world have tried bungee jumping.

Why do people join in these dangerous sports. Some scientists say that it is because modern life has become safe and it is not interesting. In the past, people lived in danger. They had to go out and look for food, and life was like a fight but was interesting.

Many people think that there is little excitement in life. They live and work in safe places, buy food in shops, and there are doctors and hospitals to look after them if they become ill.

Many people say that they are working too many hours. They don’t have enough time to relax or stay with their family.

Work hours are different from one country to another. In France, people spend about 1646 hours a year at work. In Japan, however, people work about 2159 hours a year. That means a Japanese worker works 513 more hours a year than a French worker.   

Why do people work so many hours? Some people work extra hours because they want to make more money. However, many companies don’t pay overtime. Their workers don’t get more pay for more work. These people think it’s their duty to work more hours. Some are afraid of losing their job if they don’t work more hours.
    Many people say that their vacations are too short. In France, people get five weeks of paid vacation a year. In Germany, they get from four to six weeks and in the United States, two weeks. One study shows fewer than half of workers used all their vacation days. In Great Britain, there is a saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull(迟钝的) boy.＂If that is true, there must be a lot of dull people in the world.

The United Nations said that the world’s population will increase from 7.2 billion today to 8.1 billion in 2025. By 2050, it will reach 9.6 billion.

According to the report on World Population Prospects(预测), India’s population will surpass(超过) China’s in around 2028 when each of the two countries will have a population of around 1.45 billion. India’s population is expected to grow to around 1.6 billion and then slowlydeclineto 1.5 billion in 2100, while China’s will start decline after 2030, possibly fall to 1.1 billion in 2100.

According to the report, Nigeria’s population will surpass the US’s population before the middle of this century and Nigeria will start to take China’s place as the second-most populous(人口稠密的)country in the world by the end of this century. By 2050, Nigeria’s population will reach more than 440 million, and it will be nearly 914 million by 2100.

The population of developing countries will increase from 5.9 billion in 2013 to 8.2 billion in 2050. However, the population of developed countries will remain generally unchanged during that period, at around 1.3 billion.

Africa’s population will increase from 1.1 billion today to 2.4 billion in 2050, and may reach 4.2 billion by 2100.

The populations of several countries are expected to decline by more than 15% by 2050, including Belarus, Bulgaria, Cuba, Latvia, Ukraine, etc.

 The day was warm and the sun shone down like a new beginning in my life. I was waving goodbye to my son, the last one of my children to leave home and go to a new place — university. I felt so light-hearted after spending many years looking after my four children — cooking, washing, ironing, teaching them hew to look after themselves and manage many other things — that I actually thought "At last, I was free".

   But, as I watched my last one leave, although it was joyful, I realized I had not been really prepared for this day. I was too busybringing upthese adults of the future to realize that they would all leave the nest and live by themselves.

   At first I didn't know what I wanted to do. I tried a part-time job, the result of which was that I ran out in tears. I started another business, but that didn't work, either. I grew my own vegetables and fruit, which lasted 3 years. But one day my doctor advised it was not fit for me to do this because of the pain of my feet.

   I began wondering whether I had a future of my own. I cried for the life I was used to, and hadn't known or wanted anything different.

   Then one day I saw an advertisement for foster(代养的) parents. I discussed it with my husband who was always behind everything I tried and then I rang up the number. A week later, a girl named Tracy became a member of my family.

   I now laugh and sing with my 14-year-old foster daughter, even when my kitchen is dirty and in a mess and my bathroom is totally out of order. I now know, 8 years later, the meaning of my doing all these things with the spare hours, days, and weeks when my last child flew the nest. The sun shines once again in my home.

“I sometimes get up at three or four in the morning and I surf the net.”

“I often check my e-mail forty times a day.”

“I often spend more than three hours during one time on the net.”

“I spend more time in chat rooms than with my ‘real-life’ friends.”

Do you know any people like these? They are part of a new addiction(瘾) called Internet addiction. Internet addicts spend at least thirty to forty hours online every week. The use of the Internet can be an addiction like drug(毒品) use. People lose control of the time they spend on the Internet

For example, one college student was missing for several days. His friends were worried, and they called the police. The police found the student in the computer lab，he was surfing the net for several days straight.

Studies show that about 6 to 10% of Internet users become addicted. And people worry about the teens because the Internet is changing the playing field for some of them. They spend more time in cyberspace（网络空间）than in the real world of friends and family.

Is “surfing the net” a hobby or an addiction for you? You may have a problem if you have these symptoms:

●You do not go to important family activities or you do not do school work because you like to spend hours on the Internet.

●You can’t wait for your next online time.

●You plan to spend a short time online, but then you spend several hours.

●You go out with your friends less and less.

A

  There were three big fish in the lake．One of them，Demo，was wise；another one，Jimmy，was half-wise；Martin，the third one，was stupid．
Some fishermen came to the bank of the lake with their nets．The three fish saw them．
Demo decided at once to leave，to make the long and difficult trip to the ocean．He thought，"I won't discuss with these two about this．They love this place so much that they call it home and will stay on．How silly they are!They still haven't realized we are in great danger now．Their ignorance will cost them their lives．"
Seeing the wise fish had left，Jimmy thought，"My guide has gone and now I've lost my chance to escape．"He felt sorry for it and then thought，"What can I do to save myself from these men and their nets？Perhaps I should pretend（假装）to be already dead，giving myself totally to the water．"So he did that．He went up and down with the water，helpless，within arm's reach of the fishermen．
"Look at this!The best and biggest fish is dead．"One of the men lifted him by the tail，and threw him up on the ground．He rolled（滚动）over and over and moved secretly toward the water，and then，back in．
The third fish was aimlessly jumping about，trying to escape with his speed and cleverness．The net，of course，finally closed around him，and as he lay in the hot frying-pan bed，he thought，"If I get out of this，I'll never live again in the limits of the lake．Next time，the ocean!I'll make it my home．"

What do you do in a situation like this? You’re calling dinner with friends at a nice restaurant. You’re having a great time when a phone rings at the table next to you. A man takes out his phone and starts talking loudly about problems he’s having with his girlfriend. He talks for almost ten minutes! This happens all the time－on buses, in restaurants, everywhere!

  Many people find cell phones useful in their daily lives. But we’ve all sat next to someone talking too loudly on a cell phone. You may want to tell the loudmouth to end the conversation, but let the management take care of those noisy customers. You can only control your own behavior. Here are a few rules:

  Off means off!Follow the rules of restaurants and other public places. If a sign says “turn off cell phones”, don’t use your phone. If you are allowed, speak softly and for a short time and try to move away from other people.

  Lights off, phone off!Never make calls in a theater or at the movies.

  Pay attention! Talking on a cell phone while driving is dangerous. And watch where you’re going when you’re walking down the streets and talking on the phone.

  As more people use cell phones, things are only going to get worse. So, the next time you’re getting ready to make a call, stop and consider the people around you.