1 . COVID-19 shutdowns forced people out of work and pushed tens of millions into poverty worldwide. Governments tried hard to provide aid. It was easy in a small country, but difficult for a country with large population and vast rural areas.     1     Doing a detailed, nationwide, house-to-house survey takes people time and money. Luckily, satellites can see poverty from space.

Researchers have been finding ways to identify areas of wealth and poverty in satellite images. Through some satellite data and aerial images of one town or another, you can sort of tell whether it’s wealthy or not. Wealthier homes tend to have metal roofs while poor homes tend to have thatched roofs. Wealthier neighborhoods have paved roads and bigger plots of lands, more spaced out.     2     The researchers trained artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize these patterns.

    3     The researchers put AI to work studying patterns of mobile phone use in those regions. Rich people will make just more phone calls than poor people. They also might make more expensive international calls. They might use more mobile data because they have smartphones.     4    

The researchers use the system to identify about 60,000 people to receive benefits. The advantage of the satellite imagery and phone data approach is that it’s extremely fast and very convenient.     5     In shocks like climate disasters where there’s no time or way to get detailed information on the ground, satellites mobile phones and AI could help deliver aid quickly to people in need.

A．It was opposite in a big country.

B．How do they locate the neediest people?

C．So there’s a lot of information in the images.

D．Most importantly, it’s very cheap to carry out.

E．Worse still, it’s not so economical as a house-to-house survey.

F．However, in general, poorer people will just have feature phones.

G．What the researchers did next was to target the neediest people in those regions.

2 . In the early 1970s, a computer program called World One predicted that civilization would likely collapse in the near future.

When deciding the fate of civilization, the program considered the following variables: pollution, population, the availability of natural resources and global quality of life. The program produced graphs that indicated what would happen to those variables in the future. The graphs identified 2020 as a turning point for civilization.

“At around 2020, the condition of the planet becomes highly unlivable. If we do nothing about it, the quality of life goes down to zero. Pollution becomes so serious that it will start to kill people, which in turn will reduce the population to the level in the 1900 and that civilized life as we know on this planet will disappear around 2040 to 2050.”

This was not the end of the model. In 1972, the Club of Rome published The Limits to Growth, a book that built on a program called World Three. This time the variables were pollution, population, food production, consumption of nonrenewable natural resources and scientific developments.

The Limits to Growth pushed the collapse of civilization to 2072, when the limits of growth would be the most readily apparent and result in population and industrial declines.

The book touched off a fierce media war. The New York Times, for instance, wrote that the book assumed that a resource could never change over time, leaving their data shortsighted to any possible changes in consumption habits.

Writing in The Guardian, Cathy Alexander, a Melbourne-based journalist, argued, “The research does not say that collapse of the world economy, environment and population is a certainty. Nor does it claim the future will unfold exactly as the models predicted. But the findings should sound an alarm bell. It seems unlikely that the search for ever-increasing growth can continue unchecked to 2100 without causing serious negative effects—and those effects might come sooner than we think.”

1. When would civilization start to disappear according to World One?

A．By 2020.

B．By 2040.

C．By 2072.

D．By 2100.

2. What does The New York Times think of the book published by the Club of Rome?

A．Interesting.

B．Worrying.

C．Unscientific.

D．Uncreative.

3. What does Cathy Alexander suggest people do about the predictions?

A．Take the warnings seriously.	B．Ignore the unlikely forecasts.
C．Accept the predictions as certainties.	D．Change our consumption habits now.

4. How is the text mainly developed?

A．By listing statistics.

B．By using examples.

C．By comparing.

D．By reasoning.

3 . On November 15, the count of humans on this planet reached 8 billion. Population growth has been steady over the past few decades. But that pattern is gradually changing, as is shown in the following chart.

Credit: Katie Peek; Source: World Population Prospects 2022，United Nations Population Division

That slowdown is partly the result of a shift toward fewer offspring. High-income nations currently have the lowest birth rates, and the opposite is true: nations with the highest birth rates tend to have the lowest incomes. The gap has continued to widen between wealthy nations and poorer ones. But longer term, it is moving toward convergence(趋同).

Many factors contribute to the changes of the world’s population, such as migration, death rate, longevity and others. Focusing on fertility(生育率), however, helpfully clarifies why the total number of humans on Earth seems set to fall. Fertility refers to the average total number of live births per female individual in a region or country. The U.S.’s current fertility rate, for example, is about 1.7; China’s is 1.2. A fertility of 2.1 is considered the replacement rate—that is, the required number of offspring, on average, for a population to hold steady. Today birth rates in the wealthiest countries have dropped below the replacement rate, the rest likely following suit over the coming decades.

Humanity’s future clearly depends on many things besides fertility. For example, people in wealthier nations may produce fewer children, but those offspring tend to consume more resources—so rich countries can still have outsize planetary impacts despite their decreasing populations. Organizations such as the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs are working toward policy-based solutions for how all of us can have healthy, satisfying and sustainable lives on Earth. A clear-eyed understanding of population changes is critical for reaching that bright future.

1. Which time period may witness the slowest global population growth?

A．1960~1974.

B．2037~2058.

C．1987~1998.

D．2022~2037.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The definition of fertility rate.	B．The cause of the low fertility rate.
C．The fertility rates in different countries.	D．The impact of fertility on world population.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The richer the nations are, the higher the fertility will be.

B．The smaller the population is, the more resources are used.

C．Achieving human’s sustainable future is a challenging task.

D．Understanding population shifts can tackle the fertility issue.

4. What is the text?

A．A blog entry.

B．A book review.

C．A theme speech.

D．A research report.

4 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

The Chinese government     1     (grow) concerned about falling birth rates and demographic decline over the past few years, but according to independent expert He Yafu, China may have already encountered negative population growth this year.

Since China     2     (experience) an average of 10 million deaths per year, the number of births might fail to cancel out the number of deaths,     3     (result) in zero or negative population growth.

Local reports from Chinese     4     (province) showed some of them have seen double-digit declines in birth rates for up to four consecutive years.

5 . One third of adults over 65 in America have never used the Internet, and half don’t even have Internet access at home. In San Francisco, “the center of tech”, 40% of older adults do not have basic digital literacy skills.

This situation is becoming appalling as over 10,000 Americans turn 65 every single day. By 2050,22% of Americans will be 65 or older. Meanwhile, technology is developing very fast. This means that a large number of people will be unable to proficiently use emergent technology.

Many people believe that seniors aren’t required to participate in our tech future because they’ll be retired and relaxed soon. But this is the farthest thing from the truth. Baby boomers are currently experiencing a different boom: With more people getting older than ever before, their life expediencies are also increasing dramatically. With medical advancements, the number of American people projected to live into their 90’s has doubled since 1965.

However, they don’t have strong financial or educational support. This is not a problem; it’s a crisis. More than half of employees over 50 have been laid off in what’s being called ”forced retirement“. And few organizations are actively helping older employees make the transition from full-time jobs to part-time ones. For those fortunate enough to be employed, 3 out of 5 older workers experience prejudice.

The easiest solution is to teach digital literacy. If baby boomers want to survive the forthcoming retirement crisis, they should get enough digital knowledge and skills to operate today’s tools and tomorrow’s platforms. With every crisis comes an opportunity. Tutoring, customer service, editing, research, book-keeping, and other virtual assistance-based work open the doors. But again, digital knowledge is first required to live in our high-tech society and gig economy. So try to get more online and navigate the growing number of sites and apps.

1. What does the underlined word “appalling” probably mean in paragraph2?

A．Confusing.

B．Terrible.

C．Controllable.

D．Inspiring.

2. What problem may baby boomers face?

A．A crisis after retirement.	B．Being knocked out in the future.
C．Failing to receive good healthcare.	D．Tending to double their life expediencies.

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The features of high-tech jobs.	B．The way out for baby boomers.
C．Potential industries in the future.	D．The importance of developing technology.

4. What does the author advise baby boomers to do?

A．Have a good sense of crisis.	B．Avoid retiring at an early age.
C．Look for many part-time jobs.	D．Improve digital literacy actively.

6 . The Chinese government ends its one-child policy (政策) and allows families to have three children. The policy is meant to balance population development, stop a falling birth rate (出生率) and strengthen the country’s labor force (劳动力).

China, with the largest population in the world, started the one-child policy in 1980. But the government allowed only a small number of couples to have two children. For example, some families in the countryside could have two children, if the first-born child is a girl. In 2016, the Chinese government gave other couples a chance to have two children if one of them was an only child. Because of aging of population, in 2021, it allowed families to have three children.

To the newest policy, different families have different opinions. “Too many young people in the cities are no longer interested in having two or three children,” an official said. “People in the countryside are more interested.”

At the end of 2021, China had a population of more than 1.4 billion people. A total of 900 million of them have jobs. But the labor market population will drop in 30 years. That is to say, the country will be in great need of labor by the year 2050. With the three-child policy, an increase in births can solve this problem.

Boys and girls, what do you think of the three-child policy? Do you want to have new-born brothers or sisters?

1. Why does the Chinese government end the one-child policy?

A．Because China needs a larger population.

B．Because a falling birth rate must be stopped.

C．Because most families want to have a second or third child.

2. How long does China take from the one-child policy to the three-child policy?

A．20 years.

B．30 years.

C．more than 40 years.

3. How do most young people in the cities react (反应) to the three-child policy?

A．They strongly support the policy.

B．They don’t think it is good.

C．They’re not interested in it any more.

4. When will our country be seriously short of labour if one-child policy continues?

A．In 2035.

B．In 2050.

C．In 2070.

5. What may happen after we have the “three-child” policy?

A．The population development will be balanced.

B．The labor market population will drop.

C．There will be more old people.

7 . The Most Populous Cities in the World

The cities listed below are the most populous (人口稠密的) in the world, according to a 2018 U. N. report.

Tokyo, Japan

Population in Urban Area: 37,340,000

Population in City Area: 13,960,000

Tokyo is the most populated city in the world and the largest “Megacity” in the world.

The city called the “Capital of the East” is located on the eastern coast of the Japanese main island of Honshu.

Delhi, India

Population in Urban Area: 31,181,000

Population in City Area: 20,591,874

Delhi, also known as the National Capital Territory of India is the largest city in the country. According to a U. N. report, the Indian capital is expected to be the spot of the world’s second most populous city through at least 2030.

Shanghai, China

Population in Urban Area: 27,796,000

Population in City Area: 22,315,474

This is China’s most populated and also wealthiest city. Situated in the Yangtze River Delta, in eastern China, it has a huge business district, two large airports (Pudong and Hongqiao) and the world’s fastest train (the Shanghai Maglev).

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Population in Urban Area: 22,043,028

Population in City Area: 10,021,295

This busy metropolis (大都市) in southeast Brazil, is the largest city of the Southern Hemisphere (半球) and the largest Portuguese-speaking city in the world.

1. How many people are there in City Area of Delhi?

A．10,021,295.

B．20,591,874.

C．22,315,474.

D．13,960,000.

2. Which of the following cities is the richest in its country?

A．Tokyo, Japan.

B．Delhi, India.

C．Shanghai, China.

D．Sao Paulo, Brazil.

3. What do the listed cities have in common?

A．They belong to the same hemisphere.

B．They are the largest cities in their countries.

C．They all have a larger population in their countries.

D．They are all the richest in their own countries.

8 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

There’s one thing     1     certain — we’re all getting older. But, growing old     2     (graceful) is no bad thing. And with age comes wisdom. However, as the world population ages, will there be enough people to replace our younger selves?

A situation     3     there are more old people than young certainly has     4     effect on the world. A report by the Pew Research Center says that globally the number of people over 65 years will be three times by 2050,     5     (change) some countries’ demographic make-up (人口构成).

This growing and dependent population means that there is an increased demand for health and social care. Governments will struggle to provide satisfactory pensions (养老金), which     6     (fund) by taxes paid by the working population. And long-term, a smaller population of economically-active people may be a problem for     7     (company) trying to hire staff.

Attitudes to an ageing population vary around the world. The Pew Research Center survey found that 87% of Japanese people were most concerned about it, while only 26% of people from the USA were. Here, immigration is helping in order     8     (make) the younger workforce larger and stronger. Some countries thought the elderly should take care of     9     (they), while others thought it was the     10     (responsible) of the family. Many thought the government should be responsible.

9 . For almost all of human history, the Earth's population has tended to be younger. But since the last World Population Day on July 11, a major shift occurred: There are now more people aged 65 and older than there are under age five.

World Population Day was established by the United Nations Development Program in 1989 to bring attention to population issues. Having more people on the planet is not the only concern, though, since a population's age structure matters too.

Increased lifetime is a remarkable human success story, but having more elderly people also creates a number of socioeconomic concerns. The global population will continue to age as these two groups grow in opposite directions. By 2100, the percentage of the population aged 65 and older will rise to nearly 25 percent — about five times that of children under five.

“Most developed countries have been aging for a century, giving them time to prepare for the changes. But developing countries will become old before they become rich,” says researcher Toshiko Kaneda. Many countries in Latin America and Asia are aging much faster and have less time and resources to prepare health-care systems.

What are the consequences of an older global population? Supporting elderly people is more expensive than caring for young ones. Pressing issues arise like how to provide long-term care, and maintain a labor force. In developed regions like Europe, where 10 percent of the population over age 50 is childless, elderly care is a major worry.

“Not a single country has been able to change declining trends in fertility (生育) despite government requests for people to reproduce as has been done across Europe and in Japan,” Kaneda says. “The aging trend is continuous. ”

But declining fertility rates can have positive effects too, says Kaneda. When fertility rates decline but the population hasn't aged yet, governments can spend more on secondary and higher education, and benefit the economy. Both Thailand and South Korea have seized the opportunity during this ideal period.

1. What do we know about the global population?

A．It tended to be younger until now.

B．People are living longer and having fewer kids.

C．Age structure matters more than population size.

D．Developed countries are facing tougher challenges.

2. Which chart shows the global trend in the percentage of children under five?

A．	B．
C．	D．

3. What's Kaneda's attitude towards the global population issue?

A．Critical.

B．Objective.

C．Optimistic.

D．Doubtful.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The declining trend in the fertility rates.

B．The consequences of the aging population.

C．The establishment of World Population Day.

D．The present situation of the global population.

10 . As the global population grows and shifts towards urban living, the land available in our cities is being under increasing pressure.In order to be sustainable, cities need to find ways to minimize their urban expansion.One option is to build upwards; another is to dig down.

In Montreal, constructed underground to relieve overcrowding in the city streets is RESO —one of the largest underground complexes in the world.It is a network connecting everything from shops and banks to flats and hotels.This shows how going underground can meet human needs whilst also bringing certain environmental benefits.Underground transport can reduce traffic jam above ground, thereby improving air quality.Furthermore, thanks to their relatively constant climate throughout the year, underground spaces consume less energy for heating and cooling.

When planning underground construction projects, developers must consider existing structures on or near the site, such as the remains of historic buildings.Designers must also ensure any underground space intended for human use has good air quality.One example is the forthcoming LDN Hotel,an underground hotel beneath the streets of London.Designers are using a wide range of plans to help keep the air inside clean,together with a state-of-the-art ventilation system (通风系统).

Light is another key consideration.In New York, plans for the world's first underground park Demonstrate novel ways of bringing natural rays beneath the surface.By employing solar technology light is to be reflected down through a series of pipes into the terminal below.This light would be sufficient for photosynthesis (光合作用) to occur and the park's plants to grow naturally.

Today's architects are developing innovative ways to make underground spaces functional and comfortable.The question remains whether they can provide sustainable and realistic options for the future.Besides practical considerations, there exists the challenge of building a positive perception of “going underground".Yet, the obvious challenges of constructing habitable underground spaces must be weighed against the urgent issue of housing the world's ballooning population.One day, it will feel as natural to live and work underground as it does to do so over 100 storeys high.

1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?

A．To advertise the underground complexes.

B．To give suggestions on relieving crowdedness.

C．To explain how the underground network works.

D．To introduce the benefits of building underground.

2. How does the author develop his opinion?

A．By giving examples.

B．By listing study findings.

C．By making comparisons.

D．By quoting others' words.

3. Which of the following will the author agree?

A．Going underground can solve the problem of global warming.

B．Good air quality is superior to other factors.

C．Natural light is not necessary for underground plants.

D．The future of going underground calls for people's positive attitude.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Ways to house the world population.

B．Concerns for the urban expansion.

C．Why and how to build underground.

D．The promising future of our cities.