Wecanbeginourdiscussionof“populationasglobalissue”withwhatmostpersonsmeanwhentheydiscuss“thepopulationproblem”:toomanypeopleonearthandatoorapidincreaseinthenumberaddedeachyear.Thefactsarenotindispute,Itwasquiterighttoemploytheanalogythatlikeneddemographicgrowthto“along,thinpowderfusethatburnssteadilyandhaltinglyuntilitfinallyreachesthechargeandexplodes.”
Tounderstandthecurrentsituation,whichischaracterizedbyrapidincreasesinpopulation,itisnecessarytounderstandthehistoryofpopulationtrends.Rapidgrowthisacomparativelyrecentphenomenon.Lookingbackatthe8,000yearsofdemographichistory,wefindthatpopulationshavebeenvirtuallystableorgrowingveryslightlyformostofhumanhistory.Formostofourancestors,lifewashard,oftennasty,andveryshort.Therewashighfertilityinmostplaces,butthiswasusuallybalancedbyhighmortality.Formostofhumanhistory,itwasseldomthecasethatoneintenpersonswouldlivepastforty,whileinfancyandchildhoodwereespeciallyriskyperiods.Often,societieswereincleardangerofextinctionbecausedeathratescouldexceedtheirbirthrates.Thus,thepopulationproblemthroughoutmostofhistorywashowtopreventextinctionofthehumanrace.
Thispatternisimportanttonotice.Notonlydoesitputthecurrentproblemsofdemographicgrowthintoahistoricalperspective,butitsuggeststhatthecauseofrapidincreaseinpopulationinrecentyearsisnotasuddenenthusiasmformorechildren,butanimprovementintheconditionsthattraditionallyhavecausedhighmortality.
Demographichistorycanbedividedintotwomajorperiods:atimeoflong,slowgrowthwhichextendedfromabout8,000BC.tillapproximatelyAD.1650.Inthefirstperiodofsome9600years,thepopulationincreasedfromsome8millionto500millionin1650.Between1650andthepresent,thepopulationhasincreasedfrom500milliontomorethan4billion.Anditisestimatedthatbytheyear2000therewillbe6.2billionpeoplethroughouttheworld.Onewaytoappreciatethisdramaticdifferenceinsuchabstractnumbersistoreducethetimeframetosomethingthatismoremanageable.Between8000BCand1650,anaverageofonly50,000personswasbeingaddedannuallytotheworld’spopulationeachyear.Atpresent,thisnumberisaddedeverysixhours.Theincreaseisabout80,000,000personsannually.
1.Whichofthefollowingdemographicgrowthpatternismostsuitableforthelongthinpowderfuseanalogy?
A.Avirtuallystableorslightlydecreasingperiodandthenasuddenexplosionofpopulation.
B.Aslowgrowthforalongtimeandthenaperiodofrapid,dramaticincrease.
C.Toomanypeopleonearthandafewrapidincreaseinthenumberaddedeachyear.
D.Alongperiodwhendeathratesexceedsbirthratesandthenashortperiodwithhigherfertilityandlowermortality.
2.Duringthefirstperiodofdemographichistory,societieswereoftenindangerofextinctionbecause___.
A.onlyoneintenpersonscouldlivepast40.
B.therewashighermortalitythanfertilityinmostplaces.
C.itwastoodangeroustohavebabiesduetothepoorconditions.
D.ourancestorshadlittleenthusiasmformorechildren.
3.Whichstatementistrueaboutpopulationincrease?
A.Theremightbeanincreaseof2.2billionpersonsfromnowtotheyear2000.
B.About50,000babiesareborneverysixhoursatpresent.
C.Between8000BCandthepresent,thepopulationincreaseisabout80,000,000personseachyear.
D.Thepopulationincreasedfasterbetween8000BCand1650thanbetween1650andthepresent.
4.Theauthorofthepassageintendsto___.
A.warnpeopleagainstthepopulationexplosioninthenearfuture.
B.comparethedemographicgrowthpatterninthepastwiththatafter1650.
C.findoutthecauseforrapidincreaseinpopulationinrecentyears.
D.presentusaclearandcompletepictureofthedemographicgrowth.
5.Theword“demographic”inthefirstparagraphmeans___.
A.statisticsofhuman.
B.surroundingsstudy.
C.accumulationofhuman.
D.developmentofhuman.
Itwasrecommendedthatpassengers_____smokeduringtheflight.
PartIVTranslation
Thecaptainrealizedthatthementriedtodeceivehimsohemadethemworkveryhardfortherestofthevoyage.(PassageOne)
PartIIICloze
Directions:Therearetwentyblanksinthefollowingpassage.Foreachblanktherearefourchoices.ChoosetheonethatbestfitsintothepassageandthenmarksyouranswerontheAnswerSheet.
Beforethe20thcenturythehorseprovideddaytodaytransportationintheUnitedStates.Trainswereusedonlyforlong-distancetransportation.
Todaythecaristhemostpopular61oftransportationinalloftheUnitedStates.Ithascompletely62thehorseasameansofeverydaytransportation.Americansusetheircarsfor6390percentofallpersonal64.
MostAmericansareableto65cars.
Theaveragepriceofa66madecarwas1050in1950,1740in1960andupto1750671975.DuringthisperiodAmericancarmanufacturerssetabout68theirproductsandworkefficiency.
Asaresult,theyearlyincomeofthe69familyincreasedfrom1950to197570thanthepriceofcars.Forthisreason71anewcartakesasmaller72ofafamily’stotalearningstoday.
In195173ittook8.1monthsofanaveragefamily’s74tobuyanewcar.In1962anewcar758.3ofafamily’sannualearnings.By1975itonlytook4.7576income.Inaddition,the1975carsweretechnically77tomodelsfrompreviousyears.
The78oftheautomobileextendsthroughouttheeconomy79thecarissoimportanttoAmericans.Americansspendmoremoneyto80theircarsrunningthanonanyotheritem.
61.A.kindsB.meansC.meanD.types
62.A.deniedB.reproducedC.replacedD.ridiculed
63.A.hardlyB.nearlyC.certainlyD.somehow
64.A.tripB.worksC.businessD.travel
65.A.buyB.sellC.raceD.see
66.A.quicklyB.regularlyC.rapidlyD.recently
67.A.onB.inC.behindD.about
68.A.raisingB.makingC.reducingD.improving
69.A.unusualB.interestedC.averageD.biggest
70.A.slowestB.equalC.fasterD.lessthan
71.A.bringingB.obtainC.boughtD.purchasing
72.A.partB.halfC.numberD.side
73.A.clearlyB.proportionallyC.percentageD.suddenly
74.A.incomeB.workC.plansD.debts
75.A.usedB.spendC.costD.needed
76.A.months’B.dollarsC.familyD.year
77.A.famousB.superiorC.fastestD.purchasing
78.A.runningB.noticeC.influenceD.discussion
79.A.thenB.asC.soD.which
80.A.startB.leaveC.keepD.repair