1.事件背景；
2.维护世界和平的意义；
3.对维护世界和平的号召。
注意：
1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The Importance of Safeguarding World Peace
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . In a policy address to lawmakers, Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, said the country’s population problem was a case of solving the issue “now or never”, and that it “simply cannot wait any longer because it can affect social functions”.
“In thinking of the sustainability and inclusiveness of our nation’s economy and society, we place child care support as our most important policy,” he said, adding that he wants the government to double its spending on child-related programs, and that a new government agency would be set up in April to focus on the issue.
Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, and it recorded fewer than 800,000 births in 2022 for the first time since records began in 1899. The country also has one of the highest life expectancies in the world; in 2020, nearly one in 1,500 people in Japan were age 100 or older, according to government data.
These trends have driven a growing population problem, with a rapidly aging society, a shrinking workforce and not enough young people to fill the gaps in the stagnating (停滞) economy. The country’s high cost of living, limited space and lack of child care support in cities make it difficult to raise children, meaning fewer couples are having kids. Experts point to the pessimism young people in Japan hold towards the future, many frustrated with work pressure and economic stagnation.
How about other parts of East Asia? South Korea recently broke its own record for the world’s lowest birth rate, with data from November 2023 showing a South Korean woman will have an average of 0.79 children in her lifetime — far below the 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population. Japan’s birth rate stands at 1.3, while the United States is at 1.6. Meanwhile, China’s population shrank in 2022 for the first time, adding pressure to its economic growth.
1. How does the Japanese government feel about the falling birth rate?| A．Surprised. | B．Confused. | C．Embarrassed. | D．Worried. |
| A．The rapidly aging society. | B．The high life expectancies. |
| C．The shortage of workforce. | D．The various stresses of life. |
| A．Ignorance of the birth rate. | B．Serious population crisis. |
| C．Weak care services for children. | D．Potential harm to women’s health. |
| A．Society. | B．Health. | C．Education. | D．Science. |
3 . New research shows that the cost of raising a child in China is nearly seven times its GDP per capita (头数), far more than in the United States and Japan.
GDP, or gross domestic product, is the measure of the total value of goods and services in a country. GDP per capita is a measure resulting from GDP divided by the size of a nation’s total population.
The high cost of child-raising is one more difficulty Chinese policymakers face as they try to deal with quickly decreasing birth rates.
Experts warn China’s aging population will put pressure on its health and social security systems. A decrease in workers could also severely limit growth for the world’s second largest economy in the coming years.
New policies permit families to have as many as three children But China’s birth rate dropped to 7.52 births per 1,000 people in 2021. That is the lowest since the National Bureau of Statistics began recording the information in 1949.
The high costs of raising a child have caused officials in China to place restrictions (限制规定) on the private tutoring industry. Some areas have been giving couples money for having a second or third child.
The average cost of raising a child to the age of 18 in China in 2019 was 485,000 yuan for a first child. That is 6.9 times China’s GDP per capita that year. That information comes from a recent report from the YuWa Population Research Institute in Beijing.
China ranks second highest among the 13 countries included in the study. The country is behind only South Korea, which has the lowest birth rate in the world. The United States number, based on 2015 data, is at 4.11 times GDP per capita. Japan stands at 4.26, based on data from 2010.
Child raising costs are even higher in China’s major cities, reaching more than 1 million yuan in Shanghai and 969,000 yuan in Beijing. Birth rates in the two cities are even lower than the national average.
YuWa warned the decreasing birth rate would “profoundly (深刻地) affect” China’s economic growth potential, its ability to create and its welfare (福利) problems.
The study found that China would need to spend at least 5 percent of its yearly GDP to provide reasons for couples to have more children. That would include education funding (基金), special housing loan (贷款) rates and tax breaks. Other considerations include equal time for mothers and fathers to be away from their jobs and the building of more childcare centers.
1. Why do officials in China place restrictions on the private tutoring industry?| A．Because of the high cost of childcare. |
| B．Because there are too many extra-curricular tutoring classes. |
| C．Because the tutoring industry does not help students improve their grades. |
| D．Because many families want to give their children more leisure time. |
| A．China has the lowest birth rate in the world. |
| B．The cost of childcare in Beijing is higher than that in Shanghai. |
| C．The reduction of workers won’t limit China’s growth in the future. |
| D．The birth rate in 2021 has been the lowest since 1949. |
| A．About 3,346,500 yuan. | B．Around 70,300 yuan. |
| C．Less than 50,300 yuan. | D．More than 80,000 yuan. |
| A．The measures that can reduce education costs. |
| B．The conclusion of the research by YuWa Population Research Institute. |
| C．The ways to increase the birth rate. |
| D．The impact of the decline of the birth rates. |
4 . Do Americans have any morals? That's a good question. Many people insist that ideas about right and wrong are merely personal opinions. Some voices, though, are calling Americans back to traditional moral values. William J. Bennett. former U. S. Secretary of Education, edited The Book of Virtues in 1993 to do just that.
One of the most basic moral values for Americans is honesty. The well-known legend about George Washington and the cherry tree teaches this value clearly. In the story, instead of punishment, George received praise for not lying but telling the truth that he cut down his father's favorite cherry tree. Sometimes American honesty—being open and direct—can offend people.
Another virtue Americans respect is perseverance. Remember Aesop's Fables (伊索寓言) about the turtle and the rabbit that had a race?
In no way can this brief description cover all the moral values honored by Americans. Courage, responsibility, loyalty, gratitude and many others could be discussed. In fact, Bennett's bestseller—over 800 pages—highlights just 10 virtues. Even Bennett admits that he has only scratched the surface. But no matter how long or short the list, moral values are invaluable.
| A．But this virtuous attitude is hardly one of them. |
| B．Compassion(同情心) is a desire within us to help others. |
| C．The rabbit thought he could win easily, so he took a nap. |
| D．Compassion may be the queen of American virtues. |
| E．But Americans still believe that "honesty is the best policy”. |
| F．They are the foundation of American culture—and any culture. |
| G．Bennett suggests that great moral stories can build character. |
