China has allowed all couples to have two children,    1    (abandon) its decades-long one-child policy. The change of policy    2    (intend) to balance population development and address the challenge of an aging population.

With reference to the new policy, some single-child parents can’t wait to welcome new babies. However, many factors    3    (consider), some feel a dilemma, associated with their decision to have one more child. For one thing, it seems    4    (benefit) as there are no other children in the family for the only child to associate with,    5    may lead to the child feeling lonely at times, especially during    6    (vacation).

For another, a common argument    7    having just one child may be more spoiled than one with brothers or sisters. Many people believe that a single child won't have to learn to negotiate with others, and respect the give-and-take involved in many relationships. Some think this may leave the child less able to interact    8    (good) with people his or her own age than one who has been raised with brothers or sisters.

However, the pressure of giving time and energy to a second child can seem too great, particularly for those with busy careers, resulting in    9    (they) selecting to have no more children. For some other parents,    10    financial burden of having a second child may be the prime consideration.

【推荐2】How will our continuously growing population affect our way of life, our environment, even our planet? No matter how you look at it, we will face     1    extremely serious problem. By the middle of the 21st century, we     2    (use) up all the oil that drives our cars if at the rate we’re going. Even if scientists develop some new     3    (way)of feeding the human race, the crowded conditions on the earth will make     4    necessary for us to look for open space somewhere else. But none of the planets in our solar system are able     5    (support) life at present. One possible solution     6    the problem, however, has recently been suggested by an American scientist, Professor Carl Sagan. His idea is     7    before the earth’s resources are almost exhausted, it will be     8    (total)possible to change the atmosphere of Venus（金星）and so create a new world almost as large as earth itself.

However,     9    his idea is turned into reality, humans have a long way to go. On the one hand, Venus is much     10    (hot)than the earth; on the other hand, there is only a tiny amount of water there.

The Chinese population census (普查) takes place every 10 years,     1     gathers data including name, ID number, etc.

Tracking down more than 1 billion Chinese citizens     2    (be) by no means easy. This year, about 7 million staff will be needed to visit homes for registration work. New methods will also be used during this census, including online information registration and application of electronic devices.     3     (compare) with previous surveys, new methods will be convenient for people who are not living where they are     4    (official) registered, as well as those who do not want to     5    (disturb) by census staff.

The data are expected to give a full picture of the population, including     6    (it) size, structure and distribution and recent changes. It provides support for making national development policies (政策). The census has a large impact     7     our lives. For instance, researchers can use the results     8    (investigate) population trends in different cities. The census will help to find out     9     number of foreigners living in China. It can also tell how many Chinese people have moved to other     10    (country).

Cities usually have good reason for being where they are,     1     a nearby port or river. People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade. New York City, for example, is near a large harbor at the mounth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years     2     (it) population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million. But not all cities develop     3     (slow) over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight. In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness (荒野). But gold     4     (discover) there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of 30,000.

Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris. People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers. The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow     5     could fall without warning. An avalanche (雪崩) once closed the path,     6     (cause) 63 deaths. For many who made it to Dawson,     7    , the rewards were worth the difficult trip. Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives.

But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities like food and wood were very expensive. But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found. The city was crowded with     8     (disappoint) people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson city as quickly as they     9     (come). Today people still come and go—to see where the Canadian gold rush happened.     10     (tour) is now the chief industry of Dawson City—its present population is 762.

Close to 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by the year 2050. Experts warn that population     1    (grow) will worsen housing crises in some areas.

Large cities around the world already struggle with housing problems. In some neighborhoods, rising house prices have forced     2     poor from their homes. Many poor people now live in shelters or on the street.

People     3    (move) to large cities now not just for high-paying jobs. Many are also looking for the chance to live and work with other people, career opportunity and access to much     4    (good) resources. Some countries have built new capital cities     5    (help) ease overcrowding. These efforts help, but do not solve the problem.

The report says that by 2030, the world will have had 43 very large     6    (city), each with more than10 million people.

Tjada McKenna,     7     is chief operating officer for an aid group, says that the ability to own a home in many countries is often difficult,     8    (especial) for women and minority groups.

Every city is different in     9    (deal) with development problems. Each one has its own economic forces at work and its own history. Experts say that answers     10     the housing crisis and other problems must be developed city by city.

According to world health reports, the Japanese have lived     1     (long) than any other people in recent years. Right now there are 36,276 Japanese people over the age of 100. This figure     2    (increase) for the last forty years. It     3     (expect) to reach nearly 1,000,000 in 2050.     4     average, Japanese women can expect to live to the age of 86 and Japanese men can expect to the age of 79. Many people have asked what the secret of     5     (they) long life is. Some scientists think that the Japanese receive the ability to live longer from their parents. Some people say the Japanese live longer because they have     6    better diet than others. There are many other     7     (factor) that may help them live longer. For one thing, the Japanese take more exercise than people from many other countries. Japan is a very safe place     8     (live), and families and communities are often quite close,     9     gives each Japanese person a lot of     10     (comfortable) and support. Finally, the Japanese have a good health care system, and they often go to the doctor for small problems that people in many other countries might not worry about.