South Koreans Getting Pet Rocks韩国人养宠物石头

Many of us keep pets， like a dog， acat， or a fish. Having a pet is like havinga special friend and the friend will alwaysbe at your side. Our pets love us andbring happiness2 and fun to our lives. Butcan rocks be our pets？ People in SouthKorea are buying stones and keeping themas pets.

What's the reason behind it？

Young people are keeping rocks as“pets”to help them feel less lonely3 andstress4 in their daily lives. But why rocksinstead of5 normal6 pets？

Peoplethinkthatpetrocksmakespeoplefeel less stress without the responsibility7 of keeping normal pets such as dogs and cats.They say that looking after a pet rock ismuch easier than looking after livinganimals or plants. Unlike a dog or a cat，there is no need to play with it. Also， withlong work hours， people feel they are notable to look after normal pets.

Pet rocks are becoming very popularin South Korea as more people live alone.So， they prefer pet rocks to provide8 themhappiness and avoid9 loneliness.

How to deal10 with loneliness？

Dealing with loneliness might bedifficult， but remember that you are notalone. You can talk with your friends byphone and texts if they live far away. Orjoin a sports club or a dancing club andyou can make new friends there.

我们很多人都养宠物，比如一只狗、一只猫或一条鱼。养宠物就像拥有了一个特别的朋友，这个朋友会永远在你身边。我们的宠物爱我们，给我们的生活带来快乐和乐趣。但是石头能成为我们的宠物吗？韩国人正在购买石头并将其作为宠物。

背后的原因是什么呢？

年轻人将石头作为“宠物”，以帮助他们在日常生活中排解孤独和减少压力。但是为什么选择石头而不是普通的宠物呢？

人们认为宠物石头让人们感受到更少的压力，并且不用承担饲养普通宠物的责任，如狗和猫。人们说照顾一块宠物石头比照顾活的动物或植物容易得多。不像狗或猫，不需要陪着玩耍。此外，长时间的工作让人们觉得他们将无法照顾普通的宠物。

随着越来越多的人独居，宠物石头在韩国变得非常流行。所以，他们更喜欢养宠物石头来给他们带来快乐和避免孤独。

如何应对孤独？

应对孤独可能很困难，但请记住你并不孤单。你可以和你的朋友们聊天。如果他们住得很远的话，你可以通过电话和短信与他们交流。或者加入体育俱乐部或舞蹈俱乐部，在那里你可以结交新朋友。

（英语原文选自：newsahoot.com）