1. At present, currently, lately, recently, nowadays, these years, in the past several decades, over the last several years

　　2. at the turn of the century

　　3. Thanks to China's reform and opening-up policy, has witnessed great economic and social progress in the past two decades.

　　4.Withthe(rapid,marked,amazing,eye-catching,remarkable,fantasti[C]development/progress/ growth/advance/improvement of economy/society/industry/living standard, great changes have taken place in...

　　5. At the mercy of the ever-accelerated updating of science and technology, there are rapid changes in all aspects of our everyday life.

　　6. with the arrival/advent of the invention of.../the information age/the 21st century/the economy age

　　7. We are now entering a brand new era. The 21st century is a time of advanced scientific and technological knowledge.

　　8. The human race has entered a completely new stage in its history. We have just crossed the threshold of the 21st century and the curtain of the new millennium is slowly rising.

　　9. We are blessed with new opportunities and faced with new challenges.

　　10. With the increasingly more rapidly economic globalization and urbanization, more problems are brought to our attention.

　　11.as...develops

　　12. along with the development of ..., more and more.....

　　13. In the past few years, there has been a sharp growth boom/decline in....

　　14, with the steady growth in the country's economy as well as the people' living standard,

　　15.as living tempo/pace quickens,

　　16.While the rhythm/pace /tempo of people's living is speeding up, a lot of changes have taken place in....

　　17. with the fantastic spur both in industry and its economy in China, the number of... is on the fire.

　　18. It is commonly believed that the rise in .... is the inevitable result of economic development.

　　19. In recent years, China has experienced an alarming increase in....

　　20. Nowadays more and more people begin to realize/be aware of/motive the importance of the problem of education/pollution/unemployment.

　　21. We often find ourselves caught/involved in a dilemma whether we should reach for the bear's paw or for the shark's fin....

　　22. There is a growing worldwide awareness of the need for....

　　23. Recently the issue/problem of... has been in the limelight/brought into focus/brought to public attention/concern.

　　24. Recently the phenomenon has aroused wide concern.

　　25. One of the (universal/pressing/burning/urgent) problems/issues we are faced with (confronting us) is that...

　　26. Recently the problem/issue/conflict has become the focus/concern of the public.

　　27. There is a (public/general/heated/impassione[D] debate/discussion/controversy today/nowadays as to/over/on/concerning the issue/problem of...Those who criticize/oppose/object to...contend/argue that ....They believe that...But people who advocate/favor/are for...,on the other hand, maintain/assert that...

　　28. A public debate has arisen as to the phenomenon of ...

　　29. There is a long-running debate as to whether....

　　30. It is undeniable that ... has become the biggest concern of the present-day world.