Theworld’spopulationcontinuestogrow.Thereareaboutfivebillionofusonearthnow.Itcouldreachsixbillionin10years’timeandelevenbillioninanother75years.Expertshavelongbeenconcernedaboutsuchgrowth.Wherewillwefindthefoodwaterjobshousesschoolsandhealthcareforallthesepeople?
Amajornewstudyshowsthatsituationmaybechanging.Alargeandrapiddropintheworld’sbirthratehastakenplaceduringthepast10years.Familiesgenerallyaresmallernowthantheywereafewyearsago.Thisishappeninginbothdevelopingandindustrialnations.Scientistssaidtheyfoundanumberofreasonsforthis.Moremenandwomenarewaitinglongertogetmarried.Morewomenaregoingtoschoolorworkingatjobsawayfromtheirhomeinsteadofhavingchildren.Andmoregovernmentsespeciallyindevelopingnationsnowsupportfamilyplanningprogramstoreducepopulationgrowth.
Chinaisoneofthenationsthathavemadegreatprogressinreducingitspopulationgrowthbyaboutonehalfsince1970.Chinanowurgeseachfamilytohavenomorethanonechild.Andithopestoreachzeropopulationgrowthbeforelongthatisthenumberofbirthequalingthenumberofdeath.
SeveralnationsinEuropealreadyhavefewerbirthsthandeaths.Expertssaidthatthesenationscouldfaceaseriousshortageofworkersinthefuture.
1.Inthesentence“Expertshavelongbeenconcernedaboutsuchgrowth”thephrase“concernedabout”issimilarinmeaningto_____.
A.worriedabout B.relatedto C.busyworkingon D.madeastudyof
2.“Familyplanningprograms”means______.
A.economicpolicyinacountry B.economicpolicyinafamily
C.TVprogramsforafamily D.birthcontrolinacountry
3.Theworld’sbirthratehasdroppedbecause_____.
A.peoplemarryatamuchlatertime
B.womenwouldrathergotostudyorworkthanhavechildren
C.somecountriesarecarryingoutthefamilyplanningprograms
D.alltheabove
4.WehopethatsoonthenumberofbirthandthenumberofdeathinChinawill_____.
A.begreatlydifferent B.beequaltoeachother
C.dropingreatdeal D.becomemuchlarger