教学资料范本 【2020】最新高考英语（苏）考前三个月：专题四任务型阅读第二步真题演练（一） 编 辑：__________________ 时 间：__________________ 1 / 6 Population Change Why is the world’s population growing？The answer is not what you might think.The reason for the explosion is not that people have been reproducing like rabbits，but that people have stopped dropping dead like flies.In 1900，people died at the average age of 30.By 20xx the average age was 65.But while increasing health was a typical feature of the 20th century，declining birth rate could be a defining one of the 21st. Statistics show that the average number of births per woman has fallen from 4.9 in the early 1960s to 2.5 nowadays.Furthermore，around 50% of the world’s population live in regions where the figure is now below the replacement level (i.e.2.1 births per woman) and almost all developed nations are experiencing sub-replacement birth rate.You might think that developing nations would make up the loss(especially since 80% of the world’s people now live in such nations)，but you’d be wrong.Declining birth rate is a 2 / 6 major problem in many developing regions too，which might cause catastrophic global shortages of work force within a few decades. A great decline in young work force is likely to occur in China，for instance.What does it imply？First，China needs to undergo rapid economic development before a population decline hits the country.Second，if other factors such as technology remain constant，economic growth and material expectations will fall well below recent standards and this could invite trouble. Russia is another country with population problems that could break its economic promise.Since 1992 the number of people dying has been bigger than that of those being born by a massive 50%.Indeed official figures suggest the country has shrunk by 5% since 1993 and people in Russia live a shorter life now than those in 1961.Why is this occurring？Nobody is quite sure，but poor diet and above all long-time alcoholism have much to do with it.If current trends don’t bend，Russia’s population will be about the size of Yemen’s by the year 2050. In the north of India，the population is booming due to high birth rates，but in the south，where most economic development is taking place，birth rate is falling rapidly.In a further twist，birth rate is highest in poorly educated rural areas and lowest in highly educated urban areas.In 3 / 6 total,25% of India’s working-age population has no education.In 2030，a sixth of the country’s potential work force could be totally uneducated. One solution is obviously to import foreign workers via immigration.As for the USA，it is almost unique among developed nations in having a population that is expected to grow by 20% from 20xx－2030.Moreover，the USA has a track record of successfully accepting immigrants.As a result it’s likely to see a rise in the size of its working-age population and to witness strong economic growth over the longer term. 语篇解读 本文是一篇说明文.。文章主要介绍了世界人口增长的原因，并分析了几个国家存在的人口问题.。 71．答案 lower 解析 根据第一段最后一句“....declining birth rate could be a defining one of the 21st.”可知，出生率的下降是21世纪的特征，也就是说，21世纪的出生率可能会比20世纪的更低，且much/even/far/a lot/a little等修饰比较级，故填lower.。 72．答案 size/scale 解析 根据第二段中的“...almost all developed nations are experiencing sub-replacement birth rate.”可知，大部分发达国家正经历着人口负增长，也就是说发达国家难以保持人口的规模，“人口的规模”用the size/scale of population表达.。 73．答案 immediate 解析 根据第二段中的“...which might cause catastrophic global shortages of work force within a few decades.”可知，发展中国家出生率的下降可能会导致几十年后灾难性的劳动力短缺， 4 / 6 由within a few decades可知出生率下降带来的影响可能不会立即显现出来，故填immediate.。 74．答案 economic 解析 文章第三、四、五段分别分析了中国、俄罗斯、印度存在的人口问题以及对本国经济发展的影响，结合第三、五段中出现的economic development以及第四段中出现的economic promise可判断填economic.。 75．答案 old/older 解析 根据第三段第一句“A great decline in young work force is likely to occur in China，for instance.”可知，中国很有可能出现年轻劳动力减少的问题，也就是说中国的劳动力群体正在变老，此处既可以用old的原级，也可以用其比较级.。 76．答案 earlier 解析 根据第四段中的“...people in Russia live a shorter life now than those in 1961.”可知，当前俄罗斯人的寿命比1961年时要短，live a shorter life可以同义替换为earlier death(早逝).。 77．答案 living/life 解析 根据第四段中的“...but poor diet and above all long-time alcoholism have much to do with it.”可知，糟糕的饮食习惯尤其是长期酗酒与俄罗斯人寿命变短有很大的关系，所以需要改变人们的生活方式，“生活方式”可以用way of living/life表达.。 78．答案 equality 解析 根据第五段中的“In a further twist，birth rate is highest in poorly educated rural areas and lowest in highly educated urban areas.”可知，在教育水平落后的农村地区出生率 5 / 6 最高，而在教育水平发达的城市地区出生率最低.。由此可以推断，暂时不考虑出生率问题，如果印度能够实现教育机会均等的话，它的经济可能会腾飞，故填equality.。 79．答案 immigration 解析 最后一段介绍了美国解决人口问题的办法，即通过移民入境增加外国劳动力.。根据“One solution is obviously to import foreign workers via immigration.”可判断填immigration.。 6 / 6
