Many people are optimistic to the 21st century and see it as a opportunity to make positive changes to the world. To what extend do you agree or disagree with their optimistism? What changes would you like to be made in the new century?

Entering the new millennium¹, our world has reached its peak in the development of society, economy and technology. Faced with opportunities and challenges, we should take a rational attitude and be confident about the future.

First of all, technology has brought us advances and challenges. For instance, more families own private cars. We have more leisure time to enjoy on weekends. Information technology brings people closer in communication. However, the environmental pollution is accelerating. The air we breathe smells like gas from cars. And the food we eat may be contaminated with harmful chemicals discharged from plants into underground water. While the economic development has made our life more comfortable, it has also polarized the society in the distribution of wealth. More wealth is held by a very small percentage of the population, leaving millions of people struggling to make a bare existence.

Secondly², long-existing problems have not been solved in spite of the constant progress of our society. Millions of people are still suffering from poverty and wars. There are other problems such as how to find cure for new diseases, how to solve the threatening energy crisis, how to deal with globalization issues, and how to achieve lasting³ peace with the possibility of a nuclear war.

There are too many changes we want to bring to our world. But the primary ones are: I want to help people in the world no longer suffer from hunger and wars. I want to get the pollution under control and clean up the polluted places. I also desire a peaceful, rich, healthy, beautiful planet for everyone in the 21st century.

To conclude, in the 21st century, we face opportunities and challenges. While the progresses are significant and wonderful, old problems still remain. We need to work hard to put a stop to issues such as world hunger, wars, and environmental pollution to make the world a better place for all.