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A year ago, my husband and I were sitting on the beach watching our one-year-old son play in the water, talking about the money we were ________ for his future, something we had started doing since he was born.

Money played a ________ role in both my and my husband’s college decisions-I did my first two years at a community college to save money and my husband’s college fund (资金) got spent on keeping the family ________. The idea that there would be no limitations (限制) for our own kid felt ________.

As our son ________ his hands in the sand, my husband and I threw out ________ of what he might do with the money. “Maybe he’ll be lucky to graduate debt (债务) ________,” my husband laughed. “Or if he gets a full scholarship (奖学金), he could spend the money on an apartment.” “Or he’ll climb Everest or travel around the world”, I ________.

A couple weeks after we drove back to our home, wildfires spread through my hometown in a record-breaking ________. They led to increasingly serious weather ________, including droughts (旱灾) and ice storms. When my son will be college-aged, he will likely care more about air quality and ________ the heat than spring break travel plans.

That night, I asked my husband a question: What if we ________ putting money in our son’s college fund and started using that money to protect him from weather change? But how do you do that? What will he need in 2040 or 2060? After some ________, we had reached an agreement. Saving money for his college education when we’re facing a weather problem just doesn’t ________. Instead, we are planning on using the money to ________ a carbon-free lifestyle now by buying electric cars and starting a backyard vegetable garden.

Earth is getting more crowded as the world population is still growing. Especially in some countries, their population growth is faster than others. These include Egypt, India, Nigeria and so on. However, the growth may not last always. The low birth rate (出生率) and more older people will be the main causes.

According to the World Population Prospects 2022, the world population should reach 8 billion on November 15 this year. It could grow to 9.7 billion in 2050, before reaching the highest point of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080. The population is expected (预期) to stay at that level until 2100. And in 2023, India should overtake China and have the largest population in the world.

While the world population is still growing, its growth rate is at its slowest since 1950 because of fewer babies. Today, two-thirds of the world population live in a country or area where lifetime fertility (生育率) is below 2.1 births for each woman. A population with this kind of birth rate and low death rate would not grow or reduce over time. It would stay about the same.

A low birth rate means fewer young people to care for the growing aging population worldwide. The share of the world population aged 65 or above is expected to rise to 16 percent in 2050. Around the world, life expectancy (预期寿命) could go up to 77.2 years in 2050 from 72.8 years in 2019. However, where you’re born can decide your life expectancy. Life expectancy for the least developed countries is 7 years less than the world average (平均).

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Alan worked in an office in the city. He worked hard and really looked forward to his holidays.

He usually went to the seaside, but one year he saw an advertisement in a newspaper. “Enjoy country life. Spend a few weeks at Willow Farm. Good food. Fresh air. Horse riding. Walking. Fishing. Great Prices.”

“This sounds like a good idea,” he thought. “I’ll spend a month at Willow Farm. I’ll enjoy horse riding, walking and fishing. They’ll make a change from sitting by the seaside and swimming.”

He wrote to the farmer and arranged to spend all of July on the farm. Then, on the first of July, he left for Willow Farm.

Four days later, he returned home.

“What was wrong with Willow Farm?” his friend, Jack, asked him. “Didn’t you enjoy country life?”

“Country life was fine,” Alan said. “But there was another problem.”

“Oh? What?”

“Well,” he explained, “the first day I was there a sheep died, and we had roast lamb for dinner.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Jack asked. “Fresh meat is the best.”

“I know, but on the second day a cow died, and we had roast beef for dinner.”

“Lucky you!”

“You don’t understand,” Alan said. “On the third day, a pig died and we had roast pork for dinner.”

“A different roast every day,” Jack exclaimed, “and you are complaining!”

“Let me finish,” Alan said. “On the fourth day, the farmer died, and I was so afraid that I didn’t stay for dinner!”

What subject do you worry about the most at school? Many students worry about math. Some students can’t sleep well the day before a math exam. Others may feel very nervous during the exam itself. But there might be a way to make the subject less stressful.

“For people who are anxious about math, posture (姿势) makes a big difference,” Erik Peper from San Francisco State University told the Daily Mail. That’s right – sitting up straight can help you do better on math exams.

Scientists tested 125 college students. They asked them to do a simple math quiz while sitting in a slumped-over (趴倒的) position, or sitting up straight. After the test, 56 percent of students said the exam was easier to do if they were sitting up straight.

Slumping over is a defensive posture. It can trigger (激发) negative (消极的) memories in the body and brain. This can stop you from thinking clearly, Peper said.

Students who were not nervous about taking the math exam did not necessarily benefit from better posture. But they did find that doing math while slumped over was more difficult, Science Daily reported.

Good posture isn’t just helpful for taking math exams. Athletes, musicians and public speakers can all benefit from better posture. When you feel stressed out, you can also try to sit up straight or stand tall. It can help you feel more positive and focus better.