A. double B. intense C. pressures D. stock E. agriculture F. trapped G. withdrawal H. availability I. drive J. expanding K. rising |
Throughout history, people have fought bitter wars over political ideology, national sovereignty and religious expression. How much more
Less than three percent of the planet’s
Global
2 . Look into the future of what we eat, and you'll start wondering what could happen to our meals. As the world's population surpasses nine billion, our food needs will grow by 50 percent. How do we meet them without clearing more forests or expanding industrial agriculture, one of the most significant contributors to climate change? How do we keep our soil healthy, so that crops can grow well?
These questions are challenging. "But one thing is clear," says food journalist Lin Yee Yuan. "To feed nine billion people," she warns, "we're going to need all hands to the pump."
Many of those hands likely will be trying to find new ways to produce protein as the environmental stress of animal production becomes increasingly great. Animal production represents about one-seventh of all human-made greenhouse gas emissions. Beef produced in concentrated feeding operations typically requires nearly eight times the water and 160 times the land per calorie as vegetables and grain. No wonder United Nations officials have been urging everyone to eat less beef—and new food companies are taking it seriously.
Among them is the producer of the Beyond Burger, a patty with beefy coloring and protein from plants that is already available throughout the United States in about 10,000 grocery stores and many restaurants.
Other solutions take inspiration from nature. By the early 2000s, staff at the Land Institute were selectively breeding a grain to create a variety with better production, seed size, and disease resistance.
Today the result, called Kernza, is growing on 500 acres in the United States. A variety of food producers are readying it for market—including Bien Cuit, a high-end bakery in New York, which has made bread with it, and Hopworks Urban Brewery in Oregon, which sells a Kernza beer. "Whatever our meals may be like in 50 years, climate change will require us to make better use of what we already have," says global food expert Raj Patel. "The 21st century is teaching us that things once thought to be weeds and pests could turn out to be food."
1. What do the questions in the first paragraph focus on?A.Climate change. | B.Global feeding. | C.Future diet. | D.Increasing population. |
A.To stress the benefits of meat-free food. | B.To introduce food companies' dilemma. |
C.To explain the success of plant-based burgers. | D.To show an environment-friendly meat alternative. |
A.It is losing its market. | B.It has obvious drawbacks. |
C.It is the solution to saving the world. | D.It has found its way into food products. |
A.We need to widen our food sources. | B.We will run out of ideas in 50 years. |
C.Everything will be tough in the 2lst century. | D.Everyone should make an effort to save food. |
3 . China’s population decline may be much faster than expected, with the number of people in the country halving within the next 45 years, a new study has warned. The prediction was based on the official birth rate of 1.3 children per woman last year- well below the figure of 2 needed to keep the number stable-and forecast a much more dramatic decline than previous estimates. China’s current population is over 1.4 billion and in 2019 the United Nations estimated that China would still have around 1.3 billion people by 2065.
Another estimate published in The Lancet by researchers with the University of Washington last year suggested the Chinese population would halve by 2100. But the new research, from Professor, Jiang Quanbao and colleagues with the institute for population and development studies at Xian Jiaotong University, warned that the country’s population decline may have been severely underestimated. The UNs projection, for instance, was based on the assumption that China's fertility rate would remain at above 1.7 children per woman. China had 12 million newborns last year, 25 percent lower than the UN’s estimate.
The Chinese authorities “need to pay close attention to the potential negative inertia of population growth and make a plan in advance,” wrote Jiang in the study published in the Journal of Xian University of Finance and Economics. The new birth rate, though unexpectedly low, was based on data from the latest census, which is believed to be the most accurate yet because it was collected entirely with the aid of digital devices for the first time and cross-checked with other government data sets. Though the census findings have only partially been disclosed to the public, the limited information already shed a new light on changes and future development trends in the Chinese population, according to the researchers.
The pandemic may have had an impact on childbirth last year- but Jiang and his colleagues said the chances that the birth rate would rebound were low. They said it was more likely that the total population would soon start a rapid decline due to the drop in the number of women of child-bearing age. “If the fertility rate drops to 1, in 29 years the population in our country will fall by half,” they said. According to the new census data, children make up about 17 per cent of the population, while the proportion of over-60s rose to over 18 per cent. The researchers said it was the first time that China had more seniors than young people.
1. Which word can replace “decline”?A.Increase | B.Decrease | C.Improve | D.Focus |
A.The findings are inaccurate. |
B.The census is independent of other government data sets. |
C.Everybody can have easy access to the full contents. |
D.Digital devices played an important role in conducting the latest census. |
A.Positive | B.Indifferent | C.Concerned | D.Optimistic |
A.China faces serious population problems. |
B.China’s population problems are being overestimated. |
C.Women in China report low fertility desire. |
D.Polices are being carried out to encourage fertility desire. |
4 . Are you the only child in your family? If so, do you enjoy it or do you want more siblings(兄弟姐妹)?
On May 31, a key meeting of the Communist Party of China unveiled a policy that would allow all couples to have up to three children.
The move is expected to maximize the population's role in driving economic and social growth, since this is a critical time for China to transform the world's most populous country into a powerhouse(强国)with a quality workforce, according to the National Health Commission.
The three-child policy is also expected to prevent the decline in the nation's birthrate and address the challenge of a rapidly aging population, China Daily reported.
China's annual number of newborns has fallen for four years in a row. The country's total birthrate—the average number of children born to each woman—stood at 1.3 in 2020. The number is below the rate of 2.1 that would maintain a stable population, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
The declining birthrate has also brought a sharp increase in the proportion of the population aged 60 or above, rising from 10.3 percent to 18.7 percent in the past decade. An increasingly elderly population will increase the cost of labor and the pressure on the social security net. It also means there will be a lack of young labor force. Therefore, it's not good for economic growth, according to Chen Youhua, a professor at Nanjing University.
In fact, the new birth policy is a step to further relax the family planning policy. The one-child policy was introduced in the 1970s and aimed to control the fast-growing population. Then in 2013, China allowed couples to have a second child if either parent was an only child, and in 2016, all couples were allowed to have two children.
However, not all people have shown their support for this latest policy. Many couples complained about the rising costs of raising a child. A netizen named Qinfeng commented, "High cost of education and both the physical and mental exhaustion stopped me from having more than one child." Also, many women are reluctant(不情愿的)to give birth because that could mean sacrificing their career prospects, according to Mu Guangzong, a professor at Peking University.
In that case, Mu noted that it is better to implement supporting measures with the three-child policy, such as more preferential(优惠的)policies for couples that would ease their parental burden.
1. What might NOT be the main cause for the new policy?A.To increase the population's role. |
B.To stop the declining birthrate. |
C.To improve the child- care service system. |
D.To address the challenge of the aging population. |
A.China's annual number of newborns has fallen for decades. |
B.The government will protect the legal rights of women in employment. |
C.Measures will be taken to improve the high-quality education. |
D.The new policy allows couples to have up to three children. |
A.To carry out. | B.To get along with. |
C.To make use of. | D.To have a command of. |
A.To show his love of children healthcare. |
B.To introduce the new family size policy. |
C.To share his concerns about birthrate. |
D.To emphasize the physical and mental exhaustion. |
5 . Japan has a population of 127 million. Tokyo is the largest city and holds one third of the population in the country. There are thousands of people passing by in a minute at the center of the busiest crossing in the city. At weekends, the supermarkets and subway stations are crowded with people.
Japan's government is considering a new way to get people to consider life outside Tokyo: Pay them to leave.
According to a report from NHK on Nov. 22, if someone decides to move from the 23 blocks of Tokyo and find jobs somewhere else, the government will think about giving as much as 3 million yuan to people. The population is increasing all the time in Tokyo and the areas around the city even though the whole population of Japan reduces. That's often been at the cost of other cities. The number of people moving to Tokyo has exceeded the number moving out for 22 years and the number counting. Nearly one out of every three people in Japan lives in the Tokyo area.
In the past several years, Japan's government has taken many measures to encourage people to keep away from the capital. for example, help build smaller population areas. Some local governments have used tax cuts to encourage companies to leave the Tokyo area, while others will pay them to leave.
But Japan's large government institutions, its top schools, as well as companies all lie in Tokyo, leaving the capital seems to be a day dream for most Japanese.
1. What's the population of Tokyo?A.About 127 million. | B.About 42 million. |
C.About 31 million. | D.About 127 hundred million. |
A.The people who live in Tokyo. | B.The people who work in Tokyo. |
C.The people who leave for Tokyo. | D.The people who move out of Tokyo. |
A.Useless. | B.Helpful. | C.Boring. | D.Easy. |
A.Japanese in Tokyo can get as much as tax cuts. |
B.Most Japanese will still live and work in Tokyo. |
C.“Pay them to leave” is popular among Japanese. |
D.Japan's government cares nothing about population. |
6 .
The changing population throughout the globalizing world, in particular an increase in the aging population and a decrease in birth rates, is disturbing housing markets.
Since 1970, global average income per person has increased, with a few exceptions as in 2009 and 2015, and inequality has also widened among and within nations. The International Monetary Fund’s Global House Price Index collapsed in 2008 before climbing again to reach pre-crisis levels. Due to these population and financial trends, household structures have changed with increased preference for smaller, shared living quarters and less home ownership worldwide. Analysts increasingly focus on mapping and predicting effects of globalization on housing markets and individual decisions.
Countries at the forefront of globalization, namely the United States and China, as well as rapidly globalizing countries like India, expect their aging populations to double by the year 2050. Coupled with changes to the family structure, especially a childbirth rate nearly halved since 1950 and more two-income households, decisions involving the housing stock are more complex than ever before.
The three countries may share a common challenge: Their governments are not well prepared for rapid growth in their graying populations. Out of the three, the United States could be most affected, as the primary-mode of senior care in China and India is in-home care. If family support remains the top choice for senior care, this could prevent India and China from the possible negative effects of the inadequate public and private planning. In-home care involves family members covering the cost and accommodation of senior members. About 65 percent of US elderly in need of assistance rely on family and friends, and non-family senior care is relatively new for India and China.
1. Which of the following is TRUE according to paragraph 1 and 2?A.The housing markets are mostly affected by the decrease in birth rates and rise in death rates. |
B.Inequality has widened among and within nations due to the rapid globalization of the households. |
C.The population and financial trends led to increased preference for smaller, shared accommodations. |
D.Analysts think globalization has decisive effects on housing markets and individual decisions. |
A.The aging populations of the three countries are expected to decrease by 2050. |
B.Non-family senior care probably remains the best choice for the elderly in America. |
C.China will probably have the largest percentage of the senior population by 2050. |
D.The three giants in terms of population must avoid the challenges from their citizens. |
A.The challenge for the aged | B.Shelter for an aging world |
C.The rapid growth of population | D.Comparison on globalization |
How do you count 1.3 billion people in the middle of a pandemic? China, as the world's most populous country, will launch its seventh
According to state-run news agency Xinhua, the huge undertaking will see around 7 million census
As well as traditional methods, citizens will also
China conducts its census every 10 years. The last survey
This year's census may even show a decrease in
8 . Newly married couples can receive up to 600,000 yen to cover their rent and other costs to start a new life from next April if they live in a municipality adopting Japan's newlywed support program, government sources said Sunday.
As the nation's extremely low birth rate is mainly due to the tendency that people marry late or stay unmarried, the government will try to encourage marriages by enhancing(增强)the program to provide a larger sum and cover more couples, said the sources at the Cabinet Office.
To get the allowance, both husband and wife will have to be under age 40 at the registered date of marriage and have a combined income of less than 5.4 million yen, up from age 35 and 4.8 million yen under the current conditions for aid of up to 300,000 yen. Only 281 municipalities, or 15 percent of all cities, towns and villages in Japan, had adopted the program since July as they must shoulder half the expenses, but in a bid to increase the number, the central government will bear two-thirds from 2021, the sources said.
The program is part of government efforts to deal with the low birth rate as married couples tend to have two children,even though the average number of children a woman will bear in her lifetime was 1.6 last year with a record-low 865,000 babies born.
An economic incentive(刺激)is considered effective to encourage people to marry since 29.1 percent of single men aged 25 to 34 and 17.8 percent of single women said that lack of marriage funds was a reason they stayed unmarried in a 2015 survey by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.
1. Why does the government carry out newlywed support program?A.To pay the rent. | B.To reward singles. |
C.To pay the wedding fee. | D.To encourage marriages and births. |
A.Marriage age: < 25; combined income:< 4.8 million yen. |
B.Marriage age: < 35; combined income:< 4.8 million yen. |
C.Marriage age: < 40; combined income:< 5.4 million yen. |
D.Marriage age: < 50; combined income:< 3.0 million yen. |
A.1/3. | B.2/3. | C.1/2 | D.3/5. |
A.High rent. | B.Health level. |
C.More divorce. | D.Low marriage rate. |
9 . The news appeared on the poster in the streets in Shijingshan District, Beijing, on the night of Oct.27, 2020. It said on the poster that “China on Sunday will start its seventh national census (人口普查) on November 1st,2020, with about 7 million census takers going door to door to document demographic changes (登记信息). It will last till December10th, 2020. The census collects data including the name, ID number, gender, marital status, education, and profession of Chinese citizens.”
National census is kind of investigation and registration made within defined period (统一规定时间), by using the same method, categories and survey forms at set time. The targets for census (普查对象) are the natural persons living within the territory (领地) of the People’s Republic of China on the standard time point of census and the Chinese citizens who are outside the territory of the People’s Republic of China but have not become permanent residents of the other country. While foreigners who are making a short-term stay within the territory of the People’s Republic of China shall be excluded.
“When census takers knock on your door, you can answer the questions by registering the information directly on the smart devices (智能设备). Or, the census taker will offer you an account number and a QR code (二维码) so that you can register your information within a certain time.”
“All information collected is filled in through the internet and is directly uploaded to the national database in real-time, eliminating (消除) possible human interference. Both the mobile end and the server end have adopted highly strict technology of data encryption (数据加密) and desensitization so that personal information cannot be disclosed during the process of data transmission.”
1. According to the poster, how long “will the takers spend taking this national census”?A.Less than one month. | B.No more than one month. |
C.More than one month. | D.As long as one month. |
A.Paragraph 1. | B.Paragraph 2. | C.Paragraph 3. | D.Paragraph 4. |
A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.Four. |
A.The basic knowledge of census. |
B.The special ways of registering the information. |
C.The announcement of starting the national census. |
D.The technologies of protecting one’s personal information being disclosed. |
10 . More than 2 million immigrants from Africa live in the United States. A new study from the Pew Research Center finds that they are, on average, college-educated and employed. In fact, they are more likely than native-born Americans to have gained advanced degree. And they are employed at about the same rates as the general population.
The study is important for several reasons. It shows that most Africans living in the U.S. are not struggling, out-of-work persons with little schooling. It also shows that the African immigrant population is different in the U.S. than in Europe. In addition, African immigrants in the U.S. are more likely than those in Europe to be working.
Monica Anderson is a researcher at Pew and one of the writers of the report. She told VOA that the research team wanted to compare the backgrounds of African immigrants in the U.S. to those in Europe. "What we found is that the African immigrant population really stands out and that they are a very highly educated group," Anderson said.
The Pew study is based on 2015 data from the U. S. Census Bureau and Eurostat's Labor Force Survey. One reason for different backgrounds among African immigrants is how close things are to each other. Europe is much easier to reach than the U. S. for low-income Africans. They can come by boat or other ways. In contrast, African immigrants coming to the U.S. often have the money to travel by plane as well as permission to enter the country.
But previous research found that higher education and employment levels do not always mean a higher quality of life. In 2015, researchers at Pew looked at black immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. They found that their average household income was more than $ 8,000 lower than the U.S. average.
1. What did the researchers intend to do?A.Compare the backgrounds of African immigrants. |
B.Find out why African immigrants come to America. |
C.Get to know how African immigrants make a living. |
D.Figure out how African immigrants come to America. |
A.America is richer. | B.America is harder to reach. |
C.America requires more employees. | D.America values education more. |
A.They are badly treated. | B.They are looked down upon. |
C.They live in poor areas. | D.They earn less than the average of Americans. |
A.African immigrants come to America for different reasons. |
B.African immigrants in America work harder than other groups. |
C.African immigrants in America are well-educated and employed. |
D.African immigrants in America live a better life than other immigrants. |